Bot a Day: Daily Drawings

Finishing off the Classics line with this boxed set titled The Ultimate Battle, featuring all-new sculpts for Optimus Prime and Megatron. Prime turns into a flat-nosed truck, and his robot mode has a spinning torso to simulate a powerful punch. Megatron turns into a tank, and has a spinning arm-blade. Both come bundled with a DVD titled "The Ultimate Battle," which despite the Classics branding has an Energon episode. This set was available starting in 2006. This concludes the 2025 Daily Drawing exercise. Perhaps this will return in 2027. Time will tell.

The Masterpiece series was launched as a high-end collectible toy in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of the Transformers brand. Starscream had been previously issued in Japan with a green deco that may have been militarily accurate, but not toy or cartoon accurate. Hasbro extensively reedecoed the design in the familiar white, red and blue colors, and made it available at retail as a Walmart exclusive under the Classics banner in 2007. The toy was bundled with a lot of accessories, including a non-posable Doctor Arkeville figure that could sit in the jet mode's cockpit. 

I had initially skipped drawing most of the Commemorative Edition reissues but this Soundwave one is a bit different. The Commemorative series was cancelled in 2004, but the Soundwave figure intended for the line saw release under the Classics banner as a Toys R Us exclusive in 2007. It came bundled with Laserbeak and the slightly rechristened Battle Ravage who are mostly faithful recreation of their 1984 toys. Soundwave, however, is not a reissue of his original, but rather of the modified 1987 Japanese-exclusive Soundblaster . The key difference is the enlarged cassette tray in his chest that can carry two tapes rather than the standard one. 

Decepticon warrior Skywarp was packed in with Ultra Magnus in "The Battle for Autobot City" set available exclusively at Target stores in 2007. Between this set, regular retail figures and convention exclusives, all six of the original seeker jets -- Skywarp, Starscream , Thundercracker, Thrust, Dirge and Ramjet -- were part of the Classics line using the same basic body design with redeco and retooling. 

Another BotCon 2007 exclusive, this edition of Overkill was available to participants of a customization class. The class instructed on how to turn this unassembled and unpainted Classics  Grimlock into a version of the Generation 1 cassette, Overkill . Once completed, this Overkill turns into a Tyrannosaurus Rex. This design would be made "real" as part of a 2008 Universe toyline. 

Another exclusive from BotCon 2007 is this rendition of Weirdwolf , who was packaged in a souvenir set with Alpha Trion and Beta Maxx . Branded under the Classics banner, Weirdwolf is a redeco of a Cybertron toy, Snarl , and turns into a mechanical wolf.

Filling out the 2007 Botcon exclusive Games of Deception five-pack are a trio of seeker jets, which are redecos of the previously released Classics Starscream and Ramjet with some custom tooling. True to their original G1 forms, Thundercracker turns into a blue and black F-15, while Thrust is a maroon jet with VTOL wings and Dirge is a blue and gold jet with a delta-wing configuration. 

BotCon 2007 - the official Transformers convention - showcased Classics designed redeco'ed and retooled to be convention-exclusive figures. One of the signature sets available at the event was called Games of Deception!, and consisted of a five-pack of new Decepticon figures based on pre-existing designs. Here are two of them: Bug Bite is the evil counterpart to Bumblebee, and the Classics Voyager-scale Jetfire design retooled and recolored to be Dreadwind. There were three more figures in this set, for posting tomorrow.

The Classics line brought back something longtime Transformers fans never expected to see again: a Megatron toy that transforms into a gun. This new edition of the classic Decepticon leader turns into a pistol, though it's a stylized Nerf-colored sci-fi revolver as opposed to anything that could be mistaken for a real firearm. This version of Megatron was available in 2006.

See, it didn't take long for a Starscream redeco to show up. The Classics Ramjet shares a lot of the same parts as the Starscream seeker body, but has different weapons, wings and a nosecone for a head, mimicking the old 1985 animation model. Similar to his original design, Ramjet turns into an F-15 with F-16XL style delta wings. He was available in 2006.

The Classics line adds Starscream to its roster of Decepticons, who now sports a new design that melds his original 1984 toy look with his animation model, and sports modern styling, poseability, and detailing. He turns into an F-15 Eagle jet (though with a nosecone that more resembles an F-14 Tomcat). This design would undergo several redecos in the brief run of Classics to represent all the original G1 seeker characters. Starscream was available at retail in 2006.

Moving onto some of the larger Decepticon toys available in the Classics line brings us to Astrotrain. This version of the original triple changer gets a much needed update to his train mode, turning into a Tsunami 800 bullet train (rather than a steam locomotive from the 30s!). His aerial mode is a space shuttle. Astrotrain was available at retail as part of the initial  Classics assortment in 2006.

Concluding the Predator Attack Team with Snarl. He turns into a mechanical tiger. Available in a three-pack with Overbite and Dreadwing in 2006. Snarl was also the basis of Apexus the Micron Booster in 2007.

Next in the Predator Attack Team is Overbite, a mechanical wolf released in the Classics line in 2006. This design is also the basis of Gredator , a Micron Booster available in Japan in 2007. 

Starting off the Predator Attack Team of Decepticon-allied Mini-Cons in the Classics line with Dreadwing. Dreadwing turns into a mechanical bird of prey, and was bundled alongside Overbite and Snarl. This team was available in 2007.

The last of the Dirt Digger Team is Oil Slick. This Decepticon-allied Mini-Con turns into a muscle car. He was packed alongside Grindor and Dirt Rocket , and available as part of the Classics line in 2006-2007.

Another member of the Dirt Digger Team is Grindor, a monster truck Mini-Con. Love those stacked tires for leg assembly, a neat design feature of his transformation. His shovel-jawed face reminds of the Crunch from The Mighty Orbots.  Grindor and the rest of the team were available in 2006. 

Starting a new set of Mini-Cons with the Dirt Digger Team (which you'd think would include construction vehicles, but not so). Dirt Rocket turns into a sports motorcycle. He was available in a three-pack in 2006. A pink redeco of Dirt Rocket was made into Windrazor, a Micron Booste r available in Japan the following year.

Wrapping up the Decepticon Demolition Team trio of Mini-Cons is Wideload, who turns into an earth mover truck. His, uh, distinctive design was also used for Refuser . Wideload was available in 2006, packed in with Sledge and Broadside .

Also part of the Demolition Team is Sledge, who turns into a backhoe loader. This design was also used for the Micron Booster Rockblade . Sledge was available alongside Broadside and Wideload in 2006.