Steve-o's Essential Transformers Links

There are already a lot of TF link lists around, but few if any serve to point people to all the most basic, most requested TF info in an easy-to-navigate fashion. That's the primary purpose of this hotlist. Some sites are listed more than once; generally, this happens if there is more than one big resource there, or if I want to list the site as a whole as well as one of its features. If there's an 'important' site that you think I've passed over (yours or someone else's) feel free to contact me, but don't be offended if I say "no thanks". I want this list to remain focused. Also, you may notice (if you pay as much attention to this list as I do, which you probably don't) that I shuffle sites around from one place to another from time to time as my idea of what the organization means changes. Don't be offended by that, either. If I have your site listed, it means I think it's really good. None of these categories are more 'prestigious' than the others.

Link Categories:
|| Official Sites | Comprehensive Sites | Guides and Lists ||
|| Misc. Useful Sites | News and Media | Other Sites I Like ||

Official Sites

Hasbro sites - Hasbro makes TFs. ^_^
- Hasbro - Main website.
- Transformers.com - Hasbro's main TF site featuring regular product updates, Q&A with TF staff, character bios, and more. The site also offers an overview of the franchise's history, and archives older incarnations of the site going back to Beast Wars.
Takara sites - Although Hasbro created the Transformers franchise, they did it by using Takara's toys.
- Takara Co., Ltd - Main Takara website. In Japanese, natch, except for a little investment-info section in English.
- Transformers Generation One - Takara's classic TF website. In Japanese, but still fun to look through.
BotCon - Archival home of information about BotCon conventions from 1994 through 2002, plus the independent 2004 show.
Rhino Records and Video - They release lots of TF videotapes and DVDs, including the movie and boxed sets of TF cartoons.
Dreamwave Productions - Dreamwave is publishing Transformers comics and doing lots of promotional artwork for Hasbro. Also check out the Dreamwave message boards for related news and discussions.
Titan Books - This UK-base company has been releasing collected editions of old Marvel TF comics. Even the UK comics are now being reprinted and made available worldwide for the first time!

Comprehensive Sites

Ben's World of Transformers (BWTF), run by Ben Yee - If you've never been here, you're either new to the fandom, or there's something wrong with you. Ben's World of TF's covers news and history for all of Transformerdom.
Seibertron.com, run by Ryan Yzquierdo - IMO, the most well-designed and accessible of the major TF news/info portals. There is a vast amount of archived information here including enormous screencap galleries and a searchable tech spec database.
TFU.info, by Anthony "Tonyfitz" Brucale - My preferred online source for Transformers toy information and photos.
Unicron.com, by the Lukis Brothers - A thorough Transformers guide covering all lines, organized by year, with pictures of toys in their packages, and individual character pages with profiles, screencaps, toy photos, etc. A gigantic section of customized toys by the Lukis Bros and others. A long link list. A toy sightings feature where you can see if new stuff has been seen in your area yet.
The Cybertron Chronicle, by Rik "Silverbolt, Mr. Vertigo Himself" Bakke - Content, content, content. Among other things, Rik's site contains more extensive information on the G1 cartoon than any other on the web, with episode summaries, transcripts, interviews with voice actors and staff, and sound clips. Also, everything you ever wanted to know about the Norwegian editions of the G1 comic book series!
Zobovor's Multi-Faceted TF Site (ZMFTS), run by Zobovor - Zob has a nearly flawless TF trivia memory, and his site is nearly flawless as well. This is one of the big ones. Don't miss it. I won't even bother trying to list what's available here.
Rob's Electric Escape, by Rob Jung - Good fanfic. The TF Toy List. TF comics guide. Japanese cartoon guides. News clippings about Transformers. A movie treatment Rob was asked to write by a production company. The Trannies (the annual Transformers awards, run by Rob himself).

Guides and Lists

Transformers Toys
- Text resources
  - Toy List, by Rob Jung - A complete guide to TF toy releases worldwide fron 1984 to the present.
  - Toy Variations List, by M Sipher - Every variat of every Transformer toy ever. Plus all the Tonka GoBots and Battle Beasts for good measure.
- Photo sites
  - TFU.info, by Anthony "Tonyfitz" Brucale - A toy reference guide covering the entire franchise with photos, cross references, and the like. A must-see.
  - Transformerland - Another new toy guide, TFland has both a photo archive and a very handy tool for idntifying G1 toys and accessories based on their date stamp, color, etc..
  - Botcollector Guide - A searchable index of TF toys with tech specs, pictures, instructions, etc., for each of them. This is a work in progress, so there are some empty profiles.
  - Toy Ark, by Paul Wais - Photos of TF toys. Many, many, many nice, clear photos of many toys. Each toy's entry in the database also has some release information, package scans, etc..
  - Cobra Island's TF Archive - Another site with nice photos of toys and their accessories, including an accessory identification tool. Very simple interface. Nice! Also has GI Joe, Battle Beasts, GoBots, and MASK!
  - Parts Identification Aid, by John Runski - Photos of toy accessories for, well, just about every toy from G1 and G2.
  - Fred's Complete American Variants Page @ Fred's Workshop - A nice companion to M Sipher's text lists (above), this site is another guide to toy variations, complete with many photos.
Transformers Cartoons
- G1 Cartoon Guide, by Rik Bakke - The "Cartoon Dossier", part of Rik's Cybertron Chronicle, is an extensive G1 Cartoon guide. It features an episode guide with summaries and transcripts, as well as a guide to the show's writers and voice actors. The voice actor guide is meticulous, including even incidental one-line characters. Also, make sure you check the interviews with actors and staff in the Sixty Astrominutes section.
- Classic G1 Cartoon Episode Guide, by Aaron Marsh - A briefer cartoon guide than at the Chronicle, all in one file. This is one of the most-plagerized TF resources on the web.
- Japanese TF Cartoon Guide, by Rob Jung - Summaries of all the G1 TF anime (Headmasters, Masterforce, Victory, and Zone) and Beast Wars Second. Probably the second most-plagerized TF resource on the web.
- TF Voice Actor List, by Dave "Zobovor" Edwards - Covers all American TF series, available as a single long list by character or by actor. (For G1, Rik's coverage is more extensive, but not as quick to navigate.)
Transformers Comics
- TF Comic Guide, by Rob Jung - Summaries for every TF comic released in the United States: old and new, Marvel and independant.
- Scorponok's UK TF Comic Site - Lots of content! Among other things, Scorpy has a quick and complete archive of TF cover scans (including UK issues) and lots of interior pages like TF-related ads.
- Transformers Universe archive, hosted by the Nordic TransFans Association - Transcriptions and art scans of all the old Marvel comics Transformers Universe profiles.
- Polyhex: UK Comic Scans @ Arc of Cybertron - Now that so many of the old TF comics have been reprinted, most of the old scan sites have been taken down to support Titan's reprints. A few stories have still not been reprinted, though, and you can find some of them here.
- Transfans.com Comic Scans - Some comic scans, US and UK, are still available here as well.
General / Multi-Pronged Guides
- Unicron.com, by the Lukis Brothers - The Lukis TF guide is on the left side of their front page. View the line (toys and otherwise) by year.
- Ben's World of Transformers, by Ben Yee - Like the Lukis Bros' site, the guide is in the navbar on the left. Just choose the Transformers line you want to know about, and be whisked away to episode and toy reviews, tech specs, pictures, etc..
- TF Database by Tom "Cliffjumper" Prankerd - A wide variety of information is available here, including long FAQ lists for G1 comics and the JTF lines.
- Prime Saber's TF Page - Contains lots of information about all TF lines. This is one of the better places to read up on Japanese G1 Transformers. Prime Saber has info about the cartoons and toys, with a nice collection of pictures.
- Transformers Encyclopedia, by Stan Lui - Currently covering the G1/G2 cartoon and comics, and the BW cartoon. Articles for this encyclopedia are usually extensive, especially the character bios, which give a full history of the character in each continuity.
Raksha's Artifacts List - "Artifacts" are any merchandised TF item other than an actual Transformer toy. Stuff like toothbrushes, sleeping bags, notebooks, etc.. Raksha has an extensive list of items from G1, G2, and the Japanese BW2.
Beast Wars through Car Robots Artifacts List, by Richard Mistron - This list was re-found by Richard after it went missing for a while, so it's not complete, but it's better than nothing! It covers TF series from BW through the Japanese "Car Robots".
TF Quote Lists, by Rob Powers - Covering all generations and media formats of Transformers, plus quotes from the newsgroup alt.toys.transformers.

Misc. Useful Sites

TF Fanfic
- TF Lexicon, by Charlotte Brogden - A huge fanfic megasite.
- Tranfic Base, by Vulcana - Also a megasite which is huge and full of fanfic. Between these two sites, if you can't find it, it probably doesn't exist.
Rare Toy Info: Diaclones/Pre-TFs, international TFs, etc..
- Devvi's Car Robots, by Daniel "Devvi" Vink - Lots of rare and pre-TF toy info, focusing on Diaclone. (Note: seems to be gone again... Devvi's site comes and goes a lot as his interest waves and wanes.)
- Pre-Transformers Page, by Jeroen Zuiderwijk - Back from the dead! This is another extensive pre-TF page with lots of pictures.
- Decepticon Detention Center, by Ben Munn - Lots of big pictures of Diaclones and rare Transformers. (Look especially in the "archives" subsection of the TF area.)
- Skywarp.co.uk, by Morg - Another site with lots of photos of rare toys, plus a lot of info about Mexican G1 Transformers.
Dave's TF Page - Dave Van Domelen is one DVD that isn't encoded with movies. Dave writes excellent toy reviews and posts news as well. He's also a great kitbasher.
Transformers: The Movie Unofficial Fansite, by CJ Stankiewicz - By far the greatest TF:TM website ever, finally back from a long hiatus! TFTM.net is bursting at its pores with original content, information, and a great fast-loading design. Pay special attention to the carefully maintained "video releases" list.
Scrambled City, by CrazySteve - This is a really ecclectic site. There is kitbash and toy modification info, scans of old ads for TF toys, an HTML "Find Your Fate" book with toy-photo illustrations, and more.
Cybercon Expo - A promising new TF convention. It's not official in any way, but it's still a great opportunity for a bunch of TF fans to get together.

News and Media Archives

News and stuff
- Transfandom.com - A collaboration of a few sub-sites which features lots of archived material to browse and a good front-page weblog.
- The Allspark - Although mostly known as the pre-eminent TF discussion board, Allspark has a news-oriented frontpage.
- Seibertron.com - A news section, as well as boards and a big information archive.
- TF World 2005 - Similar in purpose to the others, although 2005's board area gets more focus than on the other sites. Their main page posts news, just like the others.
- TFormers.com - This is a multi-purpose site with a focus on TF news, much like the others, although the layout is a little more like Slashdot, with comments from readers on the news articles.
- Ben's World of Transformers - Less news-focused than the others, but BWTF updates regularly with toy and episode reviews, pictures, and the occasional scoop like an interview.
- Altered States Magazine, by Phil Zeman and friends - The fandom's online magazine. Unlike the other news sites, ASM does not update daily. However, when a big event like the annual Toy Fair occurs, their coverage is top notch.
Media
- The Transformers Archives, by Brendan Reilly - A really big archive site with tons of media and information, including lots of G1 comic book scans.
- TransFans.Com - Very similar to the pre-facelift TF Archive, but with different gigantic heaps of content. Transfans has an old fashioned page design that's about as exciting as my own, but there's no waiting for big graphics or scripts.
- The Transformer Collector, by Chris Bucci - Focuses on toy info, including an archive of box scans.
- Box Art Archive, by Botch - Beautifully prepared scans of character artwork from Generation One toy boxes (American and Japanese). The images have been painstakingly cropped free of their background and are of exquisite quality.
Seibertron.com - Probably the biggest available collection of TF screen captures is at this site.
Toy Instruction Scans
- G1 Instruction Scans, by Jim Wilson, hosted by TF Racetrack - Many many scans of G1 instruction booklets, with links to more instruction and toy part sites.
- G2 Instruction Scans, by Jose "Rapido" Negron - Rapido's site is entirely devoted to Generation 2, and among other things, has instruction scans for that line.
- BW Instruction Scans, by Mirage @ TF Racetrack - Exactly what it says. Make sure the check out the rest of TF Racetrack, too.
- BM Instruction Scans, by Mirage @ TF Racetrack - Also exactly what it says.
- RID Instruction Scans, by Mirage @ TF Racetrack - Even more that is exactly what it says.
Radio Free Cybertron - Run primarily by Brian Kilby, RFC is a Transformers radio show with recurring columns, special reports, news, reviews, etc.. RFC has sadly been on an irregular schedule for a while now because of events in Brian's life off-net, but all the old shows and their TF:TM movie parody are archived. Check 'em out.

The Rest of Steve-o's Friends and Favorites

TF Pulp, by Hydra and Derik Smith - Dedicated to printed Japanese TF material like manga, TV Magazine features, and so on. Lots of fun, obscure stuff to be found here.
Rob's Pile of Transformers, by Rob Powers - Good fanfic, funny fanfic. Long and detailed essays and reviews. The TF Background Music List. Character tribute pages. Scavenger's Horde of Mindless Drones (including Postcards From General Scavenger). The Giant Lists of Transformers quotes.
TF Generations, by M Sipher - Lots of goodies here, like the TF Variations List, scripts from the TF MSTings at BotCon, the popular Mugshot Gallery (hundreds of closeup portraits of TF characters in original artwork by Sipher), repaints of HOC figurines, and translated scans of the "Linkage" minicomics that come with Japanese Micron Legend DVDs.
Walky's TF Pitstop, by David Willis - Walkertron / Walky has lots of fun stuff to look at, including fanfic, humor, kitbashes, and those cute cartoony TFs he draws. Also be sure to visit his daily comic strip, It's Walky!
Obscure Transformers Page, by Jhiaxus and Monzo - Featuring many obscure bits of G1 Transformers, from characters you've probably never heard of to the random tools that come out of TF's wrists in the cartoon.
Metalface Network, by Rich Garner - Rich, along with JuQuan Williams, created a customizable card game called "Battlecards" which was adapted by Hasbro for their BW and Armada card games. They are hoping to get their original, G1-themed game marketed, so check it out!
Skyflight's Laboratory, by Burt Ward - Nice variety of TF stuff here, including kitbahes and marketplace and ATTCMod info.
Happy Fun Page, by Jameel al Khafiz - The Mighty MegaBee's website is where you'll find the TransFan Code.