Bot a Day: Daily Drawings

Hear that? It's Cicadacon, and this year especially seems appropriate for drawing and posting this guy. As his name implies, this Predacon transforms into a cicada. In his robot mode, sections of the wings become paired blades he can wield in his hands. He was available in 1997 as part of a three-pack that could merge into a larger robot. 

A rather nasty looking Predacon, Transquito is the team air recon and assault specialist. He has two distinct beast modes, a mosquito with articulated button-activated wings, and a whip spider with enormous jaws. Each of his three modes is just ghastly.  He was available at retail in 1997. 

One of the most memorable and styled designs to come out of the early Beast Wars assortments is Inferno, the Predacon infantry commando. Though they share a name, he has no relation to the firefighting Autobot of the 80s . No, Inferno is a bad guy through and through. Part of the "Mega" class size, he is a hefty toy packed with play features like spring-loaded missiles and an insect abdomen that splits apart into a spinning propeller. In the animated series, was memorable for being somewhat addled, and being fervently loyal to Megatron whom he regarded as his queen. His toy was first available in 1997.  

The name Razorclaw got recycled from its Generation One incarnation as the leonine leader of the Predacon subgroup to a fiddler crab undercover attack specialist of the Predacon faction in Beast Wars. He was available in 1997.   

An appropriately colorful Predacon from the 1997 assortment, Spittor turns into a poison arrow tree frog. In frog mode, he has the unsettling spring-loaded gimmick of being able to spit his robot head from his mouth. This alone warrants his listed specialty of "surprise attack."   

It did not take the Beast Wars line long at all to begin recycling designs, and this pteradon design certainly got a workout. Already used in 1996's inaugural assortment as Terrorsaur , it was repainted to become Lazorbeak in 1997. Though his name is similar to the 1984 cassette / condor , there is a slight difference in spelling, leading to debate as to whether or not they're supposed to be the same character. 

Another creepy crawly for the Predacons, Drill Bit turns into a boll weevil with a pitted texture surface that makes him distressingly look like a peanut. His name derives from the spinning drill accessory he comes with, usable in both robot and insect modes. He was available in 1997.  

Predacon infantry, ready for action! Power Pinch turns into a nasty looking earwig, and his bio makes a note that he's disconcertingly swift. His tail pincer can be operated in beast mode with a geared trigger. He was available in 1997.   

One of the most unique designs in the line, Retrax is the Predacon desert demolitions specialist. He turns into a pillbug with a very flexible design that can curl him into a ball. Lots of spring-loaded gimmicks in his design, including some very nasty looking pincers and a stinger on what should otherwise be a harmless rolypoly. He was available in 1997. 

The insect designs of the Beast Wars Predacons really pushed the designs into some creepy territory, as is the case with Manterror. He turns into a praying mantis, and his enormous claws have the play functionality of being able to launch discs into battle. Manterror was available in 1997. 

Switching from the Maximals of 1997 to the Predacons, here is Jetstorm, Predacon sky patrol. The name Jetstorm had been previously used for a water-squirting color-changer from Generation Two , though this is intended to be a separate character. They do have the water-squirting feature in common, though. Jetstorm can spit out a stream of water from his face, pumped from a squeezable insect abdomen accessible in both robot and insect mode. Jetstorm turns into a dragonfly.     

Like yesterday , today's Beast Wars drawing is of a repaint of a previously released toy. In this case, it's Packrat, a blue, white and gold version of Rattrap .  He was a convention exclusive available to attendees of 1997's BotCon. Because of their limited production run and to keep costs down, convention exclusives are almost always straight-up repaints without any expensive retooling.   

Repaints were very common in the Beast Wars line, and this is the third time I've drawn this particular bat toy. What was first released as Optimus Primal , and then Onyx Primal , is now Convobat. This version was released as an Amazon Showdown Special two-pack in 1997 in Japan, packaged with Megaligator and sold with a CD-ROM. In the box bio, it states that this bat is Optimus Prime (known as Convoy in Japan), hence his red and blue coloration (take my word on it) and name.  

So you take Silverbolt, Ironhide and Prowl and join them together through some of the most complex transformations yet seen in the toys, and you get this mighty Maximal, Magnaboss. His individual components were only available in a three-pack giftset, so no hunting or collecting required. Magnaboss was available at retail in 1997.     

Rounding out a trio with Silverbolt and Ironhide is Prowl, who turns into a lion. When this set was released in Japan, the characters were slightly repainted and renamed Skywarp (eagle), Santon (elephant) and Lio Junior. . 

This hulking warrior is Ironhide, who turns into a massively tusked elephant. He was sold as part of a three-pack with Silverbolt and Prowl. Though his on-the-box bio doesn't specify, a guide published a decade later would reveal that these three are intended to be the original Generation One characters during the events of Beast Wars. This Ironhide was available in 1997.

This starts a run of three Maximals sold in a gift set in 1997 - they didn't have an individual subgroup name, but they all combined to form a larger 'bot in what was at the time the most complicated transformation process in the toyline. First up is Silverbolt, who turns into a bald eagle. Source material published by IDW would reveal that this Silverbolt, who hadn't appeared in any fiction at that point, was the same Silverbolt from the Generation One Aerialbots.   

B'Boom is the Maximal guerrilla warfare specialist (see what they did there?) who transforms into an ill-tempered baboon. Has anger control issues. Available in 1997.   

A sneaky, lunging attacker, Snarl is the Maximal surprise attack specialist. He is said to turn into a Tasmanian devil, though there's some debate if that is the case since his toy's beast mode doesn't at all resemble the animal. I took some liberties in drawing Snarl's feet here -- the animal's head -- to make it a bit more like a Tasmanian devil. He was available in stores in 1997.

 This tentacled terror is a good guy, believe it or not. He's Claw Jaw, Maximal underwater assault specialist. He could turn into a squid. He was available at retail in 1997.

A popular character from Beast Wars, and one of the first female Transformers given a toy form, Air Razor is the Maximal aerial recon specialist. With precise optics and swift speed, she lives up to her peregrine falcon beast mode's reputation. She was released in 1997, and also appeared in the animated series.   

In 1997, the Beast Wars line used the previous year's Dinobot mold and repainted it to become another character, Grimlock. Somehow, Grimlock was intended to be his Generation One incarnation, pushed forward into a future timeline and reformatted as an organic velociraptor. Since that never happened in the animated series, it's anyone's guess what the specifics were.   

Here's the Maximal's security guard (dog), the fittingly named K-9 who turns into a German shepherd. He was available starting in 1997.  

Cybershark doo-doo doo doo doo doo, Cybershark doo-doo doo doo doo doo, Cybershark doo-doo doo doo doo doo, Cybershark doo-doo doo doo doo doo. 1997. Maximal. 

Bonecrusher, who turns into a bison, kicks off the second year of Beast Wars toys, the 1997 assortment after the first had proven to be a much needed hit. Despite the reuse of an old Constructicon name , he is a Maximal of no relation. His bio lists him as first-strike infantry specialist. His toy has a gnarly feature of being able to launch a projectile from his mouth in robot mode.   

The big bad of the Transformers mythos is back, and finally has an alt-mode to suit his power. This incarnation of Megatron is no handgun -- he's a Tyrannosaurus Rex. In the Beast Wars mythology, this Megatron is a descendant of the original. He's finally well suited to fight with Optimus, as fans of King Kong will tell you apes and dinosaurs pair well in battle. He was available in 1996.    

Next in the Happy Meal Predacons is Manta Ray, who transforms rather simply into a manta ray. Some stories identify Manta Ray as male, but the latest continuity has her as female. She was available at McDonald's in 1996.  No relation to the previously posted Manta Ray from Generation Two.

As the Maximals did in '96, so too did the Predacons get a few Happy Meal toys to commemorate the launch of Beast Wars . Simply named "Beetle," this toy turns into a stag beetle.     

A name repurposed from the original Generation One line but given new life as a Beast Wars Predacon, Scorponok was a big bruiser of the bunch. As his name suggests, he turns into a scorpion, with massive pincers and a spring-loaded "stinging" tail. His toy bio lists him as "desert attack commander." He was available in 1996.

Always put upon and frequently at the receiving end of a brain-rattling wallop, Waspinator has been described as the universe's chew toy. His endless string of bad luck turned him into a comic relief character in the animated series, and endeared him to fans and writers of the show. He's the Predacon's aerial attack specialist, one that delivers decidedly mixed results. His toy is a reuse of the same body mold used to make Buzz Saw.  The early Beast Wars toys of 1996 featured two heads - a regular robot head and a "mutant" head that encased it like a helmet or mask. This functionality did not appear in the animated series. The animated design for Waspinator used the mutant look, though underneath he has a regular looking head like the one I drew for Buzz Saw.

The ever-plotting mad scientist of the Predacons is Tarantulas, who transforms into a scary looking spider that doesn't particularly resemble a tarantula. He has the same body design as Blackarachnia. He was available in 1996.