So how long has Tails been an inventor/mechanic for?

[Badnik Mechanic]

So... for some reason, I don't know why, last night I was reminded of this episode of AOSTH..

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW1SeyEawKc

 

At the end of that episode, Sonic tells tails to grab his toolkit, and he invents a robot waiter for Burts Diner... and this got me thinking.

 

How long has tails been an inventor/mechanic?

 

In Sonic Adventure, he's firmly a mechanic, he has a workshop and he makes things. But, according to Sonic the Fighters, Tails has a workshop, you can see it in one of the stages, so he's been in this role for far longer than Sonic Adventure would have you believe.

 

But... has he ever been offcially called a mechanic or inventor before that episode of AOSTH?

 

In fleetway, he wasn't the inventor/mechanic, that joy belonged to Porker Lewis, in Archie comics he wasn't the tech guy, that job belonged to Rotor.

 

According to IMDB, that particular episode first broadcast on November 1st 1993. So it predates Sonic 3 by a long way, not that theres much in terms of tails being a mechanic in that game anyway.

 

Now in Sonic 2, whilst Sonic has a plane, theres no indication that it was Tails who built it? Is there? The only clue that Tails does invent things comes from the rocket pack that gets fitted to it after it gets shot down at the start of Wing Fortress.

 

So SSMB, tell me that AOSTH didn't create Tails being a Mechanic/inventor? Is there anything official that sorta suggests 'yes this is when tails began his second job as a mechanic/inventor.'

[Vertekins]

It was the Tornado that brought Sonic and Tails together. Tails, being an avid fan of mechanics, was impressed with the plane's sleek form and impress fuselage when he finds it parked on Westside Island but backs off when he notices Sonic asleep in the cockpit/in the shade of a wing. This is directly translated from the Japanese Sonic 2 manual, so Tails was interested in mechanics and planes before meeting Sonic and before other continuities.

 

The Tornado belongs to Sonic and it's maker and past are mysteries.

Edited March 30, 2013 by Vertekins

[Badnik Mechanic]

So AOSTH actually did some research and got it right?

[Diogenes]

Between Tails fanboying over the Tornado as Verte said, and strapping a rocket to it at the end of Sonic 2, "from the start" is a pretty reasonable answer.

[Vertekins]

So AOSTH actually did some research and got it right?

 

It's possible. But then going by AoStH using things like the Emeralds for that four-parter and certain musical themes, it's easy to say that some research into the games was undertaken and therefore it is logical that Tails' aptitude for mechanics was utilized.

[Tara]

In addition to what Verte mentioned, he was clearly seen as perfectly capable of flying a plane since Sonic 2.  I can only presume that Fleetway, SatAM, and other continuities where Tails is not the chief mechanic all use the Master System/Game Gear versions of Sonic 2 (where Tails is kidnapped and as such does not show any sort of skills as a mechanic to my recollection) as their basis for continuity.

Edited March 30, 2013 by Akito

[Vertekins]

In addition to what Verte mentioned, he was clearly seen as perfectly capable of flying a plane since Sonic 2.  I can only presume that Fleetway, SatAM, and other continuities where Tails is not the chief mechanic all use the Master System/Game Gear versions of Sonic 2 (where Tails is kidnapped and as such does not show any sort of skills as a mechanic to my recollection) as their basis for continuity.

 

To me, I always thought that Fleetway and SatAM just ignored Tails' traits to give Porker Lewis something to do and to foist Sally Acorn and Rotor into the limelight respectively.

[Tornado]

AoStH generally did do a lot of research in terms of the stuff shown by Sonic 2 and backstory and whatnot. It just went off and did its own thing for whatever the writers wanted to do at that moment.

[Badnik Mechanic]

Well fleetway and archie both had 'the visit' from the Sega reps, they were told the rules and what each character did, you can tell by how both comics had robotnik with an assistant, there was a tech/mechanic guy and they all lived on Mobius.

 

If Tails was definately the tech/mechanic guy then I would have assumed it was a mandate that he got the role over Porker/Rotor.

[Tara]

To me, I always thought that Fleetway and SatAM just ignored Tails' traits to give Porker Lewis something to do and to foist Sally Acorn and Rotor into the limelight respectively.

And that's a possibility, too.  I'm just leaving it open that they may have misinterpreted, or perhaps correctly interpreted, Tails being kidnapped to mean that he's the innocent child character with no special traits about him aside from that.

[MamboCat]

I too would say Sonic 2 shows he's into engineering and stuff... he is able to kit out the Tornado with a rocket between the time he drops Sonic off at Wing Fortress and the time he defeats the boss.

 

There's also an episode of SatAM where Tails does some hacking, but mentions that his "Aunt" Sally taught him how to do it. Can't remember which episode it was but I remember liking it because Tails was doing more stuff that he normally did in SatAM.

 

STC Tails I think is the odd one out in that he is supposedly a little older than his AoSTH and Archie/SatAM counterparts, but also he's more of a Sonic fanboy than a young genius (or even "Sonic's lil bro" for that matter). The role of gang techie goes to Porker or later, Tekno. Tails does win a few victories in his own stories but they're pretty much all down to chance. So it's a weird one... he's older and certainly quite capable but he's not as smart as the other Tailses... Tailsi...

Edited March 30, 2013 by MamboCat

[Diogenes]

Or they just got the Western Sonic 2 manual story (or something similar)--Tails is a two-tailed fox kid who idolizes Sonic. The manual doesn't make any reference to any mechanical ability or interest.

[SuperLink]

Does no one remember Tails' Adventure in this particular scenario? It may not be a good game, but it's supposedly set before Tails met Sonic and he has all manner of gadgets at his two-tailed-arsenal, more than he has in most of his other game appearances.

 

So yep, I think "since the beginning", canonically and probably conceptually too, is a pretty good guess.

I remember one episode of AoStH where Tails said he was 4 and a half and couldn't write yet. Either that series has some continuity errors (and with that series who cares right?), or Tails can do rocket science despite being illiterate (hey it happens)

Edited March 30, 2013 by SuperLink

[Tara]

or Tails can do rocket science despite being illiterate (hey it happens)

That's actually not too farfetched from the standpoint of a cartoon.  Anyone can learn to play an instrument or compose music, for example, with enough effort, but they don't have to learn how to read music or take formal composition classes.  Doing so makes it easier to communicate ideas, but not necessarily execute ideas.  As a far different example, I'm very much self-taught when it comes to computers.  I can do what people want me to do with them, but because I taught myself, I often struggle when people use the "proper" terminology because I didn't teach myself based on scholastic standards.

 

Anyway, back on topic.  I'd completely forgotten about Tails Adventure, and that's an interesting point.  It makes me wonder why he's only ever seen flying planes for most of the series with few exceptions as opposed to inventing a variety of devices.

Edited March 30, 2013 by Akito

[SuperLink]

Anyway, back on topic.  I'd completely forgotten about Tails Adventure, and that's an interesting point.  It makes me wonder why he's only ever seen flying planes for most of the series with few exceptions as opposed to inventing a variety of devices.

My guess is he loves planes most? He probably associates them with his meeting with Sonic, he's probably a bit of a plane geek and despite always working with new technology he always wants to spruce up the old-fashioned biplane in the end.

It's cute.

[Splash the Otter]

I don't understand how Tails' Adventure could logically take place before Sonic 2. The manual for Sonic 2 implies that Tails had lived on West Island his whole life, and wasn't very outgoing. If the manual for Tails' Adventure is to be believed, he was actually an expert mechanic and fighter long before he ever met Sonic! Thankfully SoA noticed this plothole when they localized the game.

[Tara]

My guess is he loves planes most? He probably associates them with his meeting with Sonic, he's probably a bit of a plane geek and despite always working with new technology he always wants to spruce up the old-fashioned biplane in the end.

It's cute.

Fair point.  I can understand that.  Still, though, you'd think there would be situations, as in Colors, where something other than a modified biplane would save the day.

 

It is adorable though! <3

[Kuzu]

I always found it amusing how Tails was a tech geek from the getgo, kinda makes his characterization post-Adventure seem a little more consistent.

[iDEATH]

Yeah pretty much from the get go. The tornado's Sonic's plane and Tails fixes it up.

Then there's Tails' games that take place before Sonic 2 where he shows a lot of technical skills, building subs, robots etc.

 

Don't think he shows any of these skills in the GG version of Sonic 2 but he's kidnapped in that one anyway isn't he?

[Tani Coyote]

It was the Tornado that brought Sonic and Tails together. Tails, being an avid fan of mechanics, was impressed with the plane's sleek form and impress fuselage when he finds it parked on Westside Island but backs off when he notices Sonic asleep in the cockpit/in the shade of a wing. This is directly translated from the Japanese Sonic 2 manual, so Tails was interested in mechanics and planes before meeting Sonic and before other continuities.

 

The Tornado belongs to Sonic and it's maker and past are mysteries.

 

Wow, so Sonic X... actually more or less used the same origin story for their meeting up as the game canon. That's actually impressive.

 

So it looks like Tails has been a mechanic from the beginning, but the angle was only really played up on in more recent titles so he could step out of Sonic's shadow, as he did in SA1.

[Sparky]

He's been a mechanic/inventor since the beginning, both in-universe and in the real world.

[Vertekins]

Wow, so Sonic X... actually more or less used the same origin story for their meeting up as the game canon. That's actually impressive.

 

So it looks like Tails has been a mechanic from the beginning, but the angle was only really played up on in more recent titles so he could step out of Sonic's shadow, as he did in SA1.

 

Yep. But Sonic X added a scene of Tails painting the Tornado blue and has him mention that he upgraded the engine to make it faster. It's cute concerning why he painted it blue because his reason is that he wanted it to look cool like Sonic It also has an additional plot point in that Sonic actually gives Tails the plane and tells him that he can upgrade it as he sees fit. The dub skips over these bits of dialogue.

[WarioBone]

I'm sad that this character trait has becoming Tails' defining point of existance now, though.  The guy does nothing but mechanical work now, to the point of even no longer being able to defend himself (as seen in Unleashed).  While his position as the "pit crew" of the cast is something that is clearly set in stone, I'd like if he'd come back out of his shell and start joining Sonic in a more proactive manner.

[MamboCat]

Yep. It'd be nice to see Tails spin attacking and using his tails like a hover propeller again... being smart is a character trait but isn't exactly a good gameplay mode. I remember being rather disappointed in his SA2 levels.

[SuperLink]

Yeah I agree, it's nice that he's smart but I miss the days where he rolled and flew on his lonesome. I remember a tiny few occasions in SA2 and Sonic X where Tails used his tails to fly or go faster and I was like "wow it's been a while"

 

Seriously Tails being reduced to chauffeur in Sonic X was INFURIATING..