Picking Beast Modes For The Original Autobot Cast

[@samurexatlas7373]

I appreciate Alligatorcon in the thumbnail, even though I don't think you'll choose him for OP.

[@ShokoArc]

I always imagined Jazz as a wolf, keeping the sound motifs in the form of howling, the color white being common in wolves and being a slick animal Cliffjumper being a boar is something I just think it would fit, since it's a thought but small animal

[@virovac885]

Boars are not small man. At all.

[@frostyfoster6056]

An elephant is great for Prime, considering they’re a compassionate species.

[@R0-83-RT]

Also it wouldn't be too hard to imagine it considering Big Convoy Transformed into a mammoth.

[@OT_Foundation]

To fix the problem with Smokescreen, giving prowl a transmetal form an then repainting it into smokescreen, transmetal forms are a convenient loophole when it comes to the realism of the animals.

[@samurexatlas7373]

Gears breaks the rules, yes. Counterpoint: Inferno(Ant) was decided on beast mode before allegiance. Black Arachnia became a Maximal. And most them were Maximal Protoforms. So the rules are flexible.

[@neckpunch73]

Plus no one's sure whether Quickstrike was born a predacon or was just a bat-shit crazy Maximal

[@zphyr6780]

The only one I would’ve changed is Ironhide, he should be a buffalo. Some of them are brown (so kinda reddish) They’re big and imposing, they’re really strong and most importantly. They’re American which would fit perfectly with Ironhide’s southern/Texan attitude

[@The_Troid]

I think this is a great idea and it would allow Optimus to be a bear which would fit with his red coloring

[@otaking3582]

The fact that Bumblebee has never been a _literal_ bumble bee should be a crime.

[@TLSM-72]

He could be a Bumblebee Bat. The smallest mammal in the world for the “smallest” Autobot in the cast.

[@R0-83-RT]

@@TLSM-72 Nice idea I like that.

[@1505627]

Bumblebee's alt-mode also works on another level when you factor in all the continuities where he likes to race

[@OptimusPhillip]

I probably would've gone for an avian animal for Windcharger. He's a Firebird, his name has wind in it, and Maximals were allowed to be avian.

[@sarahquinn6849]

I’ve always wondered why the character with wind in his name never had a version with a flying alt mode, even just as a unicron trilogy era name dump

[@jonathanbrewer3240]

Me too

[@nemesisbloodryche22]

I'm just saying, the elephant tusks as the shoulder smokestacks would go hard. And also be a bit big convoy esc

[@The_Kasual]

TJOmega: Autobots must be based on land mammals Also TJOmega: makes Brawn a reptile

[@flareblade1420]

Dinobot is a dinosaur and yet he's a maximal, so why not have the odd reptile.

[@russellharrell2747]

A slow but strong tortoise works just fine, since the Predicons had snapping turtles. The Maximals definitely strayed from the mammal scheme with Cybershark, Depthcharge and Claw Jaw, the later one even being an invertebrate. This is outside the land based animal stipulation, however, so it’s about as relevant as Airrazor being the first bird representing the Maximals. And of course in later beast wars we had Blackarachnia on the maximal side before the Maximals took on the beast modes scheme of the predacons.

[@otaking3582]

The original Optimus Primal (whom was intended as G1 Prime) was a bat.

[@InfernoDragon1]

@@flareblade1420true but he was originally a Predicon. So he and Black Arachnia are like the exception because they were former Predicons. I guess Air Razor would be the genuine exception to the rule because she’s a hawk.

[@NerdRahtio]

@@InfernoDragon1blackArachania had a maximal spark though

[@MildlyAggressiveOni]

Perfect video to mention this, but I'm honestly surprised we've never gotten alligator Optimus based off that one episode. (Unlesss we have, and I'm just unaware.) Feels like one of those weird things you'd see in Masterpiece or some other line that does obscure versions of characters.

[@VerdantRange]

We're getting a figure based on Gator Prime from Super 7. I think you can get it from Entertainment Earth.

[@TornaitSuperBird]

@@VerdantRangePretty sure there's also some 3rd party offerings with Alligaticon.

[@jaredhebert942]

I know there's been some neat customs, plus I think FunPub or Hasbro was going to do a Croctimus Prime from TR Skullcruncher for a boxset IIRC

[@nickvang7]

We literally just got Super7 Transformers ULTIMATES! Alligaticon. Which is an official Alligaticon from an officially licensed line that does obscure Transformers characters.

[@Rojixus]

Great choices! I probably would've picked a racoon for Wheeljack myself.

[@jackofallclaws6672]

Here’s my personal list of beast modes for the 84 Autobots (although I’m limiting myself to only extinct or extant animals that live in North America, since BW did the same thing with it’s cast…for the most part.) With that said, here we go! Optimus Prime: Mastodon. Similar to Big Convoy but not an exact copy. Jazz-Timber Wolf. It’s the most musical mammal I could think of outside of a Howler Monkey. Plus it fits with his role as 2nd in Command. Prowl/Smokescreen/Bluestreak: Epicyon (Bone-Crusher Dogs)/ Red Wolf and Eastern Wolf. The only explanation I’ll give for Prowl’s is this: because he’s a great Crime-Biter. Ironhide and Ratchet: Grizzly/Black Bear. Black Bears are known for being more personable than Grizzlies, so making Ratchet one makes sense. Mirage: Arizona Jaguar. Might seem like cheating but they were at one point native to the state. Outside of that, I just thought that something stealthy but still strong might fit for Mirage. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker: Peregrine/Prairie Falcon and Bald Eagle. It felt so wrong to not give the Brothers beast forms that could fly, so this is what I came up with. Sideswipe has the speed and Sunstreaker’s got the good looks. A Golden Eagle for Sideswipe could also work too, I guess. Trailbreaker and Hoist: Camels. Oddly enough, there’s actually a ton of archaeological evidence showing that camels originated from North America and then moved to the Middle East via Land-Bridges. Neat! Anyway, one hump for TB and 2/a cart for Hoist. Gears/Windcharger/Brawn/Huffer: Wild Boar, Cougar, Tortoise and Beaver. Because Gears is a bore, I needed at least one cat on the team, it makes way too much sense for Brawn and Huffer can be a wet blanket sometimes. Hound: Horse. Simple and straightforward. Wheeljack: Squirrel. Because he’s a Nutty Professor. That, and I’d imagine he’d try his best to hide his best inventions in order to save them for future adventures. Bumblebee/Cliffjumper and Bumper: Sheep, Ram and Billy Goat. Small but Mighty. Scary but still Marketable. BONUS: Hauler/Grapple: Giant Ground Sloth. I’ve got nothing for this one.

[@TLSM-72]

Jetfire/Skyfire: Quetzalcoatlus. The Seekers would likely be Pteranodons/Pterodactyls, so why not rebuild him into the largest known pterosaur. Also, Ratchet could be a Spirit Bear/Kermode Bear because they’re a white subspecies of Black Bear, keeping with your reasoning. 👍

[@jackofallclaws6672]

@@TLSM-72 Thanks for your addition. Now, let’s just hope that TJ does a sequel to this video focusing on the Decepticons.

[@BoisegangGaming]

I like bears as the ironhide/ratchet mold, mostly just because bears are very good generalists and it also fits the sort of bulk of the original sedan alt mode. I do think Prime could have been a bull, mostly for the fact that its the closest thing to a real-life semi-truck (hauls heavy goods). Surprised theres no donkeys or mules in this lineup, would have been fun.

[@NerdRahtio]

Windcharger could be a flying squirrel, those can have reddish brown on them. Good picks overall, especially Huffer, that’s perfect.

[@slugmaligma9248]

Elephant is a good pick for Optimus. Now, imagine a war elephant with a blood-stained face, and his feet have been soaked in tar, forming dark bluish hues around it. Now that's an elephant Optimus.

[@GriffindorDrago]

Thats Bayverse beast optimus💀

[@IcyKali]

These are excellent choices and you have no idea how hard I'm struggling to not make a joke about Ironhide and Rachet being bears in another sense right now!

[@nucleonegro9762]

If it wasn't for the existence of Bluestreak i'd have given Wheeljack the wolf and Prowl the snow leopard How about a dingo, jackal or coyote for Hound?

[@anotherrandomguy8871]

I wonder if Preceptor would be an parrot since parrots are associated with being smart or quick to learn, and have great vision, which would fit his alt mode, and the animal fits his red color. Big problem is, G1 preceptor doesn’t fly.

[@GriffindorDrago]

Disabled parrot. Simple solution.

[@warrenlafnear3384]

The bloodhound is actually the best form For, hound, and it only makes since.

[@SpaceManRD]

I will propose one change: Bumblebee would be a hyena. A few reasons: It's in keeping with the (albeit loose) savanna animal theme. Them being stereotyped as shifty and underhanded fits with how he was ostensibly meant to be a _spy_ in G1, though you'd never know it from the cartoon. They're yellow-ish, smaller than other predators but scrappy enough to go toe-to-toe with them, and can be plenty cute enough for a kid appeal character if you lean into that design aspect.

[@Latios1221]

Personally, I think a snow leopard would also work for Jazz. Matches his color scheme, sleek and stylish, and can be very stealthy which is great for the Autobots' resident Spec Ops bot.

[@walterlopez5054]

Taking this idea and running with it for Decepticons Megatron: pistol shrimp Soundwave: Suriname toad so he can deploy his minions from his back Seekers: wasps

[@RevengeoftheBallen831]

I think a hippo could make for a nice Trailbreaker beast mode. They’re stocky, dark gray, and definitely could work in relation to his force field abilities.

[@nitrostormskystriker478]

Then what would Hoist turn into?

[@RevengeoftheBallen831]

@@nitrostormskystriker478 I believe some hippos could be somewhat green-tinted. Hoist could be a rhino, too. Not a lot of green mammals, so we have to be creative.

[@ixadorillcasterthe3rd146]

It would proably piss everyone off but I was thinking Bluestreak as a hedgehog.

[@R0-83-RT]

Lol

[@alwaysabiggafish3305]

as soon as I clicked on the video i thought of Optimus as an Elephant. Glad you did too. Sturdy and noble.

[@jacks1678]

Saw this interesting title and clicked. The video did not disappoint!

[@philipjohnston5822]

Optimus being an elephant would most likely make Soundwave happy. (I am going off IDW canon here.)

[@wer4599]

He was an elephant in beast wars neo

[@ragingyuzu1891]

​@@wer4599That was Big Convoy, a different character.

[@wer4599]

@@ragingyuzu1891 it’s almost like the name “Convoy” means Optimus in the states. Oh wait it does! I understand how Ginrai is a different character but Big Convoy is Prime

[@R0-83-RT]

​@@wer4599 I would say Convoy is more of translation of Prime rather than Optimus Prime, considering Rodimus Prime is called Rodimus Convoy in Japan. Also factoring in that Lio Convoy, Big Convoy & Beast Convoy are all seperate individual characters.

[@ragingyuzu1891]

​@@wer4599There is also Lio Convoy who also appears in Neo, and works with Big Convoy, are you saying they're the same character because of their name? Which isn't the case.

[@larrychilders6599]

18:07 also works because in most coninuities he loves speed

[@macfine]

With all the artic animals you could make the story the ark crashed in the artic . Instead of elephant optimus , you can get woolly mammoth optimus prime

[@sarahquinn6849]

So basically just making him Big Convoy then 🤔

[@karatgaming5792]

14:23 I've always imagined a beast mode for Brawn being an armadillo, but like you said, there's no such thing as a green mammal.

[@hickettsisepic989]

Few ideas for Hound I had: - Mountain goat: colors don’t really work, but I think they keep the off-roading vibes that his Jeep had, plus I like his size relative to other bots with that - Snapping turtle: this one breaks the rules, but it manages to be green, plus it also keeps the hologram idea because snapping turtles can disguise part of themselves as bait to lure prey, might be too “mean” for Hound though, so maybe a sea turtle would work better. Also a couple ideas I had for Mirage were angler fish or jellyfish if they didn’t break the rules for similar reasons as snapping turtle for hound.

[@AaronEdwards]

As a Brawn fan, I approve of the turtle choice.

[@fishpop]

Wheeljack being an Arctic Fox is a wonderful merging of my favourite Autobot and animal. 🥰

[@mattparsons8914]

Something great about elephant prime is for the ultra Magnus repaint they can use the tusks as shoulder stacks

[@TornaitSuperBird]

Ultra Magnus could be a retool. After all there's already Ultra Mammoth.

[@Godzillawolf1]

Love this. Honestly, my pick with Smokescreen would be a skunk. One, I think you could theoretically remold a wolf to resemble one, it'd be a funny looking skunk, but so is Gasskunk, second, there are actually brown skunks. Not blue ones, but there are white and brown skunks, and Smokescreen is pretty much as red as he is blue. He even has white stripes. Could just say the blue is hidden in beast mode. And third, of course, is Smokescreen's most iconic thing is...well, his smoke screens, and wolves don't really have one of those, while skunks probably have the next best thing.

[@vxrdrummer]

Hound could have been Egon from the second Ghostbusters film when he admits he is sleeping with the mood slime. 'Oh, you Hound'. Egon beast mode with tall hair.

[@half-faust]

One could argue that the dinobots break the rules, Dinobot did start a Predacon after all. That said, I think it's more interesting to relax the rules a bit than rigidly stick to them.

[@mindwipe8788]

Love the beast-modes for everyone except Sunstreaker would have gone with a Leopard for him.

[@EternityKingdomsHeadHoncho]

Hound either turns into a wolf (to fit his name) or a human (to fit his original bio).

[@syafiqjabar]

Jazz should be a lynx. That fits him more than a lion. A cool cat. Trailbreaker being a truck means he fits a rhino better.

[@cuddyfox6973]

Not sure you will make a season 2, but here is a couple I can think of. Grapple- Giraffe Blaster- Red Fox Seaspray- Dolphin Powerglide- Cardinal Tracks- Heron Inferno- Red Wolf Perceptor- Squirrel Beachcomber- Otter Cosmos- Turaco Omega Supreme- I guess Toucan

[@Protoraptor69]

Alt title: G1 Autobot's fursonas.

[@InfernoDragon1]

Okay now do the original Decepticons with beast modes. XD

[@mattr75]

I'm surprised at how few frog Transformers we've had over the years

[@wsc0tt]

I like all these ideas. Maybe they could change Bumblebee's name to Bramblebea so if fits a bit more.

[@vboi5697]

If there ever is a sequel to this, I think Warpath with a Honey Badger alt mode would go hard

[@GinjeetX]

Sunstreaker and Cheetor are my favorites, so this is perfect to me Also Sideswipe and Red Alert being tigers parallels Cheetor and Tigatron, nice detail!

[@TomMSTie1138]

I was still at work when this video dropped, and between them and now I daydreamed up some of my own beasts and TJ was almost 100% spot on to my picks. Now to pick names. Mastodon Prime? Iron Claw? Tailbreaker? Sunspotter? Prhowl?

[@p.g89]

Love to see a part 2 for the s1 and s2 deceptions due to the smaller caste and for the next autobot video I'd love to see a wider range of animals .

[@Chaos-Zakai64]

In Beast Wars, Maxamals could also be birds and fish. Air Raizer, Depth Charge. If you ever do a G1S2 follow up, Power Glide would have to be a bird of some kind and Sea Spray a fish.

[@silverprime5672]

For Smokescreen consider a maned wolf. It's mostly red so the colors don't perfectly match but there is black on it that can be used to remind us of the blue. Not a perfect fit but the best one I could come up with.

[@Martynde]

I'd have chosen an animal that symbolises the name Ironhide. Something with a tough impenetrable skin. Like a rhino.

[@mcstabba]

I was thinking maybe a mountain goat for Hound. A Jeep is an off road vehicle and a mountain goat can traverse any land terrain really.

[@firewolfkanji17]

Absolutely love these! Hope one day this idea comes to fruition! The beast mode for Bumblebee and Cliffjumper was inspired! If you haven’t already, I’d like to see this video idea with the Decepticons in the future!

[@Biodragon882]

Id day Jetfire/Skyfire could work really really well as a Quetzalcoatlus, especially if we keep the Cons find him first and repair him angle. Makes him properly huge whilst still showing that side turning like with Dinobot

[@Undrave]

Bumblebee and Cliffjumper should be cats. They got the different kind of attitudes a cat can have :p

[@wakeangel2001]

the only mammals I can think of that are blue in any way would be aquatic, like a dolphin or blue whale, there are quite a few birds that are blue, including the blue jay, but again we're leaving the realm of land animals. The only mammal I can think of that even has an association with green is the sloth, which can look green because they move so slowly moss and algae can grow in their fur, but slow moving tree animal doesn't really fit anyone in Transformers.

[@absol-lutezero5309]

there is a form albinism that has a blue tint to it

[@LordBumblebee1238]

If Optimus Prime were to transform into the largest land mammal go for Paleoloxodon

[@Tazer_Silverscar]

Blue and red... If you used a grey/blue instead of a straight-up blue, you could absolutely make Smokescreen a wolf! (also there's wolf variations that could absolutely be more fitting of his moniker, so you could potentially just have his blue and red be robot parts).

[@W0LF2000-]

This is completely genius

[@TFSMF2]

14:23 A tortoise is great for Brawn but if you want to stick to the rules of Good guys get mammals, bad guys get Reptiles/Arthropods, Perhaps a Pangolin would be more fitting?

[@omegamaximus1727]

I love your list.

[@The_sniper1954]

Look at the pup- oh, oh that's not a puppy

[@dexterthoma867]

I just finished watching this episode on my TV and you can’t get any more perfect than this I mean yeah if you can get more perfect but I don’t know what that would be only you do

[@squallreviews788]

I was looking at Classified Mutt and Junkyard and thought Hound could be Junkyard with the green service vest.

[@macfine]

Id go regular cats for bumblebee and cliffjumper

[@rip-off793]

Bumblebee should be a Bumblebee, no arguing about that

[@dylancrossman8502]

Elephant Optimus probably ends up looking like Big Convoy

[@ReaverPrime]

"Only one red mammal..." Hate to be that guy, but... Red panda, red squirrel, red wolf, red howler, red hog, red kangaroo. And those just the ones I could think of without having to Google it. Also, Windcharger could have been a weasel or ferret and the name would work. Those little guys are fast af, boy.

[@fuellerr67]

hound being a jeep could also work as a goat imo

[@medafan53]

I would say Optimus would work well as a horse, since historically the horse and cart did the job that, in the modern day, is done by a truck.

[@afanofstuff9123]

Yoooo Optimus the wise being a wise elephant nice Also jazz who takes pride in his look and choice in music is the prideful lion. Yoooo prowl as a pack leader for wolf's who hunt just like how he leads the police forces in most comics coool

[@greemx7913]

I think Optimus would be an elephant…yep. Addendum: Oh, you chose an elephant as well!

[@jaredhebert942]

I was expecting Cliff to be an echidna so he could have a Sonic & Knuckles thing with Bumblebee; him (Cliffjumper) and Knuckles are both scrappy, somewhat prickly/bristle-y but good guys you want in your corner in a fight (also, I think echidnas can be a reddish brown?)

[@Tributronbluewhiteman]

Great video, I really liked all of your picks. Except for one thing. You say you can't have bumblebee transform into their namesake, yet Hound is a hound Lol Hound could potentially be a sloth, as their fur can usually have moss and other debris on them for that greenish look and Hounds face usually looks like a sloth too As for bumblebee, if can't be a bee then how about an orange house cat. He'd be small and cuddly. Cliffjumper could also be a house cat

[@EternityKingdomsHeadHoncho]

3:02 I’ll do you one better. Orca Optimus Prime, or “Orcamus Prime” if you want a horrible pun!

[@Cdr2002]

13:48 Hound could be a military dog

[@Evanformer]

Hey, good pics TJ

[@chickennugget481]

i was thinking armadillo for ironhide, purely because of his name

[@grayj7441]

I did a Transmetal custom of Ironhide out of the Rhinox mold

[@aliastheabnormal]

TRUKK NOT MUNKY. Also there already is an Elephant/Mammoth Optimus. His name is Big Convoy from Beast wars Neo. And he is a different character from Primal and Leo. He also his own Ultra Magnus in Ultra Mammoth who appeared in Beast wars shattered glass.

[@codythecat01]

Me personally I would have made trailbreaker a black bear. It fits him in both personality and appearance.

[@nitrostormskystriker478]

I'm okay with Optimus being an elephant, however I prefer him being a moose because the antlers work as his smokestaks. I'd make Sideswipe a brown horse and Sunstreaker a yellowish horse that way Red Alert can be a white horse. That makes too many horses so Trailbreaker can't be a horse, so I propose turning him into a bull because unlike buffalos, bulls can actually be black, you can utilize one of the horns to make the winch for a brown Hoist redeco. Wolfs and Foxes are pretty similar so I'd make Smokescreen a fox with the blue parts coming from the robot mode. I really like the idea of Bumblebee as a capybara and Cliffjumper as a boar. If you ever make a Decepticon version of this video then I have some suggestions for that. Megatron as an orca: Black and white animal that hunts mooses. The seekers as falcons: duh Soundwave as an ostritch: They use sound to communicate with each other, the cassettes can be eggs instead, maybe have ravage be a komodo dragon since they lay eggs while jaguars don't.

[@Martynde]

There was a Maximal frog in Japan called Diver so its okay.

[@williamgiambatista7925]

I think Skyfire has to be a quetzalcoatlus bc he’s ginormous and he was also a decepticon and if they followed the predacon rules then it would work

[@teamshiny3515]

I have a feeling there’s gonna be some fat art of this.

[@afanofstuff9123]

I love the amount of thinking that has Went into this I love it so much And I love that gears isn't a mammal because not all maximals are mammals dethcharge for example he's a fish and originally inferno too if he wasn't corrupted he would have been a maximal insect so. Give bumblebee wings coward And honestly this is all hypotheticals anyways so I'd make bee and cliffjumper bee's. Just looked it up there is a red coloured bee so it works.

[@theacro9108]

I would personally go with a hippo for iorn hide since there just as strong as elephants and I think you should have also added birds and sea life and thank you for suggesting some animal inspiration for my own animated pilot beast wars forged in steel

[@doro626]

I would make Jazz a smaller cat. Puma or Panther due to the "ears" on his head. I wouldnt worry about color scheme a lot. Seeing as how its still a toy line, you have to make the animals appealing. I would fudge the greys and light blues like hell. Same with earth tones. Great concept though. I need to check out your beast wars vehicle video.

[@KZN02]

I find it funny you chose elephant for Optimus Prime since Peter Cullen voiced Mario and Mario recently got the Elephant powerup in Wonder.

[@NerdRahtio]

When did Cullen voice Mario?

[@KZN02]

@@NerdRahtio In the cartoon Saturday Supercade, which would be between 1983 to 1984.

[@markswenson8439]

I can also see windcharger as a fox

[@SuperiorNova]

Tbh after watching this, I want to collect some beast wars characters and repaint them into the G1 character

[@palaguin]

I was thinking about a wolverine for Brawn, given his attitude.

[@DragonxFlutter]

Elephant Optimus: Didn't they already kinda do that with Big Convoy? Like, I get it's a totally different character in-fiction (and it's a Mammoth not an Elephant), but the idea is the same.

[@TalkingHeadProductions]

So in this hypothetical line, could we get a crossover figure of the bumblebee that is Sonic?

[@spyredrum3447]

Grapple/ hauler should be giraffe for since it fits

[@jonathanbrewer3240]

I think it would make make more sense that Hound would be a Wolf, so then Prowl would be a White Tiger

[@jmurray1110]

There are definitely more than 1 red animal you have red pandas and red squirrels just with the mammals and a lot of red birds