Cockpit
From Transformers Wiki
Cockpits, seats, driver's compartments, and cabins: all exist to provide space for an on-board operator or passenger of a manned vehicle. Transformers who have taken alternate modes based on these manned vehicles have good reason to include a cockpit to ensure perfect disguise. However, there are others who have never imitated a piloted vehicle, who even live on worlds where no suitable pilots have existed since recorded history began, who yet have a place for a driver. How can this be? Only Primus knows the truth.
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Diaclone
One of the pre-Transformer toylines, Diaclone included small figurines with magnetic feet for use with most toys. When these toys were carried over to the Hasbro toyline the figures were omitted but the cockpits were retained. This led to several toys that would not logically have had space or even need for a driver featuring an inexplicable cockpit. Toys with this feature include the Dinobots and Insecticons. These were entirely ignored in the fiction, although when the Insecticons were reissued in Japan in 2004, they came with energon cubes that were designed to fit neatly inside them.
On the Seekers, the cockpits can be used to contain the landing gear, thus reducing the number of parts lying around during the transformation.
Nebulan partners
The Headmaster toys, except Cerebros, all have cockpits for their partners to ride in. In fiction, the Nebulan controls the Transformer from within the cockpit. Trial by Fire!
_targetmaster toys have hardpoints on their alternate mode for gun-mode Nebulans to attach to. Even so, in fiction both _targetmaster and Powermaster Nebulans sometimes ride in the cockpit. Perhaps that is just more comfortable.
Beast Wars
Given the non-vehicle alternate modes of the Beast Era's characters, cockpits are for the most part absent from this time period. However, there are cockpits in Optimal Optimus, Transmetal 2 Megatron, and Tigerhawk's bodies. Coincidentally these three characters all evolved by placing two sparks in their bodies. In early toy designs, these cockpits were shown to hold "spark avatars" called Soul Figures that looked like small versions of the characters. However, Hasbro ultimately cancelled the spark figures in order to avoid confusing kids over whether the robots had "pilots".
The Japanese-issue of Cryotek (who shares Transmetal 2 Megatron's tooling) was assembled with the "spark avatar" included in the cockpit. This despite the figure being otherwise identical to the American release, including the packaging.
In the Beast Wars cartoon series, the cockpit of Optimus Primal's "Optimal Optimus" body was used to house Optimus Prime's spark. Optimal Situation
Exodus
Cockpits are the remnant of when the Quintessons enslaved the Transformers. Minicon High Councilor Ratbat rode in the Seeker Contrail's cockpit. Transformers: Exodus
