The Big Wheelie Decepticon From Transformers 2 Means a Lot To Me

Any kid who’s ever scribbled pictures can tell you that if you don’t know how to draw legs on a robot, you give him a giant unicycle wheel instead. Animators love putting wheels on robots because then they don’t have to waste time moving all those extra parts. When the Transformers 2 trailer revealed this huge one with a wheel for legs, I got a little choked up, not because I thought these animators were lazy, but because sometimes it’s a real treat when you can recognize a little bit of yourself in something so grand. 

That's a 50-foot tall kill-bot rolling on a wheel. Amazing. People complain that Michael Bay's Transformers aren't true enough to the original cartoon, but they don't realize a golden childhood memory is being honored right in front of their faces. It's subtle, despite being enormous. 

I was looking real hard for a picture of Robobone, the robot incarnation of Vice Principal Lamar Bone from the classic Nicktoon Doug, but I guess no one ever thought to get a screen grab and put it on the Net. Thanks, you guys. Anyway believe me, homie rocked a wheel. 

This isn't just a nostalgia thing either. Animation takes time and time is money and if we're gonna get through this recession together, we need to start putting wheels on fucking robots like now. 

That's right, Hollywood. You're catching on.