The War For Cybertron Trilogy is a toyline in the Transformers franchise, succeeding the Transformers: Prime Wars Trilogy toyline. It debuted in 2018, and ran under the ongoing Generations banner. The toyline centers around the war between the Autobots and Decepticons, introducing a new weaponry-based combination system utilizing 5mm ports and holes that prominently feature on every figure and accessory for mixing-and-matching.
The first installment, Siege, focused on the final days of the titular war on Cybertron. All of the characters feature futuristic sci-fi vehicle modes based on their Earth vehicles, along with prominent battle damage. This installment introduces the COMBATnote System, each character comes with either multiple weapons that can combine into a larger weapon, or a single weapon that can switch between a melee or ranged state. Those weapons can also attach onto the body of the characters themselves, which also applies to the new Weaponizers. Weaponizers are several Deluxe-Class figures that can split their bodies apart to combine with other Transformers, forming weapons and armor. Siege retires the Legends Class scale, replacing it with the Micromaster and Battle Master Class, small Transformers who turn into small vehicles and/or weapons and come with blast effects. Also introduced is the Commander Class, for Transformers larger than most, but not as big as Titans.
The second installment, Earthrise, centers around the Transformers during their voyage to Earth. This toyline gives many characters from Siege their regular Earth vehicle modes and weapons, removing battle damage, and featuring much more G1 cartoon-accurate designs. The COMBAT System is replaced by the AIRnote Lock System, which has similar aspects but focuses on the connective system of platforms, ramps, and bases. Weaponizers are likewise replaced by Modulators, Transformers who can turn into buildings and split into weapons/armor for other figures.
The third and final installment, Kingdom, takes the fight to the prehistoric past, and introduces the Maximals and Predacons of Beast Wars into the mix to celebrate its 25th anniversary. The toyline features a combination of G1 and Beast Wars Transformers, many from The Transformers: The Movie to tie in with the newly introduced 86 subline of Studio Series, celebrating the film's 35th anniversary. The 5mm port system is once again changed to FOSSILnote Technology, centered around the Fossilizers, Transformers made of bone who can turn into prehistoric animal skeletons who, like the Weaponizers and Modulators, can turn into weapons and armor. Kingdom retires the Battle Master and Micromasters, replacing them with Core Class. Core Class is a mix of small Transformers and small-scale figures of larger characters.
In 2020, a Platform/Netflix cartoon premiered, tying into the toyline.
War For Cybertron Trilogy would be succeeded by Transformers: Legacy in 2022, carrying over many aspects of the Trilogy, such as the 5mm port system.
Tropes for Transformers: War For Cybertron Trilogy
- Adaptational Name Change:
- Flywheels is renamed to "Skytread".
- Reflector is renamed to "Refraktor".
- Adaptational Species Change:
- The Modulators were originally regular buildings and Micromasters. The toyline combines them, with the robot mode of the Micromaster and the building as the alternate mode.
- The Autobot Ark, usually a regular spaceship, is a fully-fledged Transformer with a robot mode.
- Adaptational Superpower Change:
- Cog, Sixgun, Brunt, Slammer, Fasttrack, and The Powerdashers can split apart into weapons and armor for other Transformers, which none were able to do previously.
- Mainframe and Jackpot, originally Action Masters who couldn't transform, are able to in this toyline, turning into Teletraan-1 and a sports car respectively.
- Adaptational Villainy: Impactor, usually an Autobot and leader of the Wreckers, is instead a Decepticon in the 3-pack with Powerdasher Aragon and Hologram Mirage to tie-in with the cartoon. His other figures in the toyline are regular Autobots.
- Adapted Out:
- Mirage's Kingdom figure doesn't include a place to mount his rocket launcher on his shoulder.
- Cheetor has neither his gut gun or tail blaster, instead having a tail whip based on his Transmetal weapon.
- Predacons Tarantulas and Inferno are nowhere to be seen, despite the Maximals having the complete Season 1 cast.
- Breaking Old Trends: Cliffjumper had usually been a retool of Bumblebee until Earthrise, marking the first time in years that Cliffjumper was the original mold, with Bumblebee being the retool instead.
- The Bus Came Back: Many, MANY characters from G1 get their first figure in DECADES, including the Micromasters, G1 Crosshairs, the Weaponizers, and even some Action Masters like Mainframe or Jackpot.
- Canon Foreigner:
- Siege and Earthrise: Many of the Battle Masters are original to the toyline, though several characters, such as Lionizer and Rung, have previously existed.
- Kingdom: The Fossilizers are the first of the Weaponizers to be comprised of new characters, aside from Transmutate.
- Canon Immigrant: Barricade, originally a character from the Transformers Film Series, is featured in both the toyline and cartoon, with a body based on Prowl.
- Combining Mecha:
- Skytread can separate into his individual tank and jet modes.
- The Micromasters can all combine with each other to either form a weapon or a larger vehicle.
- The Weaponizers, Modulators, and Fossilizers are all intended to combine with other Transformers, but they can also combine with each other. The Fossilizers take it a step further and include a dedicated combiner head with Wingfinger.
- Composite Character:
- The Modulators have robot modes and names based on Micromasters, but transform into buildings based on the Micromaster bases.
- The Action Master Mainframe can turn into the Autobot supercomputer Teletraan-1.
- Covered in Scars: In Siege, nearly every figure came with some sort of battle damage.
- The Netflix subline takes it up a notch, with almost every character being covered in debris or scars.
- Crossover: Kingdom serves as one between G1 and Beast Wars.
- Equippable Ally: The Battlemasters, Micromasters, and Weaponizers.
- Mix-and-Match Weapon: Every weapon in the toyline is intended to combine with each other, known as the Weaponizer system.
- Mythology Gag:
- Jetfire has armor attachments which invoke his original G1 figure design. He can also switch between Autobot and Decepticon with a flip-around insignia, replicating his switch from Con to Bot in the G1 cartoon.
- The Siege Seekers all turn into Tetrajets.
- Cliffjumper's main weapon is a bazooka, based on the one he briefly used in the 3-part pilot for The Transformers, which can also turn into a ski attachment for his vehicle mode based on his hydrofoils from the episode "Dinobot Island Part 2"
- Paleotrex's head with their visor down is inspired by Optimus Primal's mace weapon from the original Beast Wars toyline.
- The Autobot Ark's robot mode is inspired by the Last Autobot from the Marvel Comics.
- Cheetor's weapon is a tail whip, based on the one he had in his Transmetal form.
- Named Weapons: All the weapons in Siege have specific names. Pre-existing weapons retain their standard name, such as Optimus' Ion Blaster or Megatron's Fusion Cannon, but special mention goes to Ironhide's new rocket-launcher/hammer, which is called the Doomblast Forge Launcher.
- Palette Swap: As per usual, many figures are retools and redecos of other releases.
