Transmetals and TM2s?

[Mitarri]

I never really got the diff between them, can anyone tell me?

[Outtsyder]

I never really got the diff between them, can anyone tell me?

It's actually pretty simple, when you take it step by step. You may recall how, with the original-styled BW characters, their outer beast modes looked organic, while most of their robot modes' parts were metallic and mechanical. In the show, when the quantum surge hit the Earth, some of the Maximals and Predacons were affected; Airrazor's explanation was the surge had "mutated" their superstructures, essentially turning them "inside out". That was why the Transmetal beast modes looked robotic, while you didn't see the organic aspects of their beast-modes' likenesses unless they were in robot mode. Hence, the spots on Cheetor only in his robot mode, Rampage's chest armor resembling a crab shell's texture, etc.

This line between the organic and metallic was blurred during the arrival of the TM2s. The idea was for both modes to look like a freakish cross of both styles in one, where you couldn't really tell which mode was meant to look "organic" and which was to look "metallic". The execution of the details of this blurring can be found on most of the toys, but not as much on some of the animated characters. The best example of this aesthetic on the show is, not surprisingly, Cheetor.

It's been rumored that Hasbro was inspired by the designs of the Spawn toyline that was gaining popularity in the late-'90s, which could have spawned (damn, bad pun) the idea for the TM2 idea. But this may just be a rumor; I can't prove it for certain.

Outtsyder

[Tigerhawk]

That's the best explination I could come up with.