Really, where do Transformers come from? The exact process for creating new transformers shifted around a bit in the generation one continuity. Sometimes new Transformers could just be built, and then off the went, other times some sort of catalyst was required, commonly the "Creation Matrix" that Optimus Prime possessed. Really, though, it seemed to be up to the whim of whomever was writing the comic or cartoon episode at that moment. Ever since then, depending on what cartoon, comic, or movie you're looking at, it varies quite a bit, although most commonly, it's now depicted are relying on some sort of catalyst, like the Allspark in the live action movies. For me, this leads to thinking about where Transformers as a race come from. In the Generation 1 cartoon, Transformers were built by an alien race, called the Quintessons, as a product to be sold. In the comic version of Generation 1, the Transformers were created by a primal god of the universe, Primus, who co...
*contains no actual guidance for surviving a pipebomb explosion.