Want to know something amazing? Remember that non-descript lion you just clicked to access this page? His name is Razorclaw, and he’s actually a robot in disguise.

I know, I know. It’s a hard nugget to swallow. In fact, you’re probably already shaking your head, dismissing this revelation with such logical reasoning as “Why that looks just like any other African lion with side-mounted concussion blasters.”

But I swear to you, it's true. What’s more astonishing is that there are hundreds, perhaps thousands of them across this planet waging clandestine battles as you read this.

The 30-second back story (for the uninitiated): millions of years ago (unless you’re a stickler for biblical mythology, then it’s much less time), warring factions from the planet Cybertron crash landed on Earth during a desperate mission to harvest new sources of energy. Trapped in stasis lock, they awoke in 1983 and continued their operation. Possessing the ability of changing from mechanoids into at least one alternate mode, the robots were reformatted into vehicles and animals to better "hide in plain sight" from the reactionary denizens of Earth.

Sidestepping the ruthlessly high prices of OPEC, the mighty Decepticons forged ahead with the same successful strategy they honed a millennia before: smash and grab. To oppose them, the heroic Autobots, the peace-loving equivalent to intergalactic hippies, seek to bring end the fighting and bring about a new golden age.

I’ve carried my passion for Transformers throughout my childhood which is evident in a few of my stories. As my lonely wife can attest, I’ve devoted my adult life and bank account to hunting, capturing, and imprisoning each one of them behind the most technologically advanced sheet of 1/4” glass that Ikea has ever mass-produced.

I am not the only one with this knowledge, however. I am but one of a growing legion who has dedicated their spare time and couch cushion money to answer the call to melodramatically rise up and amass hoards of these robots from Generation One to Beast Wars to Alternators.

To uncover more of the intricacies pertaining to the sprawling Transformer canon including customizing and fan fiction, journey forth to these valuable resources created and maintained by fellow TransFans with skills far greater than my own.