Bot a Day: Daily Drawings

This chonky boi is Slog, the combat artist of the Pretenders Monsters team of Decepticons. His rotund beast shell conceals his inner robot, that can turn into a mechanical monster as well. Slog was available in 1989, and his toy was redeco'ed and packed with a different shell to become   Kakuryu   in Japan that same year. 

Birdbrain is next in the line of Decepticon Pretender Monsters. His outer bird monster shell conceals his inner robot, that turns into beaked mechanical monster. Birdbrain was available in 1989. That same year, his robot body was redecoed to be the   DinoForce soldier Rairyu . 

Starting off the 1989 collection are a continuation of the Pretenders gimmick -- a set of Decepticon Pretender Monsters. The organic shell of the creature contains a mechanical version of said creature that then turns into a robot.  First up is Bristleback, ground assault specialist. This drawing is from 2017.   The robot core of this Pretender was redecoed in that same year in  Japan as Gairyu . 

As  mentioned yesterday , Doubledealer had two robot modes: an intimidating Decepticon bird of prey, and a more approachable Autobot robot mode. This is the mode that Doubledealer does his arms dealing in. To make the merchant more trustworthy (would you buy something from someone named Doubledealer?), the IDW comics renamed this mode Dealer. It is a Powermaster, meaning this robot mode is unlocked from the vehicle mode (an ICBM-carrier truck) by a distinct Powermaster unit, Knok (inset). Doubledealer was available in 1988. This drawing concludes the 1988 collection. 

Here is Doubledealer, a peculiar Powermaster that finishes off the 1988 line. Doubledealer has two robot modes, one ostensibly Decepticon and the other an Autobot (though in reality, he's an independent mercenary). His vehicle mode is an ICBM-carrying missile truck. He has two Powermaster engine block units that plug into the vehicle, each unlocking a different robot mode. Plugging in Skar, the bat-shaped Powermaster (inset), unlocks his bird mode. He was available in 1988, and issued in Japan as the character  Doubleclouder .   

The Decepticon cassette twin pack of Beastbox and Squawktalk can merge their forms to create a combiner robot named Squawkbox. This set was available in 1988.

  Paired with Beastbox is another microcassette, this one turning into a bird of prey named Squawktalk. He is a translator, capable of speaking over 6,000 languages. He was available in a two-pack in 1988.

The year 1988 saw the last of the Decepticon cassettes meant to fit into  Soundwave , a remarkable run of four years. This year saw the release of a two-pack featuring Beastbox, Decepticon interrogator, a purple cassette that turns into a gorilla. 

The third and last of the Firecons is Flamefeather, who turns into a "fire-breathing" bird monster. Originally released in 1988, he was  re-released in 1994 with a transparent plastic shell   that showed off his spark-shooting gimmick. 

Next in the Firecon line is Sparkstalker, a fire-breathing kaiju-like monster with spark-shooting effects. Released in 1988, he was  redecoed in transparent plastic  that better showed off his spark-generating works in 1994, exclusively in Europe. 

Continuing the 1988 collection, today kicks off a run of Firecons -- small monsters with pull-back motors and spark-shooting gimmick. Cindersaur turns into a spiked reptilian monster. This design was redecoed in Japan to become a  Sparkdash character named Guzzle.  

The last of the three Triggercons is Windsweeper, a very territorial Decepticon air defense specialist. He turns into a B-1B Lancer bomber, and has pop-out spring-loaded chromed laser cannons in both plane and robot mode. He was available in 1988. 

  From the Triggercons, here is Ruckus. He has pop-up weaponry in his robot mode and his Baja buggy mode. He was available in 1988. This drawing is from 2017.

Kicking off a run of Triggercons, the bad guy counterparts to the   Triggerbots . Triggercons and Triggerbots have spring-loaded guns that pop out into position in both vehicle and robot mode. This is Crankcase, a grouchy Decepticon "data collector." He turns into some sort of 4WD off-road vehicle. He was available in 1988. 

 And the second of two Decepticon Pretender beasts, Snarl, is also a wild boar. His outer shell is an armed and armored boar, which conceals a mechanical boar within that transforms into robot mode. He was available in 1988. This drawing is from 2017.

In addition to standard Pretenders and a Pretender vehicle, the Decepticons also fielded a pair of Pretender Beasts. First up is Carnivac, the tracker. His outer animal shell is an armed and armor-wearing timber wolf. It hides a mechanical wolf, which turns into Carnivac's robot mode. Carnivac was available in 1988. 

From the 1988 collection, here is Roadgrabber, a Decepticon Pretender vehicle. The figure is scaled like the other Pretenders, but rather than an organic creature shell, his outer shell is a car with pincers. Inside the car, he can either hide in robot mode or in his vehicle mode, which is a fast-attack hover jet. 

The next in the line of Decepticon Pretenders is Bugly. The outer organic shell is a classic bug-eyed monster design, which contains an inner robot that transforms into a hover jet. Bugly is the team strategist. He was available in 1988.

Finback is another of the Decepticon Pretenders from 1988. His outer organic shell is some sort of aquatic armor-wearing sea monster, which conceals the inner robot body that transforms into a hovercraft. Finback's specialty is naval assault. This drawing is from 2017.

Next in the Decepticon Pretenders line-up is Iguanus. The giant lizard man's organic shell opens up to reveal an inner robot that turns into motorcycle. He was available in 1988. 

The next Decepticon Pretender is Bomb-Burst, a vampiric monster whose organic outer shell contains a robot that turns into a VTOL hover jet. He was available in 1988.

The next Decepticon Pretender is Submarauder, the team's underwater warfare specialist. His outer organic shell is some sort of oceanic kaiju monster. His inner robot turns into a submarine. He was available in 1988. 

Kicking off a run of Decepticon Pretenders, a set where the robots are concealed in monstrous organic forms. Skullgrin's demonic form conceals an inner robot that turns into a tank. His speciality is listed as siege warrior. He was available in 1988. 

The last of the 1988 Decepticon Headmasters is Horri-Bull. His Headmaster unit is Kleb (inset). Horri-Bull, as his awful pun of a name implies, turns into a robotic bull. All in all, an uncouth and nasty character. 

 From the 1988 Decepticon assortment comes Squeezeplay, with his Headmaster component being Lokos (inset). Squeezeplay turns into a strange bipedal crab monster. The 1988 Headmasters were smaller and less expensive than the inaugural 1987 lineup. Some of the shortcuts that lowered the price point is doing away with the flip down chest plate that would reveal the robot's Tech Specs once the Headmaster unit was plugged in. Now those gauges are fully exposed in robot mode. 

Fangry kicks off a run of Decepticon Headmasters from the 1988 collection. He is a tracker, and turns into a monstrous chimera of upright wolf with bat wings and a lizard-like tail. His Headmaster unit is Brisko (inset). 

Emerging from the briny depths is the massive Piranacon, the combined form of all six Seacons. Like the combiners of the era, he is a "Scramble City" type, meaning the team leader ( Snaptrap ) forms the core of the body and the limbs are interchangeable. Adding a fun new wrinkle and tapping into another current gimmick is that each of the limbs has a 'Targetmaster' weapons mode and there's an extra limb in the team. So any one of the smaller Seacons can become a leg, and arm, or a firearm. In this illustration, it's   Nautilator   who's become the cannon. Piranacon could be assembled by collecting the team or by getting a gift set with them already in one box. He was available in 1988 and was redecoed 10 years later as   God Neptune   in Japan.

The last and largest of the Seacon team is their leader, Snaptrap. Like the "Scramble City" type combiner teams launched in 1986, the Seacons follow form with the leader being a larger boxed toy that forms the torso of the combined robot, while the limbs are smaller and interchangeable. Snaptrap was available by himself or as part of a Seacon giftset in 1988. He turns into a mechanical tortoise with cannons extending from his shell. He was redeco'ed in 1998 as part of the Seacon pirate team in the Japanese Beast Wars line,   and renamed Halfshell.

From the 1988 Seacons, we have Tentakil, underwater demolitions specialist. He turns into a legged, octopus-like kaiju creature. The body was redecoed as  Scylla as part of the Japanese Beast Wars II pirate team . 

  From the 1988 Seacon team, here's Skalor. He turns into a coelacanth-inspired sea monster. He would be reissued in 1998 as part of the Seacon pirate team, though as a   different character named Coelagon .