Bot a Day: Daily Drawings

Today brings us to the end of the 2021 Bot-a-Day exercise, concluding 365 new daily drawings of Transformers spanning from the 1993 Generation Two relaunch all the way to the end of 2001's Beast Machines, including international releases. I don't know when I'll do another of these marathons, but odds are when I do, I'll pick it up from 2001's Robots in Disguise series. To that end, I'll leave you with a look a head, at the Robots in Disguise Optimus Prime. This incarnation (released as Fire Convoy in 2000 in Japan) turns into the cab of a Hino Brandlier fire truck, with the rear trailer section turning into a battle station and power-up armor.  That's it for now. I hope you have a good 2022. 

Like yesterday's Optimus Primal , today's bonus drawing is a toy design originally planned for Beast Machines but was folded into the line's successor, Robots in Disguise, after the original line was cancelled. Appearing in 2002, this version of Megatron was a Kaybee Toys exclusive. He turns into an armored "spider tank," which is also a giant robot head if you remove the spider limbs, making Megatron Megabolt a Headmaster of sorts. In the Beast Machines series, Megatron was a Vehicon, hence the Vehicon logo. But the Robots in Disguise mythology didn't really have Vehicons, so this incarnation is both Predacon and Decepticon. 

The Beast Machines line was suddenly cancelled in 2001 for a variety of reasons -- including that the overproduction of Star Wars toys for The Phantom Menace left Hasbro reeling, prompting them to close down Kenner, and rethink their Transformers line. As a stopgap solution, they imported Japanese Transformers toys (in an echo of how the toyline started in the first place), turning the Car Robots line into Robots in Disguise for 2001. A few toys designed for Beast Machines made it into the Robots in Disguise line, even though the narrative of the series didn't really allow for it.  So here's Air Attack Optimus Primal, a massive Maximal toy released exclusively to Toys R Us in 2002. He turns from a robot into a techno-organic gorilla. He is extremely well articulated, down to each individual finger being poseable. He has battery operated LEDs, and voice clips of Gerry Chalk, the Optimus Primal actor from Beast Machines. 

 Finishing off this round of Beast Machine releases is the other mode exhibited by the Beast Changer toy. As stated a few days ago , Beast Changer is not a robot - he's an all organic incarnation with two beast modes, and as such he doesn't have a proper robot mode. One beast mode is a winged wolfen creature (called Noble). The alternate is a monstrous dragon named Savage depicted here. He was released in 2001. With this drawing, I have completed the original Beast Machines run. I could end it here, but with only three more days left in the year, I figured I'd scrounge up a few other characters / toys to finish off this 2021 daily drawing exercise. 

A bruiser of a Vehicon armored warrior, Strika is as cunning as she is powerful. She uses her six-wheeled tank mode to outmaneuver her opponents in tough terrain she's lured them into. She was available in 2001. at the tail end of the Beast Machines toyline. She also appeared in the animated series.

 Are they foot soldiers if they don't have feet? These are the motorcycle drones under the command of Thrust, Vehicon general . Meant to be a troop-builder type toy that could be bought in multiples, the motorcylce drone turns into a motorcycle type vehicle. Their robot mode has a unicycle-like configuration as well as a legged mode that comes from splitting the tire in two. The drone was available in 2001.  

The Vehicon armored soldiers under the command of General Tankor , the Tank Drones are meant to be army-building figures that can be collected in number to bolster the bad guy ranks in the Beast Machines toyline. Transforms from robot to armored tank and back. Was originally available in 2001.   

Given the rather pushed and alien designs common throughout the Beast Machines line, Spy Streak here looks more like a classic throwback -- except for his hands, though. Spy Streak turns into a Cybertronic high altitude spyplane, and when turning into a robot, the plane's twin cannons and articulated nosecone become his massive arms. This Vehicon agent was available in 2001. 

A frenzied Maximal warrior, Hammerstrike's strange body twists and turns into a techno-organic hammerhead shark. He was available in 2001 in the final year of the Beast Machines line.

The ever popular Cheetor got one more incarnation out of the Beast Machine lines before it ended abruptly in 2001. This version is Night Slash Cheetor, named for his black armor and the spring-loaded swords that deploy from these clever shoulder mounts. He turns into a mechanical cheetah.   

Blast Punch Optimus Primal may sound like a Kool-Aid flavor, but he is in fact the 2001 iteration of the venerable Maximal leader. He turns into a techno-organic gorilla and his robot mode features a spring-loaded rocket-firing gimmick. He's a hefty toy with a lot of poseability.   

The Beast Changer is an unusual toy and character in the Beast Machines series. In the animated series, he is not a robot at all, but rather an organic creature who can shapeshift into a second creature form. So, there is no distinct robot mode, just two beast modes -- one Noble, and one Savage. In the mythology of the animated series, these forms are byproducts of Megatron's attempts to rid himself of his bestial, organic elements. The Beast Changer was available in 2001. 

With his Samurai-styling and proud stance, Battle Unicorn is a cool design from the late Beast Machines toyline, released in 2001. He's a Maximal and turns into a mostly mechanical techno-organic unicorn, as his name clearly indicates. His mane and tail become his mighty power axe.

The same year Jetstorm debuted in the Beast Machines toyline , he received an "Ultra" edition toy, standing close to a foot tall and has light-up features. He turns from a robot into a Cybertronian jet, and his robot mode has both a two-legged and creepy hovering configuration. This is from 2000. 

A much more involved version of Beast Machines Megatron than his simplistic Happy Meal toy , the main toy in the line is worthy of the mighty red dragon it transforms into. The robot mode is capable of wrapping its wings around its body to conceal its monstrous nature in a techno-organic cowl fitting of a villainous mastermind. This toy was available in 2000. 

Megatron looking very snug in his mechanical cape, a staple of his Beast Machines design. In other iterations of the big bad of the series, Megatron does have an elaborate body design under all that, capable of turning into a mechanical dragon, but not surprisingly this Happy Meals iteration doesn't do it justice. So for now, we'll keep the robes shut. This version was available in participating McDonalds in 2000.

Vehicon aerial general Jetstorm was rendered as a simplified Happy Meal toy in 2000, and you'd be excused if you assumed this particular plaything was actually a ballpoint pen. It is a very basic design compared to his more complicated mainline toy , though it more closely matches his animated incarnation.

The Vehicon general Thrust also got the Happy Meal toy treatment with this simplified design based on his model from the Beast Machines animated series. It's quite a bit different from his more advanced toy design . The Happy Meals toy uses a molded cloud of kicked up dust or exhaust to hold his unicycle body in place. Thrust turns into a motorcycle design.

Starting another run of Happy Meal toys celebrating the Beast Machines characters. Tankor, Megatron's armor general, got a simplified toy incarnation (compared to his main-line toy ). This was available at participating McDonalds in 2000.  '  

Mechatron is the Vehicon answer to Che , a Beast Riders chariot that other figures can ride into battle. The toy featured spring-loaded missiles, gear-driven motor, and though it didn't transform, it's 'arms' could change configuration from a pursuit mode to a capture mode. The first edition of Mechatron, released in 2000, had colors that resembled Megatron of that year. In 2001, it was reissued in a different hue.  

The Predacon Chro has a sort of quasi-existence in the Beast Machines toyline. He is technically a redeco of Rav, a Maximal Deployer . The Deployers all came in two different color schemes as the toyline progressed, and Rav was available in both red and blue. The blue Rav would later be identified in tie-in fiction as Chro. So there is no Chro toy, but rather a blue Rav figure that's understood to be Chro in storytelling. Blue Rav was available in 2000. He turns into a siege crossbow weapon. 

Though Mirage does not rank as highly as Megatron's Vehicon generals, he still serves an important role as a sort of bridge between those commanders and their drones, an independent operative who gathers intelligence required on the battlefield. In that way, he is similar to the original Generation One Mirage, who was an Autobot. Like that earlier iteration, this Mirage turns into a Formula One-looking race car, though this Vehicon one has enough alien detail that indicates it's a Cybertronian vehicle and not an Earth car. Mirage was released in 2000.

In the Beast Machines fiction, each of Megatron's generals controlled forces that were near-identical drones; there were three branches of this military: Aero Drones, Cycle Drones and Tank Drones. The Aero Drones were duplicates of Jetstorm, and in the case of the toy, it was a redeco of the Jetstorm toy.  The Aero Drone toy was named the Sonic Attack Jet on packaging. It turns into a Cybertronian jet fighter, and its robot mode has a hover configuration as well as a two-legged humanoid mode, illustrated below. It was available in 2000. 

Another of Megatron's Vehicon generals, Thrust leads an army of near-mindless Cycle Drones (which are based on his design but are new toys). Thrust turns into a long-forked low-riding motorcycle. His robot mode can reconfigure the wheel assembly so he can stand on two feet, roll on three like a tricycle, or roll on one like a unicycle (pictured). He was available in 2000.  

The mighty Tankor is a Vehicon general that reports directly to Megatron, and leads legions of near-mindless tank drones into battle. As his name suggests, he turns into a treaded tank of Cybertronian design, and carries a lot of those burly, armored, well-armed traits into his robot mode. The Beast Machines animated series would reveal that Tankor started life as one of the Maximal heroes from Beast Wars, but that's not a trait shared by all versions of this character's history across various continuities. He was available in 2000.

Scavenger is described as part of Megatron's Vehicon legions of drones, meaning he can be thought of as a sort of generic troop model of which there are many. Scavenger turns into a treaded construction vehicle rigged with weapons and crushing jaws, like you'd see at a monster truck show. Scavenger was available in 2000. He appears to have no relation to the Constructicon or the Predacon of the same name. 

A big, dim-witted Vehicon general, Blastcharge turns into six-wheeled scarred and pitted armored vehicle that looks like something out of Mad Max . The toy has a spring-fired missile turret. Blastcharge was available in 2000. 

Obsidian is a Vehicon aerial assault specialist, created by Megatron to rain down destruction on the Maximals. Obsidian turns into an Osprey-like helicopter, and his robot mode has a humanoid configuration with legs and this more alien-like hovering version pictured here. He was available in 2000.

Starting a run of Vehicons, the new villains in the Transformers mythos introduced in Beast Machines. The dynamic of the conflict evolved to beasts (Maximals) versus vehicles (Vehicons). Jetstorm is the Vehicon Aerodrone General, who turns into a sleek Cybertronian jet. His robot mode does have a legged configuration, but also a creepy floating version (depicted here) seen in the animated series.  

Maximal leader Optimus Primal turns into a techno-organic gorilla with a number of distinctive clear plastic blue segments in his body traditionally reserved to depict Energon -- like his bright green energy shuriken. He does not resemble his animation model in the Beast Machines series (his simplistic Happy Meals toy does a better job at that). He was available in 2000. 

Primal Prime is the second time I've drawn this particular design. First it was used as  Optimal Optimus in the Beast Wars line in 1998. It was recast in traditional Optimus Prime colors (red and blue) in 2000. He is not Optimus Primal or Optimus Prime, but a new creation somewhere in between. The toy is backed with electronic and mechanical play features, and turns from hulking robot to gorilla to air guardian jet to armored convoy vehicle.