Bot a Day: Daily Drawings

From Europe's unique roster of Generation One toys is Pyro, leader of the Autobot Obliterators. The Obliterators aren't really a team though, as there are only two in the toyline, an Autobot and a Decepticon. Their main toy gimmick is that they are trucks with their rear cargo sections turning into missile-firing platforms. Pyro turns into a Carmichael Cobra airport crash truck. He was available in 1993, as the line transitioned from Generation One to Generation Two. 

The European-only transitional line between Generations One and Two shifts to the Axelerators, a series of Autobot cars with chromed engine blocks that become their weapons. This is Hotrider, who was released in Generation Two -- that same year in the US -- as  Turbofire . He turns into a pick-up truck.  

From Europe's extended Generation One line comes Speedstream, the leader of the water-squirting, color-changing Aquaspeeders. Released only in Europe in 1993, Speedstream turns into an Indy car. Confusingly, this same body design was used in the US that year as a  Decepticon named Deluge . This drawing is from 2019.

Jetstorm here is an Autobot Aquaspeeder, released in Europe in 1993 during the transition from Generation One and Two of the toyline. He turns into a stock rally car and is made of plastic that changes color when exposed to cold water. Like the rest of the Aquaspeeders, he has a water-squirting weapon. This toy was released in the US as a different character,   Gobots, as part of the Generation Two line . 

Next up in the 1993 European Aquaspeeder team is Deluge, Autobot rear guard. He turns into a Le Mans-style Mazda 787B race car, and features water-squirting and color-changing gimmicks. His name makes things needlessly complicated: it was   reused the same year in the US for a Generation Two Decepticon color changer , while his mold was reused for a different character,   Drench, an Autobot color changer . 

In the Europe-only extension of Generation One that continued in 1993, there would appear the Aquaspeeders -- toy cars with water-squirting features and temperature-controlled color change plastic. Aquafend is an espionage expert who turns into a Baja buggy-style car. He's an Autobot, but his body became the basis for   Jetstorm   when this design appeared in Generation Two as a Decepticon. 

Another of the Autobot Lightformers that came with a large turret weapon kids could look through to see simulator laser fire, Deftwing turns into a Harrier jet. He was available exclusively in European markets in 1993 in the transitional time between the end of Generation One and the start of Generation Two. 

Here is Ironfist, an Autobot "Lightformer" from the transitional year of 1993, before Transformers was relaunched as Generation Two but was still producing new toys for the European market. His gimmick centers around a massive turret weapon (not pictured) that has light-piping features and a viewscope that kids can peer through to see "energy beams" fire. Ironfist turns into a Humvee M998 military vehicle. 

Available in Europe in 1992, the Constructicons were released on generic backer cards with no individual name or bios. These toys came with none of the extra pieces required to build Devastator, and further more some of them have been retooled so to lose their connector pieces, so they can't combine. Rather than take up six slots, I crowded them into a group shot. 

Another limited international release was Skyquake, leader of the Predators from late in the Generation One run. This big robot turns into a heavily armed recon plane. His color scheme is very 1990s, and become he was made of a particular type of gold plastic, existing models are extremely fragile as they have not aged well. Skyquake was available in Europe, Canada and Australia in 1992. This mold was reused as a massive version of   Starscream in 1997 , made available as part of the Machine Wars line. 

From the Decepticon Predator team comes Stalker, who turns into a large ICBM-hauling tank. His bio lists him as a communications specialist, which helps pave the way to this toy's later reissue as  Soundwave  in the Machine Wars series. Stalker was available in 1992 in Europe, Canada and Australia. 

Snare is the security chief of the Predators, a team of Decepticon jets from the late Generation One era only available internationally. With a  very  90s color scheme, he turns into a Grumman X-29 fighter jet. He was available in 1992 in Europe, Canada and Australia. 

Next up for the Decepticon Predators is Talon, the team advance fighter. He's notable in that he turns into the tried and true F-15 Eagle design, but is not the standard "seeker" mold that made the F-15 the Decepticon go-to design. He was available in Europe, Canada and Australia in 1992. 

The name Skydive has been used by  an Aerialbot , but here the name applies to a different character, a Decepticon scientific advisor and part of the Predator subteam of fighter jets. He turns into a Northrop YF-23 fighter. He was available only in Europe, Canada and Australia in 1992. 

Beginning a run of Decepticon Predator jets, a team only available in 1992 in Europe, Australia and Canada, after the Generation One toyline had already ended in the US but Generation Two hadn't happened yet. Falcon turns into an F-117A stealth fighter. His bio lists him as the leader of the team. 

Also from Japan is Battle Gaia, the combined form of the Operation Combination gift-set that collected a uniquely redecoed set of Combaticons as new characters. Being based on the same designs as   the original Combaticons , Battle Gaia is basically a differently colored version of   Bruticus . He was available in Japan in 1992. This drawing is from 2019.

The name Sandstorm has been used several times in Transformers, but in this case it denotes a Decepticon tank from the Operation Combination series out of Japan in 1992. Sandstorm is a redeco of the original   Combaticon   Brawl , and as such transforms into a Leopard 1A3 battle tank. 

  Also from Japan is this Operation Combination   incarnation of Vortex , reissued as Target Hawk, in a boxed set in 1992. A   redeco of Vortex , Target Hawk too turns into a Kaman Aerospace SH-2G Super Seasprite helicopter. 

From the Japanese reissue of the Combaticons as an Operation Combination boxed set, here is this variation of  Swindle  - a character named Leyland. His name may stem from the British motor company known for trucks and jeeps. Since Leyland also turns into an XR311 combat support vehicle like  Swindle  does, he is not a Leyland vehicle. He was available in Japan in 1992. 

The Operation Combination boxed set reissue of the Combaticons as a new team continues with this incarnation of  Blast Off , now known as Shuttle Gunner. Like his  other iterations , he turn into a space shuttle. He was available in Japan in 1992. 

The Combaticon designs were dusted off and redeco'ed  in 1992's Operation Combination series in Japan as a new team of combing robots. Their leader is Great Cannon, a reuse of the  Onslaught   design   that turns into an artillery truck.  

The international-only release of the Turbomasters concludes with Thunder Clash, the Autobot Turbomaster commander. In the traditional of Optimus Prime, he turns into a cab-over-engine semi truck with a trailer that turns into a battle station. Released in Europe, Canada and Australia in 1992, Thunder Clash's design would later be redeco'ed as   Optimus Prime   in the 1997 KB stores exclusives Machine Wars line.

The next Autobot Turbomaster to be showcased is Scorch, the team rear guard. He turns into a Cybertronian or futuristic pickup truck with a big turbine engine mounted on its flatbed. That engine because his spring-activated rocket launcher. Scorch was available only in Europe, Canada and Australia in 1992. 

Next in the Turbomaster line is Rotorstorm, He turns into a high tech helicopter with turbines that shoot spring-loaded projectiles. Available in Europe, Canada and Australia in 1992.

Next in the Turbomasters line is Hurricane, who turns into a Le Mans-style Porsche racing car with a rocket launching turbine. He was available in 1992 in Europe, Canada and Australia. 

The next Autobot Turbomaster is Flash, who turns into a Lamborghini Diablo with a rear-mounted turbine engine that launches a spring-loaded projectile. His specialty is listed as "decoy." He was available in Europe, Canada and Australia in 1992. 

Kicking off a line of Turbomasters, one of the last subsets of Transformers released in Generation One. In the US, the toyline had already ended, but in Europe, Australia and Canada, there were still a few straggler toys making it to shelves. The Turbomasters benefited from not being in the US as their main gimmick were spring-loaded rockets that would never have passed US safety standards. Here is the leader of the Autobot Turbomasters, Boss. He turns into a concept car with a big turbine engine. This drawing is from 2019. 

  Wrapping up the unnamed Rescue Force team released in Europe and Australasia is this drill tank. Though this Autobot has clear animalistic cues on his helmet, he does not come with the rhino sidekick that accompanied this toy's previous incarnation, as that of the Decepticon   Drillhorn . Among the many oddities of these late-toyline figures is that they were based on previously released combiner figures, but were not equipped with the necessary pieces to fully make their combined form (not to mention were missing their full roster). So the Rescue Team can sort of combine, though nothing on the packaging indicates this. This toy was available in 1992. 

Continuing the 1992 Europe and Australasia release of nameless "Rescue Force" Autobots is this guy, who turns into a dune buggy. This toy was originally a Japanese exclusive 1989 Breastforce Decepticon named   Jallguar , who is now a good guy and doesn't come with his chest-piece animal companion. .

Another odd European redeco of Japan's Breastforce Decepticons as Autobot heroes, this unnamed Rescue Force tank robot turns into KMW Gepard tank, but its anti-aircraft cannons have been replaced with grasper arms. This is the same design   as Killbison , but now a friendly neighborhood tank albeit without a name. He was available in European and Australasian markets in 1992. This drawing is from 2019. 

Here's an oddity from the sketchy years where Generation One had ended in the US, but product was still moving in other countries. In 1992, the Japanese "Breastforce" toys, released as Decepticons in 1989, were redecoed as an Autobot "Rescue Force" team in Europe and Australia. They had no bios or individual names. This jet from the team is  a redeco of Leozak .