Heavy Metal War
Title card via TFWiki, fan-archive fair use
Megatron cheats his way through a one-on-one duel with Optimus for control of Earth, secretly powered by the abilities of the new Constructicons.
A busy construction site is attacked by driver-less construction equipment, and several components are stolen. The construction vehicles return to Decepticon headquarters and are revealed to be the newly built Constructicons. The components they stole are parts to a machine that will allow Megatron to absorb the power chip rectifiers from his Decepticon warriors.
While the final preparations are completed on the machine, Megatron flies to Autobot headquarters and makes Optimus Prime an offer he cannot refuse. Megatron offers the Autobot leader a one on one battle with the winner staying on Earth to do as he pleases, and the loser taking his army and exiling themselves to deep space. Confident in his own abilities, Prime accepts the challenge and sets the match.
Knowing that Prime would be unable to resist a chance to honorably end their conflict, Megatron returns to the Decepticon base and uses the newly completed machine to gain all of the special powers of his warriors. Skywarp's teleportation, Thundercracker's sonic boom, Rumble's seismic attack, etc. Knowing that Megatron would now be unbeatable, Starscream voices concerns that the Autobot computer Teletraan I would be able to detect what Megatron had done. Anticipating this problem, Megatron dispatches the Constructicons to take care of the computer.
The two armies arrive at the battle site, and the contest begins. Megatron unleashes a barrage of powers (while Starscream gives a running commentary), and Prime is outclassed at every step. Not knowing that he has been deceived, Prime concedes the fight and comments that he underestimated Megatron. The shocked Autobots begin the trek back to base, and the Decepticons follow to make sure they leave.
Meanwhile, the Constructicons have nearly tunneled their way into the Ark and Teletraan I. Sensing the imminent danger, Teletraan I activates the Dinobots. The Dinobots respond and start pounding on the Constructicons, opening up a lava channel in the process. The battle not going in their favor, the Constructicons pull out one last trick and combine into the super warrior, Devastator. The returning Autobots see the battle, but are unable to help. Inside the Ark, Teletraan I is able to show that Megatron cheated, and the Autobots rush outside to help the Dinobots.
Despite the arrival of the rest of the Autobots to the fight, Devastator is still too powerful to be defeated, so Hound distracts the monstrous Decepticon with a hologram of a colossal Autobot. Stunned at the sudden appearance of a robot even bigger than he is, Devastator is shot by Optimus Prime and falls apart. The Constructicons try to drive away, but the Dinobots blast them into the lava. The other Decepticons are routed by the Autobots and also pushed or knocked back by gunfire into the lava. There is much rejoicing.
...Until Megatron rises from the lava, vowing that the Decepticons will rise again.
—Starscream, after hearing another of Megatron's promises to destroy the Autobots.
—Starscream and Megatron
—Chip and Ironhide on the duel between Optimus and Megatron.
—Sludge and Snarl vs. the Constructicons.
—Optimus Prime and Spike, with a question that is quickly answered, at least for the audience.
- The art style of this episode has a distinctively Japanese flavor to it (in a handful of scenes), similar to that of "Roll for It" and "S.O.S. Dinobots". Masami Ōbari's believed to be involved with this episode. Nobuyoshi Habara was also involved with the episode, working on some shots during the actual battle between Optimus Prime and Megatron, though which shots are unspecified.
- The animation pretty much gets Devastator's transformation spot-on. Enjoy it while you can; it won't last.
- Storyboards for this episode indicate that at one point in the scripting process, power chip rectifiers were also tied into the ability to transform. Upon giving up their rectifiers, the Decepticons lose their ability to transform, and during the fight, Megatron transforms into a jet!
- Scenes and dialogue deleted from this episode include Wheeljack showing off the latest improvements he has made to the Dinobots outside Autobot Headquarters (during which Megatron arrives), Scavenger referring to Scrapper with his working name "Gravedigger", Megatron using Soundwave's mind-reading powers on Optimus Prime during their fight, and Starscream sarcastically pointing out that the other Decepticons could help Devastator fight the Dinobots - except that they don't have their powers (to which Megatron retorts that "my Devastator needs no help"). An extended portion of dialogue is also cut from Megatron's address to Optimus Prime, resulting in the rather clumsy line in the finished episode, "Our war has gone on for millions of years — Decepticons fighting Autobots — in which opposing leaders — you and I, Optimus Prime — may do battle." In the episode's dialogue script, following "Decepticons fighting Autobots," Megatron finishes his first sentence by lamenting the endless nature of the war. Prime shares in his regret, but deems it necessary as long as Megatron continues his pursuit of conquest. Megatron then speaks again, raising the topic of the "age-old law of combat," then picking up the finished line from "in which opposing leaders..."
- Ironhide's "sorry about that" non-sequitur is the result of a cut to the start of the scene: while watching the battle through the hole blasted out the side of the volcano and frustrated at not being able to join in, Ironhide slams his fist against the cavern wall, causing it to shake. He sheepishly apologizes.
- During Teletraan I's montage of the sources of Megatron's acquired powers, the descriptions for the individual Decepticons are verbatim quotes from the Transformers Series Bible's "Decepticon Rollcall" page, albeit including several lost-in-translation typographical errors ("Decepticon Lider", "Decepticon Commicator", "Sky Warp"). The most notable of those is Rumble (misspelled as "Runble") being identified as a "red robot". Furthermore, the seemingly random numbers listed on those screens are actually Hasbro's product codes for the respective toys. Interestingly enough, Reflector is given a product number, even though he was never released at mass retail. However, the renditions of the Decepticons are not the official character model poses for those characters, but rather all-new drawings.
Screencaps via TFWiki (Teletraan I), used under fan-archive fair use.