TFtember: Nightmare Planet

"Nightmare Planet", the Transformers, October 31, 1986

 Daniel has nightmares.

It's a bit more complex than that, but lately Daniel has been plagued by nightmares of a giant Galvatron. It turns out the thing is a plot by the Quintessons. They're using Daniel's nightmares to create monsters to wipe out both Autobots and Decepticons. 

This is proven when, on patrol, a tentacled monster attacks both the Autobots and Predacons. Springer and Razorclaw are both taken hostage. They find themselves in a fantasy castle, where they must work together to escape while Daniel's fantasy monsters wreck havoc on Cybertron. 

Very rushed and you can tell, not to mention of all humans to use, why Daniel? And how big is his house that Rodimus Prime can easily walk around it?

TFtember: Transformers#80

    "End of the Road!" the Transformers#80 (July 1991) with credits to Simon Furman (script), Andrew Wildman (pencils), Stephan Baskerville (inks), Nelson Yomtov (colors), Rick Parker (letters), and Rob Tokar (editor)

The final issue!

Hey, remember Getaway? Yeah, he just got blown up by Dreadwing and Darkwing. 

All told, things are looking grim for the Autobots. Bludgeon and the rest of the Decepticons have utterly steamrolled over the planet they landed on, the Autobots are being picked off left and right. Grimlock is holding his own, but even he can't do everything. 

Then, the Neo-Knights arrive!

Oh, and Optimus Prime is with them, plus the Last Autobot. 

The Last Autobot then proceeds to bring the slain Autobots back to life and explain that he was built by Primus and the war is to end this second. 

Oh, and Hi-Q's body/soul was merged with Optimus Prime and this so impressed the Last Autobot he was able to resurrect Prime from the merging. The resulting battle is quick and Bludgeon swears to go into honorable exile after losing (but promising to raise an army to fight again when out of earshot). Cybertron is restored and the Neo-Knights can bum a ride home!

A bit rushed, true, but all the major plot threads are wrapped up. Would have preferred some more details on the ending; Circuit Breaker is left in a coma, what about her? The rest of the Witwicky clan could have used more closure but as far as endings go it could have been much worse. 

TFtember: Swoop

Swoop 

And so we end this feature's look back at the toys of the Transformers. Swoop is the final Dinobot of Generation One. Like the others, he started out as a Diaclone, Dinosaur Robo Pteranodon, but there were no other figures aside from the one and this one might be the most fragile one of the line, at least in series two. 

The file card has him as the Autobot's bombardier. He enjoys spreading fear and explosives, with his dino form creeping out even his fellow Dinobots. 

The comic didn't really showcase him, much like the rest of the Dinobots. He did manage to be the first casuality of the final battle, although it was suggested he was brought back to life. 

The cartoon, where he was voiced by Michael Bell, was much like the comic in that he didn't have anything focusing on him. He was mostly in the background and with the Dinobot episodes. He did shoot Unicron in the backside, so that's about it. 

TFtember: Madman's Paradise

 "Madman's Paradise", the Transformers, October 13, 1986

Daniel and Grimlock team up!

At a diplomatic function, Daniel is bored. Grimlock, pressganged into serving as a waiter, agrees and the pair ditch the party. Exploring some ruins ends up shunting the pair into another dimension, this one vaguely medieval.

Running afoul of some monsters, Grimlock and Daniel are resuced by the Red Wizard. He invites them back to his castle and explains his tale of woe. They are in Menoia (later they establish the Quintessones would use this world as a sort of garbage dump yet this barely makes a difference in the plot) and he is the Red Wizard. Ages ago the world was ruled by the kindly Golden One but one day he vanished without a trace. The Red Wizard stepped up to rule, being the nice guy he is, but wouldn't you know it, some scumbag rebels are trying to overthrow him. If Grimlock could crush those rebel scum, that would be great. 

Daniel gets thrown into the wizard's dungeon, and hey, who's that robbed figure over in the corner?

Interesting. Grimlock is pretty much comedy relief but here it works. 

Tftember: Transformers#79

   "The Last Autobot?" the Transformers#79 (June 1991) with credits to Simon Furman (script), Andrew Wildman (pencils), Stephan Baskerville (inks), Nelson Yomtov (colors), Rick Parker (letters), and Rob Tokar (editor)

The penultimate issue!

The Ark has crashed back on Earth. To stop the rampaging Galvatron, Spike decides to merge with Fortress Maximus again. 

On a barren Cybertron, the Neo-Knights are the only ones left. Hi-Q's ramblings manage to sway the humans, however, and they go searching for the Last Autobot. 

The Decepticon forces, meanwhile, have arrived on a formerly peaceful planet and made it more peaceful, in that they have utterly wiped out the native population. Dead is a kind of peace, right? They get bored, but picking up the Autobot ships on radar? Nothing cures boredom like a bit of the old ultra-violence, right?

The issue ends with Galvatron VS Fortress Maximus-last bot standing. Galvatron puts up a heck of a fight but only when Maximus starts working with Spike does he earn the win, sending Galvatron to a watery grave. 

Things are building to a point but a bit rushed. The Last Autobot plot feels like it could go another few issues before wrapping up.

TFtember: Snarl

Snarl  

Nearing the end and we're going to finish off with the Dinobots. Snarl was a Stegosaurus, formerly a Diaclone Dinosaur Robo Stegosaurus, which explains the fully functional rocket launchers he had in Japan. 

Snarl popular enough to rate not only a few reissues but also an Action Master (like Grimlock) too.  

His file card has him as the desert war specialist, plus his spinal plates work s solar energy collectors giving him tenfold strength in sunlight. I don't believe that ever came up in the show or comic. He also hates his Dinobot form and would prefer to be on Cybertron. 

Snarl pretty much stayed with the Dinobots in the comic (at least the US version) and just backed Grimlock up. He made it to the last issue where he was seemingly killed for good although he might have been resurrected. 

Hal Rayle voiced him in the cartoon, where he was pretty much the same as the other Dinobots. He was barely in the movie and never really got any chance to shine. Grimlock got his own episode but Snarl was mostly just kept in group shots. Whatever he did tended to be minor at best.

TFtember: Surprise Party

 "Surprise Party", the Transformers, Oct. 9, 1986

Daniel and Wheelie team up. Lord help us

Daniel's surprise party is ruined by a Combaticon attack (as you do). Saved by Ultra Magnus, Daniel and rhyming couplet friend opt to give the 'bot a birthday party but no one seems to know when he came online. 

Daniel and Wheelie go through increasingly implausible scenarios. Do they succed? Is there cake?

Yeah, even by the low standards of the third season this one is rough. Everything just sort of happens and the scale is off even by the standards of the series. 

TFtember: Transformers#78

  "A Savage Circle" the Transformers#78 (May 1991) with credits to Simon Furman (script), Andrew Wildman (pencils), Stephan Baskerville (inks), Nelson Yomtov (colors), Rick Parker (letters), and Rob Tokar (editor)

Remember Galvatron? He's back and guess who he runs into? Megatron!

Things go poorly from there.

Ratchet, awakened from his pod, still has his mental connection with Megatron and he's seeing through the Decepticon's eyes. He also sees Starscream and Soundwave finding the badly beaten former leader. Starscream easily shifts back to his toady self, but Shockwave figures he's due for a promotion and thus shoots Megatron dead center. 

The Decepticons have made plans to invade a new planet, while the Autobots use some newly donated ships (thanks to Grimlock) and vow to hunt them down. 

Decent but as this series is winding down it does feel a bit odd to be apparently setting up would could be a new story arc. 

TFtember: Smokescreen

Smokescreen  

Never a huge character but oddly enough one based on something real; specifically, the touring car of racer Don Devondorf. The toy itself came from Diaclone Fairlady Z racing, and yes, this is a redo of Prowl and Bluestreak. This would be the only Generation 1 toy aside from a decoy figure.

Always liked the paint scheme.

The file card has him as devious yet the most trusted. His main specialty is diversionary tactics, mainly his smokescreen.  

As far as the comic goes, he was one of the first Autobots to be created on Earth. You'd think that would be a bigger deal but nope. Barely mentioned and he slowly faded away into the background. 

Jack Angel voiced him in the cartoon. He mostly showed up in the background in season 2 until he got his own focus in "the Gambler". He's basically a con, a cheat, and swindler and the nicest one you'll meet. He never made it to the movie, but I suppose that's a good thing. He did manage to use his titular smokescreen a few times, so there's that. 

TFtember: Thief in the Night

 "Thief in the Night", the Transformers, Oct. 6, 1986

The one that got Casey Kasem to formerly quit the series

Flashing back to "Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5", Metroplex tossed Trypticon into the ocean. What happened to him?

Seems he was found by Octane, who figures he can use the big lug to overthrow Galvatron. He hides the massive 'con in the (good grief) nation of Carbombya.

Yup, seeing why Shaggy opted to leave. 

Octane works out a deal with the even by 1986's standards stereotypical dictator who runs the country. He gets oil and Trypticon gets stronger. Which is fine, except the city sized robot needs about 1.4 million barrels of oil a day just to function. Octane opts to start paying for the oil, at first with all the gold in Fort Knox then later with monuments from across the globe. Can the Autobots stop his plan?

Lord.

I mean, apparently one can pop the Eiffel Tower free from its foundation without damaging the overall structure, plus how exactly is his excellency going to explain how Fort Knox got into his country? Or St. Basil's cathedral? Or the Taj Mahal?

Just bad all around. 

TFtember: Transformers#77

 "Exodus!" the Transformers#77 (April 1991) with credits to Simon Furman (script), Andrew Wildman (pencils), Stephan Baskerville (inks), Nelson Yomtov (colors), Rick Parker (letters), and Rob Tokar (editor)

Darkwing and Dreadwind fly over the ruined surface of Cybertron, both grousing about the current state of the Autobot/Decepticon alliance. A ruined Autbot symbol breaks free of a crumbling tower and crushes Dreadwind. 

The irony, she is thick. 

Down on the surface, things are bad and getting worse. The alliance between 'bots and 'cons is crumbling faster without the threat of Unicron and the alliance between fellow Autobots is falling apart even faster. Prowl and Grimlock are seconds away from fighting, and Wheeljack comes with grim news: Cybertron is falling apart.

Pity the Ark was just stolen by Shockwave and Starscream. Galvatron thanks them for their efforts, unware that Megatron is also lurking about...

Heck of a twist and ok, everything has been building up to a showdown against Unicron, but the question is raised-what next?

TFtember: Sludge

Sludge  

The dumb Dinobot, and let that sink in for a moment. 

Starting out as a Diaclone Dinosaur Robo Brontosaurus, Sludge was suprisingly articulated as a robot. He only showed in the 1985 series in Japan, '86 in the states. 1991/1992 saw him reissued in the Classics line with no changes. That was about it for toys, save for a Decoy figure. 

The file card has him as 'gentle and shy' but has no problem with smashing everything around him. Which can often make him the victim of his own attacks, and yes, his intelligence is at 3.

The comic had him pretty much under Slag in terms of command in the Dinobots. Sludge did tend to get killed off and brought back almost as much as Optimus, so there's that. 

The cartoon had him voiced by Frank Welker. He was pretty much the comic relief of the group. In "Dark Awakening" he wasn't happy to see the returned Rodimus Prime and his group, as he thought since they were reported dead, he thought he'd died too. 

He was featured with the Dinobots mostly and rarely did anything outside of them. He did get feeatured in the film, but mostly losing a fight to Devestator. 

TFtember: Starscream's Ghost

"Starscream's Ghost", the Transformers, Octo. 2, 1986

Interesting concept at least. 

Octane is the main focus. He's on the outs with the Decepticons and Galvatron sends a bounty hunter after him. Octane manages to ditch him long enough to find his old Autobot buddy Sandstorm. They discus things at length but get separated again.

Octane ditches his former comrades and find shelter in the Decepticon crypt. He also finds Starscream, who was blown to dust in the Movie. 

Yeah, Starscream's ghost is lurking about and he is still scheming even in death. Octane figures his luck couldn't get any worse, so why not?

Of course, Starscream is still Starscream even in death. Schemes are woven and wrapped together. Whose side is anyone on?

Decent and a return of Latta's Starscream is a delight. 

TFtember: Transformers#76

     "Still Life!" the Transformers#76 (March 1991) with credits to Simon Furman (script), Andrew Wildman (pencils), Stephan Baskerville (inks), Nelson Yomtov (colors), Rick Parker (letters), and Rob Tokar (editor)

Unicron is dead!

So's Optimus Prime...again! Prime manages to name Grimlock as his proper successor before finally going dark again. 

Hi-Q, meanwhile, is being chased by something fairly awful. If he can just inform Prime, everything will work out!

Grimlock, meanwhile, argues there are two races on Cybertron-one good and one evil. Nuanced views for leadership, eh? Before the debate can go much farther, Hi-Q crashes lands, his demonic pursuers close behind. Grimlock drops into a coma, however, the Autobots are a bit befuddled. 

Starscream and Shockwave are arguing about getting a new ship for the Decepticons. Shockwave argues that the Autobot's Ark is the fastest ship around and they simply don't have time to steal or build another.  

Meanwhile, Hi-Q opts to use his Power Master powers to help Grimlock and help he does. Grimlock is now ACTION MASTER Grimlock and he easily dispatches the monsters. On the downside, he can't transform anymore. On the upside, Hi-Q now says HE is Optimus Prime, reborn!

Quick turnaround on Prime being dead, eh?

Nice way to promote the new toy too. 

TFtember: Slag

 Slag 

Everyone's foul tempered Dinobot

The figure was originally a Diaclone Dinosuar Robo Triceratops. Yeah, robot dinosaur so that's always a plus. That would be the only figure in the Generation One series, aside from the decoy figure. A few international variants had a slighly different color scheme. 

For the file card, Slag is just plain mean. Has no need for friends and even less for enemies. That, and combined with his habit of burning the crap out of everything, means he is often abandoned on the battlefield. 

The comic did a fair job. He was pretty much Grimlock's number 2 guy, but Grimlock did a fair amount of things in the comic, so Slag still had some decent screentime. He made it to the end of the series too, so that's a plus.

Voiced by Neil Ross in the cartoon, Slag was pretty much the same as he was in the comic. Angry and mean, Slag didn't have any episodes focusing on him directly but he did show up enough and even got some good zingers during the Movie. 

TFtember: Forever is a Long Time Coming

"Forever is a Long Time Coming", the Transformers, Oct. 8, 1986

Another time travel episode

A group of Autobots get blasted to Cybertron's ancient past (again), meeting a young character named A-3 who notices the slave brand upon all their chests. 

Time is breaking apart, with events either going on repeat or characters being deaged. Can the Auotbots solve the problem?

Too much of a rerun, plus it even features the Aerialbots and time travel. Seriously, a disappointing offering from the usually great Gerry and Carla Conway. 

Tftember: Transformers#75

    "On the Edge of Extinction!" the Transformers#75 (December 1990) with credits to Simon Furman (script), Geoff Senior (pencils), Nelson Yomtov (colors), Rick Parker (letters), and Rob Tokar (editor)

Unicron arrives and boy is he hungry!

This is it-Autobot and Decepticon waging all out war against Unicron. Characters live and characters die, mostly the latter but at the end the giant planet eater is beaten, but at what cost?

Oh, and the Neo-Knights are still gadding about. Circuit Breaker finally does something right for once. I know, can't believe it myself, but she finally shoots someone that deserves it for once. 

TFtember: Skids

Skids 

Ah, this guy was a barrel of laughs. Never met anyone who had the toy though.

The toy was your typical Autobot Car. A Diaclone Honda City Turbo migth be the flashiest of wheels though. This was also pretty much it in Generation 1, save for a decoy figure. 

The file card is a bit odd. Skids is the official Autobot Theoretician. Basically, he's a daydreamer. Often crashes into things going 60 mph, mostly because he's so taken with what's around him. 

Skids in the comic at first had your 'alien falls in love with Earth culture' vibe going on but in #20, Skids opted to quit the war and hang out with an Earth woman, Charlene. As this happened decades before the Internet became a thing, we were spared the fanart and answers to question nobody wanted answered. 

Skids returned to the front but that was about it. He'd be strictly a background guy after that, but he did survive the series, so there's that. 

Micahel Chain and Dan Gilvezan were the voices, which was appropriate as Skids only showed up in two episodes. 

One where he marveled at robotic insecticide and the other got him blown up and built into a throne. 

He got better. 

So yeah, there is something to work with here but it's a pity Hasbro didn't feel the same way. 

TFtember: Dark Awakening

 "Dark Awakening", the Transformers, Oct. 1st 1986

The zombie episode.

Yup, zombies

Hey kids, remember when Optimus Prime died and everyone was sad? Well we brought him back-as an undead monster! Isn't that great?

Rodimus Prime, Ultra Magnus, Kup, Arcee, Spike, and Daniel are being chased by Galvatron. They manage to elude him, mostly by hiding in the Autobot Mausoleum. Which was never mentioned before, but whatever. 

Hiding among the dead, they can't focus on Optimus Prime's body missing body when Galvatron attacks. The Decepticons are driven off by...Optimus Prime!

Rodimus easily hands the Creation Matrix over to a clearly unwell Optimus. Prime proceeds to knock e everyone out and return to Cybertron, where he declares that Rodimus Prime and his friends all died heroically. 

So something is up.

Not bad? The return of Optimus could have been handled worse (and this isn't the last time we see him either) although the zombie angle was a bit much I think. 

TFtember: Transformers#74

   "The Void!" the Transformers#74 (November 1990) with credits to Simon Furman (script), Andy Wildman (pencils), Stephan Baskerville (inks), Nelson Yomtov (colors), Rick Parker (letters), and Rob Tokar (editor)

Primus lives! Speaking through the body of Emirate Xaaron, the metal god relates the origins of the Transformers. 

Grimlock and the Dinobots are aboard the Ark. Grimlock gets the idea to flood the statis pods with Nucleon to jumpstart the healing process. A pity he doesn't realize Megatron is inside one of said pods...

Circuit Breaker-not doing great. Yeah, someone who hates robots being on a planet that is basically one GIANT robot? She's having a bad day.

Optimus Prime and Scorponok are having a moment. The Decepticon confesses to Prime that he's scared of dying. Prime ain't real keen on the idea either but a job is a job. 

But never mind that stuff, Unicron is here!

Getting heavy; I mean, Prime confessing to fear, Scorponok admitting to not wanting to die (plus he gets an idea to leave Prime to his fate during the fighting but opts not too) and you have some meaty matters. 

TFtember: Shrapnel

Shrapnel 

Moving back into the Insecticons. A Diaclone 'Waruder Insector Roto Kuwagter' (basically a stag beetle). Basic figure, and like most Diaclone has a little cockpit for a pilot. 

The file card paints him as obsessed with electricity. Which makes sense as he can control most electronic devices (which didn't come up as often as you would think). 

The comics had him as an underling for Lord Straxus on Cybertron. He made it to issue 41 before being written off, so clearly not a favorite of the writers. 

Voiced by Hal Rayle in the show, they had him repeating the last word said. Not sure why; after their first episode in season two Shrapnel was regulated to background stuff. He was seemingly killed in the movie but he showed up in some background shots in season three.

All told, a minor character and one that didn't seem to do all that much. 

TFtember: Chaos

 "Chaos", the Transformers, September 30, 1986

One of the better animated episodes of the third season and this one focuses on Kup.

Kup is telling one of his war stories to Blur, Wheelie, and Grimlock. Grimlock mentions a monster he one heard of, causing Kup to freak out and order the Dinobot to never mention that planet or monster ever again. 

Wreck-Gar, meanwhile, is calling Cybertron about a neat thing he found-death crystals!

Meeting with Wreck-Gar ends with them being attacked by Decepticons, who are using the crystals as weapons. This causes Kup to flashback to his younger days. He had been captured by slavers called the Orbs and forced to work in their dangerous mines. He was planning a rebellion with the other miners but one encounter with a monster in the mines prompted him to flee for his life. He's been haunted by act ever since.

Turns out he might get a chance to redeem himself, as Galvatron is building a cannon to shoot pure death crystals at anything he wants, including Cybertron. 

Decent. Good animation helps too, but we get a good focus on Kup and his backstory. 

TFtember: Transformers#73

  "Out of Time!" the Transformers#73 (October 1990) with credits to Simon Furman (script), Andy Wildman (pencils), Stephan Baskerville (inks), Nelson Yomtov (colors), Rick Parker (letters), and Rob Tokar (editor)

Things aren't going too well.

Galvatron and his kidnap victim/reluctant prophet Xaaron have fled to the heart of Cybertron and found the head of Primus. Xaaron is convinced that if he prays hard enough, then their creator will awaken and lead his children into a final battle against Unicron. Galvatron is less than convinced. 

On Earth, the Ne-Knights are attacking both Autobot and Decepticon with no attempt to make a distinction. Circuit Breaker in particular is having a ball and blasting everyone apart. It takes GB Blackrock himself to point out that if she really wants to smash a robot, why not the one who crippled her? IE, Shockwave. She manages to blast the Decepticon senseless but only after layign waste more to the Autobots. 

And what about Thunderwing?

Things are moving and a grooving but will the Autobot/Decepticon alliance survive long enough to do anything?

TFtember: Shockwave

Shockwave 

Now this guy is something. Let's look at the toy first. 

Shockwave began, not as a Diaclone or Micro Change toy, but rather as the 4 Change Astro Magnum. Created by ToyCo in 1983, the figure was later licensed to Korean company Intecs. Some of the figures were even sold through RadioShack as Galatic Man.

The figure was a big one, going from robot to space gun. Lights and sound were produced with the addition of a 9 volt battery. Shockwave would see one more figure in Generation 1, an Action Master. The second one was a bit different, in that it had articulated knees. Rather posable, when compared to the rest of the figures.

Even if a non transforming toy is a bit silly.

The file card paints him as basically Starscream, only competent. The Decepticon Military Operations Commander is quite a title, plus his fixation with logic makes him a dangerous character. 

The Marvel comics is my favorite take. He's ruthless and almost unstoppable. When he does show up, EVERYONE panics. Goes out fairly weak but they needed to wrap up the series so I get it. 

The cartoon was less successful. Voiced by Corey Burton, Shockwave was there from the very first season but his role was basically being 'guy in tower'. He did promise to keep Cybertron exactly as Megatron left it and to his credit, he succeeds.

Seriously, millions of years and the entire planet barely changes. Either he takes his job very literally or he just does nothing all day.  

TFtember: The Killing Jar

 "The Killing Jar", the Transformers, September 29, 1986

Before I forget, we have a character to look at. Marissa Faireborn first showed up "Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4" as the resident human ally of the Autobots. This episode strongly suggests that Marissa is in fact the daughter of GI Joe member Flint. It doesn't outright say it but it's there and thus the first major link between GI Joe and Transformers is established. 

Across space, someone is kidnapping people. Marissa Faireborn of Earth (human), Ultra Magnus of Cybertron (Autobot), Cyclonus of Chaar (Decepticon), and Wreck-Gar of Junkion (Junkion) are all taken by a Quintesson. 

Why? For SCIENCE! Which very little gets down as the fool flies his ship into an electron storm which proceeds to screw up the ship. Can the four of them work together before the ship is torn apart?

Decent, although honestly you could have put almost anyone in this episode. I mean, this could very easily have been Kup, Spike, Blitzwing, and I suppose Wreck-Gar is the only Junkion with a name so I suppose we'd have to keep him.

Still, not bad but for season 3 we're seeing that the bar is put lower every episode. 

TFtember: Transformers#72

 "...All This and Civil War 2" the Transformers#72 (November 1990) with credits to Simon Furman (script), Andy Wildman (pencils), Stephan Baskerville (inks), Nelson Yomtov (colors), Rick Parker (letters), and Rob Tokar (editor)

In the closing of the last issue, Zarak and Optimus agree that a team up would save both their sides and come to an agreement. Shockwave then blew the entire base up. Starscream digs through the wreckage, quite pleased with himself. He's less pleased when Scorponok pops up, alive and rather annoyed at the whole being blown up deal. 

Galvatron, who has been busy on Cybertron as a herald of Unicron, makes it clear he isn't as loyal as he appears...

Back on Earth, Optimus isn't as dead as he appeared but the alliance might be. He starts putting wheels in motion as he sends Kup and Hot Rod out to bring the scattered Autobots together. With Nightbeat in tow, he heads out to stop the Scorponok/Shockwave fight from leveling New York when the Neo-Knights show up.

Remember them?

Bit of a surprise and at this point there is a sense of trying squeeze all the profit they can before the lights go out. 

TFtember: Seaspray

Seaspray 

Now this guy was a barrel of laughs. 

Only one toy for Generation 1, Seaspray was a robot that turned into a Winchester class SRN6 hovercraft (had to look that up). I know scale is mott point to argue, but Seaspray is either an absolute giant or a tiny, tiny little ship. 

Only one toy but it is a basic one. Mini robot, so the transformations are simple but basic enough to be enjoyable. International versions had slightly different colored plastic but that's about it. File card paints an interesting picture. He's the Autobot's navel defense and absolutely nuts about the water. Hates coming onto land or even transforming into a robot. 

The comic had him being a member of Perceptor's rebel cell. That was about it, as he was first used for comedy when they arrived on Earth (trying to chat with Earth vehicles) or being target practice (getting his head mounted on RAAT's HQ wall). He got better but mostly stayed in the background until he was killed off camera.

The cartoon did him a bit better. Voiced with distinction by Alan Oppenheimer, Seaspray even got an episode to himself ("Sea Change" in the 2nd season) which inspired some fanfic that I shan't go into here. 

Overall, a decent little fella. 

TFtember: Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5

"Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5", the Transformers, Sept. 19, 1986

Overall, a pretty basic plot. 

The Decepticons have our heroes on the ropes. Nearly every encounter ends with the Decepticons utterly beating the Autobots. The Quintessons are most pleased but they voice their real plans out loud. Blitzwing overhears and tries to warn Galvatron but the mad robot rejects what he says. 

Despite Blitzwing switching sides, Galvatron manages to win and thus all Transformers are powered down across the universe. Spike manages to snag Rodimus' gun and destroys the McGuffin that shut everyone down. 

The Quintessons flee with an angry Galvatron in pursuit but Rodimus points out they have just met their greatest foes yet...

Yeah, mostly fight scenes going from one scene to the next. Lot of toy shilling for the new stuff coming out, but not a lot of character development. Blitzwing gets the most set up but it never comes up again. 

Basic plot and a lackluster build. 

TFtember: Transformers#71

"Surrender!" the Transformers#71 (October 1990) with credits to Simon Furman (script), Andy Wildman (pencils), Stephan Baskerville (inks), Nelson Yomtov (colors), Rick Parker (letters), and Rob Tokar (editor)

We open with a flashback. Optimus Prime and his troops are in danger of being overrun. Prime asks for a white flag. Not for surrender, but to bind his wounds before he leads a charge against superior numbers. 

Present day, Optimus is in a similar position but this time Optimus opts to surrender to the Decepticons. 

Scorponok is happy, but he realizes his position is precarious. He's right too, as Shockwave has been building his army under the larger 'con's nose. With Optimus captured, he might have move his time table up...

Meanwhile, Galvatron and Unicron are moving closer to Cybertron and the unrest is growing...

Nearing the end of the series and everything is moving along at a brisk pace. 

TFtember: Scrapper

Scrapper 

Kicking this off with another Construction. This month we look at Scrapper, the right leg of Devastator.

The toy, formerly a Diaclone Construction Vehicle No. 3, might have the most basic transforming action of the subset. Basically, just flip his legs out and lift up his scoop and you're ready.  Like the others, he was reissued in yellow over in Europe and that's about it. 

He did come with a giant wing that doubled as a breastplate, so there's that. 

His file card paints him in a grim light. He's modest and would rather focus on his main love, building. Of course, he prefers to use vanquished Autobots as the building material in his work so yeah, a bit morbid. His official job is demolition.

The comic, however, and much like the rest of his Constructicon brethren, he was part of the crowd and but really didn't do much on an individual basis.  

The cartoon, where he was voiced by Michael Bell, had the same issues as his other green bros. He just has different origins. Played a large part in the early episodes but after the movie just slowly drifted into a background character.

Overall, an important part for Devestator but in grand tapestry of things a minor character.