The Autobot Run
Title card via TFWiki, fan-archive fair use
Megatron's machine strips the Autobots of their ability to transform, leaving them stranded in vehicle mode.
While watching a car race, Spike and Chip comment on how cool it would be to see the Autobots perform in a race as well.
Meanwhile, in an old west ghost town, the Constructicons have completed the Transfixatron, a new device that will lock a Transformer in the mode they currently occupy (usually vehicle mode). Laserbeak arrives, informing the Decepticons about the Autobot race.
Starscream complains that Megatron is wasting time with the device instead of leading an attack. In response, Megatron tests the device on his whiny subordinate, and it's a success. Starscream is stuck in jet mode and begs to be released, saying he'll do whatever Megatron wants and he's too valuable to the Decepticon cause. Megatron gets bored of Starscream's pleas and frees him. Satisfied with the test, Megatron orders the Constructicons to start working on a second device whose purpose will be revealed later.
Chip and Spike suggest their race idea to the Autobots, and Optimus Prime agrees, as long as it's for charity. Huffer complains that it's a waste of time and a bad idea (as usual), but the Autobots decide to do it. Huffer, Brawn, Ratchet, and Wheeljack remain to guard the base.
The Autobots arrive at the track and wait at the starting line in robot mode before they compete "in the greatest automobile race in history." Some numbskull in the audience wonders aloud where their cars are. The Autobots transform, and the race is on with a whole lot of trash talk. Jazz, Sunstreaker and Mirage rush ahead of the slower vehicles like Trailbreaker and Ironhide.
During the race, Skywarp teleports to a position over the track and uses the Transfixatron on the Autobots, who don't notice. The Autobots near the finish line, but they're kicking up so much dust it's impossible to tell who won. "The real winners are us, folks!" says the announcer.
Next up, the Autobots line up to do some stunts and make "Evel Knievel look like a kiddie car driver", according to Spike. But Sunstreaker's attempt to jump the other Autobots falls short and he has to be saved by Windcharger's magnetic powers.
Before they can do anything else, the Decepticons arrive. The Autobots attempt to transform, only to find that they are all stuck in vehicle mode. Optimus orders the Autobots to ram the Decepticons, but they simply shoot out the Autobots' tires, fire rays to make their engines overheat and disable their radios. Helpless, the Autobots are herded away by the 'Cons.
—Megatron selects Starscream as the test subject for his latest device.
—Someone who somehow hasn't heard of the Autobots, yet turned up to a race for them.
—Bumblebee fails physics forever.
—Mirage's colorful terms for Transformer anatomy.
—Ironhide falls victim to Thundercracker's incendaries.
- This was one of twelve episodes of the original cartoon released as audio adventures by the German company Karussell Musik und Video.
- To catch the grenade, Chip stands up from his wheelchair. It should be noted that Chip's precise medical condition is never explained, so we have no way of knowing why he uses a wheelchair or how much use of his legs he actually has. A close inspection of the animation shows him apparently pushing himself up with his arms, but it's really not conveyed very well.
- This is one of three episodes from Season Two which were animated by AKOM (the others being "The Core" and "City of Steel"). They share similar art and animation styles (lots of one-point perspective action shots, scrolling backgrounds, and random zoom-ins), prominent use of the Constructicons, slightly more juvenile plots than usual, and a set of character model oddities such as Megatron's dark gray gun barrel, Optimus Prime's white backpack, and Chip Chase's blue jacket.
- AKOM also has a strange habit of showing vehicle-mode close-ups with painted artwork instead of typical flat colored cel art. Witness Gears getting shot by Soundwave, and Sideswipe and Jazz's dashboards. The same thing can be seen in "The Core", as Chip leans out of a painted Wheeljack.
- Another unique trait of AKOM's animation in Season 2 is how often the animation models are directly traced onto the animation cels for crowd shots, instead of drawing original linework for each character.
- A one-time-only bit of Westernish background music, presumably culled from Robert J. Walsh's enormous archives, plays across the opening scene in the Decepticons' ghost town.
Screencaps via TFWiki (Teletraan I), used under fan-archive fair use.