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.