Mach and Tackle

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Mach and Tackle. They're cops!
"Mach and Tackle" マッハとタックル () (Mach to Tackle)
Production company	Takara, Toei
Airdate	18 July 1989
Writer	Hajime Suzuki
Director	Yoshikata Nitta
Animation studio	Toei
Continuity	Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity

Investigating a mysterious land subsidence in Canada, Mach and Tackle uncover the Breastforce's latest plot.

Synopsis

Somewhere in southern Canada, in the middle of a massive cornfield, a farmer named Tom is about to take some extreme measures to get rid of a prairie dog that's been digging up his land. Before he can push the plunger that will detonate the dynamite he's laid in the field, however, the ground beneath his feet quakes, and he runs for his life as the field collapses into a massive crater.

News of the subsidence prompts Star Saber to send Machtackle to investigate, and the Multiforce warrior soon tracks down Tom telling patrons of a nearby bar about the event (exaggerating his own athletic abilities in the process). Always out for a quick buck, Tom offers to show anyone who wants to see, at which point Machtackle knocks on the window to avail of the offer. Tom takes the presence of a giant robot in stride and leads him up to the fields, where Machtackle divides into Mach and Tackle to investigate thoroughly. The pair deduce that an underground river had been flowing beneath the field, but that its flow suddenly stopped, causing the land to collapse. Suspecting Decepticon involvement, they alert Star Saber, who refuses Wingwaver's request to go to the aid of his teammate.

As night begins to settle in, Mach and Tackle head west, following the run off of the Rocky Mountains in hopes of locating the cause of the land collapse. They come upon what appears to be a human factory, but while Mach is taken in by the façade, Tackle realizes that there is no guard, and no road leading to the gate. The factory is, in fact, a cover for a subterranean hydroelectric power plant assembled by the Breastforce, which is responsible for draining the river and causing the land collapse. As Mach radios the other Autobots to inform them of their discovery, Drillhorn picks up his broadcast, and Leozack orders the other Breastforcers to spring into action, even as Star Saber and the Multiforce race to Mach and Tackle's aid.

While Mach manages to lure Hellbat into the nearby forest and entangle him in a cluster of trees, Tackle camouflages himself with dirt and grass as he prepares for Jallguar. Mach nearly gives him away when he radios to let him know that he has dispatched Hellbat, but Tackle is able to pull off his plan and bring Jallguar down. A brief argument between the two Multiforcers ensues, but when they hear Killbison approaching, they decide to adopt a new tactic, and recombine in a new configuration as Tacklemach! The dim Killbison doesn't even realize who Tacklemach is at first, but realization soon dawns, and Tacklemach finds himself being chased through the forest by the Decepticons' Breast Animal. Just as the creature is closing, Star Saber drops out of the sky and seizes it, hurling it into Killbison and taking both of them out of the picture.

Back at the Decepticons' power plant, the other Multiforcers are battling with automated weapon defense systems. Leozack instructs Drillhorn to seal the entrance shaft, but Drillhorn refuses, because the other Breastforcers haven't returned. Star Saber, Mach and Wing approach the factory from above and are able to enter through the open shaft, getting the drop on the two Decepticons. Mach and Wing seize Drillhorn and slam him into the factory's control console, accidentally triggering the self-destruct system and forcing the two Decepticons to flee. The three Autobots manage to fly out of the base just before it goes up in flames.

Back in Tom's field, the money-hungry farmer is showing a group of people the crater, when suddenly a huge geyser of water bursts out of it and sprays high into the sky. The destruction of the Decepticons' base has returned the underground river to its natural flow, and consequently, the crater becomes a huge lake as the river fills it. Tom is dismayed at the end of his tourist business, but as the Autobots make plans to fill the land in for him, he suggests that they hold off, so that he can try his hand at fish farming instead.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"Does this bar sell gasoline?"

—Tom, on spying Machtackle standing outside.

And the jungle hates him.

"I HATE THE JUNGLE!"

—Hellbat wedged between two trees.

"Stay away, Mr. Cow!"

—Tacklemach fleeing from Bisonbreast.

"Leozack! Because of you, land has collapsed! I will not forgive the destruction of nature!"
"That's the only reason you came?"
"I will never forgive you for destroying nature!!"

—Star Saber, environmentalist, and Leozack

"I'm gonna get you this time, ya cunning little fellas!"

—Tom, about to dynamite some prairie dogs.

"Darn! I can't see the wood for the trees!"

—Hellbat wedged between two trees with different lines.

"I've lived here a long time, but I've never seen a live robot."
"Please don't call me a robot. My name's Machtackle"
"Oh, you've got a name too? Well, I still prefer 'robot'."

—Tom and Machtackle

"That's really something. I'll try it! SPLIIIIT!!! (does a backflip and hurts himself) Ow!!!"

—Tom tries to "transform".

"I HATE YOU! Oh, I can't. It isn't their fault."

—Tom can't decide whether or not he hates prairie dogs.

"But you know I'd look like a colander if he'd managed to shoot me with that gun."

—Tackle

"Come and get me if you can!" (whirls nunchuck and makes martial arts noises)
"I don't want that thing up my rear!"

—Killbison and Tacklemach

Notes

Animation and technical errors

• During the explosion of the base, there's a frame or two where the explosion is missing, revealing the intact buildings.

Real world references

• This episode features quite a few unusual Japanese cultural references and hand motions that are likely to puzzle (and in some cases, leave slack-jawed) Western viewers:
  • When Mach radios Star Saber, the communication ends with Tom popping up onscreen and... giving Star Saber the finger. The old coot doesn't mean anything bad by it, however—in Japan, the gesture lacks the offensive connotation it has in the west, and is often used as a silly, random thing in manga and anime. Killbison also does it later in the episode.
  • When Killbison attacks Tacklemach, he emits one of those Japanese nonsense-words that is said for emphasis of action (if you're ever watched a fansub, you probably know "sorya" as one). Bizarrely, he transitions from screaming this into screaming "Sōran! Sōran-to!", which are (equally nonsensical) lyrics from a Japanese folk song, "Sōran Bushi." As a final bit of punctuation, he screams one final lyric from the song—"A SEAGULL ON THE OPEN SEA!" That Killbison, he so crazy.
  • The final shot of the episode is Tom making a hand gesture in which he touches the tips of his thumb and index finger in a circle. In the west, of course, we know this as the symbol for "okay", but in Japanese culture, it means "money", referring to the scheme Tom's just cooked up.
• The bar is prominently named as the Victory Bar, a reference to... well, you can probably guess.
• The Ennio Morricone-inspired music that was previously heard in the first episode makes a reappearance here, appropriately, as Tom is in the Victory Bar telling his story.

Trivia

• There was a two-week break between the airing of this episode and the previous one.
• This is the only time in the entire Victory series that any of the Multiforce change their combination pattern (as well as probably the most prominent use of any of the singular Multiforce members). Way to promote the gimmicks of your toys, there!
• There's a fun bit of Transformer physiology on display in this episode when Tackle calls Mach's attention to something and the shot cuts (twice) to a macro view of one of the latter's optic sensors inside his visor.
• The Decepticon base's self-destruction starts at the countdown timer, which promptly explodes from its console when it reaches 0.
• Despite separating to allow Wing to go on the assault on the Decepticon base, Waver isn't seen on his own in the episode. As soon as the Autobots regroup for the happy ending, Wing and Waver have already recombined.

Foreign localization

English

• Title: "The Underground Water Electricity Plant" (Omni Productions dub)
• Original airdate: August 18, 1991

• Tom appears to assume the massive subsidence is the prairie dogs trying to scare him.
• He also insists on payment from Machtackle in exchange for taking the Autobot to his farm.
• His seemingly random question of whether Machtackle knows Ninjutsu is replaced by him exclaiming in surprise that the Autobot can separate into two.
• Tacklemach still refers to himself as Machtackle.
• When Leozack is about to seal the plant, Drillhorn is concerned the rest of the Breastforce might get killed, rather than doubting he and Leozack can defend the base alone. Aw, he really cares.
• The English dub of this episode included on the R4 DVDs has the dubbed narration intact over the trailer for the next episode.

Home video releases

DVD

2003 — Transformers: Victory — DVD Box 01 (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only.
2006 — The Takara Collection Vol 3 — Transformers: Victory (Metrodome)
2007 — Transformers — The Complete Takara Collection (Metrodome)
2008 — The Transformers: Victory (Madman Entertainment) — Optional Omni dub.
2009 — The Transformers: Japan Generation 1 — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment) — Optional Omni dub.
2012 — Transformers: The Japanese Collection (Shout! Factory)
2012 — Transformers Japanese Collection: Victory (Shout! Factory)