Day 169: Hot Rod (Targetmaster)

In addition to the three original car designs introduced to the Autobot roster as Targetmasters in 1987, three cars from the 1986 assortment were re-released and retooled to be Targetmasters. This included Hot Rod, the Autobot cavalier. The narrative implication, though, is that Hot Rod -- who earned the leadership of the Autobots as Rodimus Prime in the '86 movie -- would only be a temporary leader and relinquish the mantle the following year. Sure enough, this would happen in the animated series, paving the way for Optimus Prime's return. Targetmaster Hot Rod came with a transforming pistol partner named Firebolt (inset).

Day 79: Superion (Universe)

The combined form of the Universe Micromaster Aerialbots is Superion, an amalgamation of six robots plus their pack-in accessories that serve as connectors, head, and extremities of the gestalt warrior. While in Japan, the original source of the design ( Sixwing , 1992) was available in a collected set, this combiner needed to be purchased one bot at a time in the 2007 Universe release.

Day 251: Mad

The last of the Air Assault Micron Team trio is Mad, who turns into a Concorde SST. A design that's been used several times already -- see Jetstorm , Scattor , Thrust , Mach , and Quantum -- this version has some of its plastic parts in a translucent finish, giving it a high tech feel. Mad was available in Japan in 2003. He was later rechristened "Skull Buster" in Fan Club-generated lore.

Day 26: Nemesis Prime (Alternators)

Nemesis Prime, an evil twin to Optimus Prime first introduced in the Armada line, gets the Alternators treatment, allowing a reuse of the Dodge Ram SRT-10 design. In the North American market, this toy was only available at the Hasbro Toy Shop and at San Diego Comic-Con International in 2006.

Bot a Day: Daily Drawings

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