Bot a Day: Daily Drawings

Completing the Decepticon Destruction Team is their leader, Barricade, who is the Energon equivalent of Onslaught, Combaticon Leader from Generation One and Generation Two. In fact, Barricade's name in his Japanese release was Onslaught. Barricade transforms into an armored missile launching truck. He was available at US retail in 2005. Next up, combining the Destruction Team into their massive assembled form.... 

The other Gepard tank in the Destruction Team ranks, Kickback has a darker paint job than his mold-twin Blight. Kickback was available in the US in 2005. In Japan, he was released a year earlier under the name "Brawl." 

The mold partner to Stormcloud, Blackout is also a Decepticon combat helicopter that is part of the Destruction Team. He was released in the US in 2005. A year earlier, he was released in Japan under the name "Blast Off." 

Filling out the 'limbs' of the Destruction Team are a pair of Gepard anti-aircraft tanks. First up is Blight, who was released in Japan under the name Swindle, a clear nod that the Destruction Team is the Energon -equivalent of the classic Combaticons. Blight was available in the US in 2005. 

Beginning a run of the Decepticon Destruction Team - a quintet of military vehicles. Stormcloud turns into a combat helicopter of non-specific design, but with lines that resemble an AH-1 Cobra. In Japan, he was known as Vorter, a corruption of the classic Combaticon name Vortex. He was available in 2005.

The Construction Team lives up to its Generation One inspiration with a combiner that mimics the classic Devastator of old, though this time this assembled titan is named Constructicon Maximus. This modern Energon -era combiner has interchangeable limbs — the cranes Wideload and Duststorm and the loaders Sledge and Bonecrusher can form arms or legs, with Steamhammer’s larger build becoming the torso. In Japan, these five Decepticons were available in a boxed set to make the combiner “Buildron.” 

The leader of the Construction Team, Steamhammer is slightly larger than his teammates and also boasts a unique body design. He transforms into a quarry-scaled steam shovel, and his robot mode turns his massive shovel into an ungainly arm. In Japan, he was named Scavenger. 

The Construction Team consists of three designs repeated across five different bots -- four of the five are of the same scale to form the limbs of the impending combiner, so each limb has a twin. In the case of Wideload here, he's a redeco of Duststorm and turns into a crane truck. Wideload was available in 2005.

Next in the Construction Team is Bonecrusher, a classic name who’s design is a redeco of the previously posted Sledge . Bonecrusher turns into a wheeled front-end loader. He was available at US retail in 2005.  

Sledge is part of the Decepticon Construction Team from Energon, and turns into a wheeled front-end loader. His Japanese release has the more direct Constructicon-inspired name of Scrapper. Sledge was released at US retail in 2005.

Starting a run of the Decepticon Construction Team, the Energon incarnation of the Constructicons of Generations One and Two. The Construction Team consists of five members, with four of them made up of redecoed designs and a fifth leader with a distinct design. Duststorm is one of the twinned redecos, and turns into a crane truck. In Japan, he was given the more directly inspired Constructicon name of Long Haul. He was available at US retail in 2005.

The last of this run of Terrorcons, Doom-Lock is a redeco of Cruellock , and thus transforms into a kaiju-style reptilian creature. As with his other Terrorcon cohorts, Doom-Lock is both an individual character and a type of soldier depending on which story you're following. He was available at retail in 2004. 

The 200th drawing is Insecticon, both an individual Terrorcon and name that applies to swarming, mindless masses.  Insecticon turns into a mechanical rhinoceros beetle. In Japan, he sported slightly different colors and was called Chromhorn. Insecticon was available at retail in 2004. 

Next in the line of Terrorcons from the Energon series, Divebomb is either an individual character, or a whole legion of enemy types, or perhaps both. Divebomb turns into a mechanical hawk with translucent green energy “wings” that become bladed weapons he can wield in robot mode. In Japan, his name was Shadowhawk. Divebomb was available in 2004. 

Cruellock in fiction is both an individual and a type of mindless drone soldier among the Terrorcons. He turns into a Kaiju-style mechanical lizard. His name suggests some sort of kinship with Grimlock, though none would surface. 

Beginning a run of Terrorcons, Decepticons priced at a lower price-point to make the building of enemy forces more realistic for young collectors. Battle Ravage is a throwback reference to the original 1984 Ravage, but now with a robot alt-mode in addition to his mechanical jungle cat mode. He was available in 2004. 

 Another redeco made available as a story exclusive, Prowl here is a repainted Red Alert from Armada, and thus he has the featured Mini-Con play compatibility that fell by the wayside in the Energon assortment. This Sam's Club exclusive was bundled with a redeco'ed Starscream and Zapmaster, and was available in 2004. 

A K-Mart exclusive two pack, the Autobot SWAT team consisted of two redecoes from the main Energon line. Checkpoint is a new character made from a repainted Rodimus design , but now as a white police SWAT truck. Behind him here is Prowl, a simple repaint of the previously released Formula-1 design of the police car. Both were packaged together and available at K-Mart in 2004.  

To complete the Omega Supreme and Omega Sentinel toys of the past two days, you need these little poseable figures that become their heads. Omega becomes the head of Omega Supreme, while Guardian becomes Omega Sentinel's noggin. Not that you can tell in a black and white illo, but Omega is on the left and orange, while Guardian is on the right and blue.

It may seem unusual for such a high price point figure as Omega Supreme to have a redeco'ed double in the same assortment, but business was booming in 2005, and toy shelves needed filling. The white and blue deco is a nod to the "Guardian robots" from the original 80s cartoon, of which Omega Supreme was part of. As a redeco of Supreme, he has all his toy gimmicks - turning into a train and battleship, and being able to combine with Optimus Prime, and having a Headmaster-style unit (in this case, named 'Guardian.') 

The classic juggernaut of Generation One is reimagined for Energon in a form that pays homage to the original but adds a lot more. Omega is a combiner that collects several vehicle components -- the Omega Train and the Omega Battleship -- into a large robot. The train and battleship can also combine to become a super train vehicle. Omega Supreme is also a "Headmaster," with the small robot Omega turning into the head of the giant robot. Making it truly an Energon entry, the Powerlinx play feature lets Optimus Prime fit into Omega's chest cavity, turning it into a supercharged Optimus Supreme (or Powerlinx Omega Supreme, if you prefer). 

The rather squat proportions of Energon Optimus Prime start to make more sense when you realize he's best represented as the centerpiece of a combiner. Prime in his vehicular mode hauls a trailer that carries four additional vehicular drones, labeled on their chassis as OP-1, OP-2, OP-3 and OP-4. OP-1 is Fire-1, a firetruck. OP-2 is Copter-2, a helicopter. OP-3 is Digger-3, a treaded drill tank. And OP-4 is Submarine-4, a submersible. These become the limbs that attach to the core body of Optimus Prime, becoming a super-sized figure. The drone limbs are interchangeable, meaning each can become an arm or a leg. These attachments activate electronic light and sound features in the core body.  

  A somewhat oddly proportioned Optimus Prime (I took down his chonkiness a few notches in my drawing here), the Autobot leader again turns into a flat-nosed truck cab. His robot mode has a number of design decisions meant to support a larger incarnation, which we’ll get to tomorrow. As it stands, the cab / robot mode is here, and included some electronic light / sound effects. A separate incarnation of the cab was available in Japan, but didn’t vary enough from this version that came bundled with a trailer as to be worth creating a whole new illustration. This cab towed a trailer with smaller vehicles which are integral to a larger combined form that we’ll showcase tomorrow.

A redeco of Bulkhead -- said to be a cousin of said character -- Quickstrike also turns into a combat helicopter with additional parts to bulk out his Autobot robot mode. 

The name Bulkhead doesn't make much sense for a robot that turns into an assault helicopter, but he is a sizable toy so I suppose there's some reasoning to it. He comes bundled with an "artillery drone" accessory that can attach to the base of his 'copter mode, adding electronic sound and light features. When in robot mode, the drone can act as a weapon station or bulk him up, power-suit style. Bulkhead was available in 2004. In Japan, his name was Sprung, suggesting a connection to classic Springer , whom he does superficially resemble due to his green and yellow color scheme.

Brother to yesterday's Landmine , Landquake is essentially a redeco of that same toy, casting the half-track salvage truck in white and black rather than construction orange. To demonstrate his 'bot and battle station mode, this drawing shows his treaded salvage arm configured into an artillery station that he can operate. 

Landmine is an Autobot who turns into a halftrack battlefield salvage vehicle. The front half of the vehicle, a wheeled truck cab, becomes most of his body, with a large plow blade splitting to cover his feet. The back of his vehicle -- the treaded section, has an articulated winch. The back half turns into a treaded battle station. The station can combine with the robot like an exo-suit, with Landmine wearing the winch as shoulder gear, and the treads forming arm extenders.  

Fitting for July 4th is a predominantly red, white and blue Autobot (I know, it's a grayscale illustration, but take my word for it). Here is the Energon incarnation of Ultra Magnus, which is a redeco of Overload from Armada. Ultra Magnus turns into a massive artillery-carrying trailer, which is pulled by Knock Out , the white truck packed with him who then forms Magnus' chest module in robot mode. 

Though set in the same continuity, this Knock Out is apparently no relation to the Knock Out that showed up earlier in the Mini-Con Land Military Team . This one is a redeco of Rollout, a Mini-Con bundled with Overload, and is similarly bundled with a larger companion who'll be the subject of tomorrow's drawing. Knock Out is a semi-cab tractor truck that hauls a large trailer. He was available in 2004.

Overcast, as the Energon  lore goes, is brother to Jetfire -- and his toy is a redeco of the Energon Jetfire done in colors more befitting a space shuttle. His toy features electronic sounds. In Japan he was released as Skyfire Sonic. Overcast was originally available at retail in 2005 . 

Wing Saber is a large Autobot who turns into a flying wing plane of futuristic, Cybertron styling. His body can split into four segments that form armor that enhances the Energon Optimus Prime figure, essentially becoming his armor. Wing Saber's colors and shapes suggest he's an homage to the Japanese G1 figure, Star Saber .