ALLEGIANCE: AUTOBOT
SUB-GROUP: CLONE
FUNCTION: SKY FIGHTER
FIRST APPEARANCE: –

“Gravity is the chain that binds us all.”

Profile: Nothing is good enough for Cloudraker. He’s jealous of his
clone brother Fastlane’s popularity with beings of all types. He wishes he could
scoot along on the ground like his brother does in dragster mode so that he
could have more opportunities to interact with others, while at the same time
he is terrified of being grounded. He flies as high as he can to escape this
fear, yet he is eternally frustrated by his inability to reach escape velocity
and achieve orbit. The fact that he is one of the fastest of all the Autobots
does little to console him. Even soaring through the skies is a problem for
him – an imperfection in his navigational systems afflicts him with claustrophobia.
The skies are too small for him! Cloudraker is a mass of crossed circuits. And
he’ll need years of psychological debugging before he ever fully straightens
out.

Abilities: In jet mode, Cloudraker has a maximum speed of Mach 2.8.
His range is 3200 miles. In robot mode he is armed with two gravity-rod rifles.
By altering the strength of the gravitational field around any object their
beams hit, the rifles can cause an object to either crash or float away. The
larger the object, the less effective are the rifles.

Weaknesses: All of Cloudraker’s various abilities are hampered according
to how emotionally distraught he is at any given moment. On the few occasions
when he can put all his problems behind him, he is a very effective warrior.
His major physical problem is a tendency to suffer “mode-lock” – the
inability to transform from one mode to another.

ALLEGIANCE: DECEPTICON

SUB-GROUP: CONSTRUCTICON
FUNCTION: DEMOLITIONS
FIRST APPEARANCE: TRANSFORMERS # 10

“Hit it till it stands no taller than the dust.”

Profile: A rubble-strewn wasteland is Bonecrusher’s idea of a beautiful
landscape. Rare is the edifice that he feels is better off left standing. For
him, demolition is not merely a job – it is a performance. He loves to show
off for his comrades. And Megatron realizes that the fear and terror sowed by
this Constructicon’s wild ways are bonus by-products that can only help the
Decepticon conquest of Earth’s resources. Bonecrusher’s attitude about the world
around him can best be summed up by his personal credo: “Everything is
dust – or it will be when I get through with it!”

Abilities: In vehicular mode, Bonecrusher can exert a force of 800,000 pounds
per square inch at a speed of 30 mph, enough to knock down all but the most
heavily reinforced structures. His thick titanium-steel hide makes him virtually
invulnerable to anything that might collapse upon him as a result of one of
his charges. He can use a short-range concussion bomb launcher to aid his demolitions.
In robot mode he carries a laser pistol. He serves as the left arm module which,
when combined with his fellow Constructicons, forms the giant robot known as
Devastator.

Weaknesses: Bonecrusher’s eagerness to wreak destruction often results
in the loss of structures that had potential value for the Decepticons. Although
he is rarely harmed by the collapse of a building on him, he is sometimes buried
and finds it difficult to free himself at those times.

ALLEGIANCE: DECEPTICON

SUB-GROUP: POWERMASTER
HUMAN COMPONENT: HI-TEST
FUNCTION: AIR DEFENSE
FIRST APPEARANCE: TRANSFORMERS # 42

“Fear is a friend whose presence is felt long after he’s left!”

Profile: Dreadwind is the proverbial “deactivation of the party,”
a mournful presence always first to look on the bleak side of things. Grim and
gloomy, he always acts as if his best friend has become permanently inoperative.
Most other Decepticons avoid him like the plague, knowing that however buoyant
their mood, Dreadwind is sure to bring them to Earth with a bump! As ominous
as a storm cloud and as chilling as a winter breeze, Dreadwind somehow manages
to convey his doom-laden message when he’s in battle, even in jet mode! Foes
have been known to feel despair at Dreadwind’s approach, even at a vast distance.
Dreadwind doesn’t appreciate the advantage this gives him in battle; it just
serves to further depress him. He’s been known to wade through a battlefield,
blasting Autobots and shouting, “Why does no one like me?” But Dreadwind
has been known to come close to reveling (in his own low-key way) in the carnage
he wreaks, knowing that perhaps his only true friend is fear. He sees it in
the visual receptors of enemies and feels slightly better himself. Though the
two profess to hate each other, and certainly detest combining to form Dreadwing,
Dreadwind and Darkwing are the perfect partners in crime, almost trying to outdo
each other in the bleakness stakes. The same cannot be said of Dreadwind’s binary-bonded
human component, Hi-Test. He’s a thrill-seeking, overachieving perfectionist
who can’t understand Dreadwind at all! How can he be so gloomy when there’s
so much wonderful badness in the world? Hi-Test does his best to bully Dreadwind
into enjoying himself, or at the very least concentrating his morose mind on
the job at hand.

Abilities: In jet mode, powered by his high-performance Powermaster
engine, Dreadwind can reach speeds up to Mach 2.6, and is able to climb to sub-orbital
altitudes. When combined with his fellow Powermaster Darkwing, as the vehicle
Dreadwing, they become capable of space flight, reaching light speeds and beyond.
His jet mode is armed with air-to-air missiles, thermal melters, rapid-fire
machine guns and lasers. He’s a flying armory with a vast capacity for devastation.
In robot mode he’s more cumbersome and less effective, presenting an easy target.
But at close quarters, his bulky strength and multi-shot wrist guns give him
an advantage.

Weaknesses: All of Dreadwind’s weaknesses stem from his continual brooding
and permanent depression. He’s so busy feeling sorry for himself, he tends to
forget he’s in the middle of a battle, leaving himself wide open to attack.

ALLEGIANCE: DECEPTICON
SUB-GROUP: CONSTRUCTICON

FUNCTION: SURGICAL ENGINEER
FIRST APPEARANCE: TRANSFORMERS # 10

“Strive for perfection even if others must suffer.”

Profile: With the care and precision of a fine jeweler, Hook performs
his job with a skill unparallelled among all the Transformers. It doesn’t matter
whether he’s reconnecting a damaged microchip or setting a two ton girder into
place – in each case perfection is his final goal. Perhaps because he is a perfectionist
he has a snobbish, supercilious attitude toward his fellow Constructicons, since
he considers them generally crude and dim-witted. Although Hook may not win
any popularity contests, there’s no denying his superior abilities and the important
role they have in the Decepticons’ evil schemes.

Abilities: In vehicular mode, Hook can use his crane to lift objects
weighing up to 20 tons. In positioning these objects, his error tolerance is
less than .00001%. In robot mode he shows equal precision repairing his comrades
as the Decepticon surgeon. He carries a rocket launcher in vehicular mode and
a laser pistol in robot mode. He serves as the shoulders and head module that,
when combined with his fellow Constructicons, forms the giant robot known as
Devastator.

Weaknesses: The extreme care Hook takes in performing his job often
slows down his work to the point of antagonizing his fellow Decepticons and
endangering whatever operation they are involved in. Overuse of his crane can
result in metal stress fractures.

ALLEGIANCE: DECEPTICON
SUB-GROUP: INSECTICON
FUNCTION: PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE
FIRST APPEARANCE: TRANSFORMERS # 17

“The mind is my playpen!”

Profile: Whether it refers to a robot’s or a human’s, Bombshell’s credo carries the same awful meaning – once he sinks his stinger into someone’s head, it’s unlikely that that someone will ever think for himself again. His ability to turn foes into helpless accomplices makes this Insecticon one of Decepticon Leader Megatron’s favorites. And Bombshell’s interest in his victim doesn’t end with mere control of his mind: Given his cruel sense or humor, Bombshell finds nothing more entertaining than to have his unwilling followers perform embarrassing and debasing acts, an amusement he eagerly shares with his evil comrades.

Abilities: In his insect form, Bombshell is particularly adept at using his tiny size to infiltrate human populations. He then uses his stinger to inject a tiny “cerebro-shell” into a human’s head. The micro-circuited device travels through the blood until it reaches the brain, whereupon it opens up and releases tens of thousands of connecting wires. The wires coil around nearby neural dendrites until the brain’s conscious functions are effectively rerouted through the cerebro-shell, which puts the mind of the victim under the remote control of Bombshell. He has a flying range of 5.7 miles in this form. In his larger robot form, Bombshell’s stinger is used in much the same way against other robots’ high-function mental circuitry. The major difference is that once the stinger is pressed against the metal casing of a victim’s head, the small laser torches on the side of the stinger rotate rapidly to carve a small hole in the casing, allowing the stinger to inject a cerebro-shell. He also carries a head-mounted mortar that can throw a 50-pound explosive shell 8 miles with very good accuracy.

Weaknesses: Successful removal of one of Bombshell’s cerebro-shells allows its possessor to use it against him by sending false signals back to him. Some tougher metals are impervious to his laser torches. Often, Bombshell will make the mistake of playing with his victim rather than paying more attention to more important matters, such as an Autobot assault.

ALLEGIANCE: AUTOBOT
SUB-GROUP: DINOBOT

FUNCTION: JUNGLE WARRIOR, DEMOLITIONS
FIRST APPEARANCE: TRANSFORMERS # 4

“Stomp your enemy, crush him under your feet.”

Profile: Sludge likes to make his presence known. A few steps of his
incredibly lumbering legs and everyone within a three-mile radius can hear –
and feel – that he’s around. But his awesome physical appearance belies his
unusually gentle and shy nature. Like his fellow Dinobot, Slag, he is not happy
with the leadership of Optimus Prime. He feels, however, the Autobot cause is
more important than any personal misgivings and so he rarely exhibits his feelings.
Such is not the case when Sludge is fired to battle – he then becomes a terrifying,
unstoppable force.

Abilities: In Dinobot mode, Sludge can exert pressure up to 40,000 pounds
per square inch with a single step, enough force to shatter a bridge or even
crack a mountain. Only a handful of his comrades can match his immense strength
and endurance. His armored hide can withstand all but the most powerful blasts.
He’s adept at operating in watery and swampy environments and in jungles.

Weaknesses: Sludge is often victim to the calamities he causes. Often
his fellow Autobots must dig him out of the rubble he’s brought down upon himself.
Perhaps if he were more clever he’d figure out ways to avoid these predicaments.
He’s very slow due to his huge bulk.

ALLEGIANCE: DECEPTICON
SUB-GROUP: CONSTRUCTICON
FUNCTION: WARRIOR
FIRST APPEARANCE: TRANSFORMERS # 10

“Thinking and winning do not mix.”

Profile: Awesome and terrifying, Devastator is the bizarre result of
the six Constructicons – Scrapper, Scavenger, Bonecrusher, Hook, Long Haul and
Mixmaster – joining together to form a single giant robot. He is ungainly and
plodding, but he is also brutality in its purest form – a mechanical being whose
sole purpose is to crush and destroy all that stands in its path. Devastator’s
mind is truly unique and his own, a melding together of his six components,
but it also represents a compromise: his thoughts are limited to what the six
can agree upon. The carrying out of any complex thoughts is severely impeded
by their competing minds. Thus, Devastator is seemingly a creature of almost
pure instinct – usually he acts before he can fully contemplate the consequences
of his actions. These actions are usually simple, direct and extremely violent.

Abilities: Devastator has many of the abilities of his component parts,
but is somewhat limited in their use by his limited mental functions and awkward
form. He is over 60 feet tall and has incredible strength – he can knock down
a bridge with one punch. His solar energy rifle shoots a 10,000 degree centigrade
heat beam a distance of six miles.

Weaknesses: Devastator is slow and awkward, and is relatively easy to
trip up. The inability of his six component parts to better cooperate inhibits
his mental functions, allowing him to be easily outfoxed by most opponents.