Pretenders (Transformers)
Encyclopedia
Pretenders is a subline within the Transformers toy line
, introduced in 1988. The concept behind the toy was that the Transformers were capable of disguising their robotic forms through the use of synthetic organic outer shells.
s' outer shells all resemble human beings clad in armor, the Decepticon
s' shells are all in the form of monstrous animalistic creatures. The robot figure is contained entirely within the shell, invisible to the outsider observer. After the shell splits apart to release it, the shell can be recombined for a second figure. Although the first set of Pretenders was released early in 1988, a second set of 6, exclusive to North America, was also sold. Metalhawk
, named so because his inner robot was constructed partially of die-cast metal (a rarity in 1988), was only sold in Japan.
Bomb-Burst is Decepticon
Pretender, released as a toy in 1988. His tech-spec profile describes him as a vampire
who swoops down on his enemies and uses his serrated metallic fangs to drain their fuel. His Pretender shell has a special texture that causes a rust rash on contact. The shell is the form of a humanoid vampire bat
, which can be blinded by bright sunlight and is armed with a corrosive slime shooter and armor-piercing battle axe. The inner robot transforms into a vertical take-off and landing
hover jet with dual lasers.
He is considered the closest thing Transformers have to vampire.
Like several other Pretenders, Skullgrin's personality changed somewhat when he received his Pretender shell. Normally a cool, calculating combatant, inside the shell he becomes a rampaging engine of destruction that tries to destroy everything in his path, never retreating. It has been speculated that the shell has a personality of its own. However, the egotistical Skullgrin has a surprising personality quirk — he loves Earth and is fascinated by it. Making him very different from other Decepticons. In his affair with Circuit-Breaker, he actually bargained for fuel instead of fighting to avoid any casualties.
Skullgrin's Pretender shell is easily distinguishable by having the skull
of a bovine animal for a head. The shell's dark gray color, multiple spikes, and skull ornaments on its belt
give it a menacing appearance, similar to Judge Death
. The inner Skullgrin robot transforms into a Cybertronian tank
.
As silent and mysterious as the ocean depths. Sly and sinister. Roams the sea in solitary contentment. Angers easily, exploding into a furious frenzy. Serrated claws can shred a battleship like paper. Transforms into deep sea attack submarine, armed with proton cannon. Inside shell, wields torpedo rifle and unbreakable, organic-steel sword that eats metal on contact.
The exterior shells of these figures were organic representations of the mechanised animals the interior robots transformed into, also equipped with armor and mounted weapons.
The interior robots of the Pretender vehicles were contained within large armored-vehicle style shells. When the interior robot was removed, the shell could be reconfigured into a battle vehicle for them to pilot.
and Bludgeon
are alike Stranglehold.
Four classic characters, re-imagined as Pretenders. All four have humanoid shells. The inner robots were also sold without their shells as part of the K-Mart exclusive "K-Mart Legends" line.
The Mega Pretenders kicked the Pretender concept up a notch, giving both the interior robot and the shell the ability to transform and combine to form a larger vehicle.
Crossblades and Thunderwing were retooled and recolored in Japan and were sold as Blue Bacchus and Black Shadow respectively.
Taking the Pretender concept to the extreme, the Ultra Pretenders featured two shells — a large exterior vehicle shell, which then contained a secondary humanoid shell (which could also transform), and within that, finally, the diminutive interior robot. Roadblock is a notable sufferer of "gold plastic syndrome" — gold plastic is known for deteriorating faster than other colors, and the inner robot is made mostly of this material, making it is hard to find an intact Roadblock.
These six figures were unique among the Pretenders — small robots with monster alternate modes, housed within shells made from soft rubber. Together, the six interior robots could combine into Monstructor. This set was sold in Japan as Dinoforce
, where the inner robots were recolored and had soft rubber dinosaur shells instead of monster shells.
to provide the supporting fiction for Pretenders in the West.
Attempting to maximize his warriors' power of disguise and surprise, the Decepticon commander Scorponok
conceived a method of merging "sythoplasm" — a synthetic organic substitute — with six of his warriors, creating the Decepticon Pretenders. A computerized version of Optimus Prime
had spied on the process, however, allowing the Autobots to duplicate it in time to meet the Decepticon attack with their own Pretenders. But while the Autobots were well aware of the true nature of their opponents, the dim-witted Decepticons at first thought they were merely fighting particularly tall humans, giving the Autobots the element of surprise when they split from their shells and forced the Decepticons back. Both factions used their shells and inner forms simultaneously and separately in combat, splitting their concentration to double their effective fighting force. This tactic was seen again and again in subsequent stories involving the Pretenders.
Later, the Decepticon Skullgrin underwent a brief stint as a movie star, using his shell to play the role of a monster, until he was attacked by Circuit Breaker
.
When Starscream
attained the power of the Underbase, the Pretenders were among the Transformers able to survive his onslaught due to their organic components. Seeking to bolster his forces, Scorponok contacted Carnivac, Catilla
and Snarler — three Decepticons left on Earth after the reality-shredding Time Wars — and gifted them with Pretender shells in exchange for their attacking Fortress Maximus
. Although they failed, they were allowed to keep their shells, and subsequently encountered Springer
and the other Autobot Time Wars survivors. Catilla joined the Autobots outright, while Carnivac sided with them but remained a Decepticon in name, leaving Snarler disgusted and vowing to make them pay. Snarler assembled a new Mayhem Attack Squad — including the Pretenders Bludgeon
, Stranglehold and Octopunch — and attacked the "survivors" in a battle that saw Bludgeon kill Catilla.
Not long after, Landmine
and Cloudburst
were sent on a mission to acquire new parts to repair the fallen Autobots, only to run afoul of the dealers of said parts, the robot-eating Mecannibals. Chosen by the Mecannibals to be their next meal, Cloudburst stayed their consumption by convincing the Mecannibals to allow them to acquire an additional ingredient that would make them tastier to eat, retrieving it from the nearby planet of Femax. There, Cloudburst so impressed the female warrior chieftain that she sought to make him her mate, only to decapitate him in rage upon discovering that he was a robot within his shell. Landmine was able to placate her, and Cloudburst was repaired; as they left the planet, they discovered that the Decepticons Dreadwind and Darkwing
had been responsible for the Mecannibals discovering their true nature, and were able to escape the monsters' clutches while they set off to make their robot-spotters the Mecannibals next meal.
Escaping the Mecannibals for a brief time, Dreadwind and Darkwing were sent on a mission by Megatron to recover Starscream's corpse. Megatron then captured Ratchet
, teleporting him — and, accidentally, the deactivated bodies of Grimlock
, Jazz
and Bumblebee
— to Cybertron, where he forced him to rebuild Starscream as a Pretender, who he then unleashed on the Autobots and Decepticons on Earth. Ratchet was able to use the discard prototype Pretender shells to revive Grimlock, Jazz and Bumblebee, and defeated Megatron's plan. While Starscream got to grips with his new situation — feeling that the Decepticons considered him a walking joke, when in actuality, they were terrified of him — the Mayhem Attack Squad Pretenders were sent to attack Grimlock and co. on the orders of the Decepticons' new Cybertronian commander, Thunderwing
, a Pretender himself. Four UK strips showed how Thunderwing became commander; but no explanation was given for where Thunderwing acquired his Pretender shell, and he was only shown without it in one panel in "The Big Shutdown". This would confuse the issue of the origin of the Pretender shells further, as illustrations for the text story, "The Magnificent Six", would show Thunderwing with his shell as a lieutenant of Megadeath before the Ark
crashed on Earth.
When the quest to recover the Autobots' lost Creation Matrix
began, Autobot Pretenders Longtooth, Pincher and Doubleheader tracked a lead to the planet of Pequod, discovering that the last of an extinct race of sea-mammals named the klud had been revived by Matrix energy. Longtooth was attacked by the creature, and then, his injuries addling his mind, set out to kill it in an Ahab-like quest
, only to be stopped by his allies. The "Pretender Classics" then located the Matrix on a moon of the planet Cameroon, but Thunderwing stole it and was possessed by it, attacking the Autobots until he was defeated by being jettisoned into space. It was here for the first time that a liability inherent in using a Pretender outer shell separately in combat was shown; Thunderwing blew a large hole straight through Bumblebee's Pretender shell, and, though nowhere near the blast, Bumblebee's inner form was crippled by the feedback.
Thunderwing later returned during Unicron
's attack on Cybertron, but was destroyed by the Chaos-Bringer, allowing Optimus Prime to use the Matrix to save the day, at the cost of his own life. Grimlock was appointed new Autobot leader, and lost his Pretender abilities when exposure to Nucleon robbed him of being able to transform, turning him into an Action Master
.
Octopunch would appear among the troops of Bludgeon attacking the planet Klo in issue #80, "The End of the Road!" Although they were winning against the Autobots, the arrival of Optimus Prime and The Last Autobot turned the tide and the Decepticons retreated.
Bludgeon, meanwhile, became new Decepticon leader for several years, until Megatron returned and battled him, decapitating his outer shell and then destroying his interior robot (as seen in Transformers: Generation 2
).
In the Rhythms Of Darkness alternate 2009, the Pretender Monsters are lackeys of Galvatron
, while Chainclaw is one of the few surviving Autobots.
Pincher and Doubleheader appeared in Marvel U.K. Transformers #251 "The Void!" where they were among the Autobot crew of a ship commanded by Rodimus Prime which was retreating from Cybertron.
' More Than Meets the Eye series, only a few Pretenders were actually featured in any Dreamwave stories. Bludgeon and Bugly were both part of the Chaos Trinity, along with Mindwipe
, and helped procure subjects for The Fallen
's plans in the second volume of Transformers: The War Within
, known as The Dark Ages. They were eventually defeated by a combined force of Autobots and Decepticons.
Alternate universe versions of Bludgeon and Thunderwing, as well as Scourge
, Dirge
and Galvatron
were among the Heralds of Unicron in the final story arc of Dreamwave's Transformers: Armada
series, sent to soften the Armada universe for Unicron's arrival. However, Armada Megatron defeated Galvatron with the help of the Star Saber
and the others were blown up by the Autobots.
The Dreamwave Transfomers Universe book also gave the first ever information/description on Monstructor, the combine form of the Pretenders Monsters. Monstuctor is described as an Lovecraftian-type abomination that was divided into five separate, and weaker, robots to stop its quest to destroy all life within universe by unknown forces.
miniseries The Transformers: Stormbringer
, the Pretender process, called "bio-cybernetic grafting", was invented by Thunderwing
in his attempts to allow Transformers to survive Cybertron
's deterioration. Pretender shells are made from "bodily tissue culled from living beings", which led Megatron to decry the process as an abomination and decommission it which was a surprising act for Megatron, who was known to take virtually any advantage he could get in the war with the Autobots, causing Thunderwing to go rogue to prove it worked. The process inadvertently turns the subject into a supremely powerful maniac, more force of nature than sentient being, and Thunderwing's initial rampage made Cybertron uninhabitable. A cult of Decepticons under Bludgeon
, comprising Bomb-Burst, Skullgrin, Finback and Iguanus
, brought Thunderwing back online in 2006, in an attempt to rejuvenate Cybertron by the sacrifice of inhabited planets. They were intending to undergo the grafting process themselves, but the Wreckers
terminated most of the group before this could happen; Bludgeon underwent the process too soon and it went wrong, destroying his mind in a psychic backlash.
The robot forms of Bludgeon's group are drawn substantially different from the robot forms of their toys, and resemble the designs of their Pretender shells. Bludgeon's Pretender shell was redesigned to be that of a transformable Mega-Pretender. Also, Thunderwing was given a secondary attack mode where his jet wings folded in and his body extended, making him a giant among the other Transformers.
Monstructor
made his debut in The Transformers: Spotlight issue on Optimus Prime
, however his components were neither Pretenders nor Decepticons, as they were imprisoned before factions or the Pretender process existed.
's fourth G.I. Joe vs the Transformers series. Here, Bludgeon and the future Pretender Monsters came to Earth to exploit it, but were shot down. To survive, they made a deal with the serpent cult Cobra-La
to work for them. However, Cobra-La's aversion to mechanical technology would mean that they took organic shells out of necessity, being "adjusted" for Cobra-La's purposes. Unlike IDW's re-imagining of Pretenders, the Pretenders seen here resemble the traditional look of their Pretender toys.
Additionally, one entirely new Autobot Pretender figure was created for this year — Metalhawk
, so named for the large amount of die-cast metal in his interior robot, which transformed into a jet.
Also, this year saw the release of a recolored version of the original Fortress Maximus
toy named Grand Maximus. His Headmaster component, Grand, was outfitted with a newly-created Pretender shell. Grand is a recolored version of Fortress Maximus's component, Cerebros.
In addition, Japan
did not receive the following Pretenders:
s. Their combined form is Dinoking. They included:
, and did the same in 1988 with Transformers: Super-God Masterforce
, starring the Pretenders.
Eight thousand years ago, a starship containing the Autobot Pretenders Metalhawk
, Lander, Diver and Phoenix pursued the Decepticon Pretenders Blood, Dauros and Gilmer to Neolithic
-era Earth, where they crashed. Using their Pretender abilities, the Autobots adopted the form of humans - not using simple external shells like in the American fiction, but actually transforming the very structure of their bodies into an organic
equivalent, shrinking down to normal human size to hide in plain sight among burgeoning humanity. The Decepticon Pretenders, on the other hand, adopted the forms of monstrous creatures, becoming feared as demons by early man. After many battles, the Autobots succeeded in defeating their enemies and sealing them away for thousands of years — Blood in the pyramids of Egypt
, Gilmer in the ruins of Atlantis
, and Dauros beneath the Nazca Lines
in Peru
.
Liberated in the near future by the mysterious Decepticon god, Devil Z, the three Pretenders entered his service, and immediately began to draw the Autobot Pretenders out of hiding, before turning their attention to a series of plans of acquiring energy and disrupting one of the three Chokoon Powers on Earth. After a string of failures, Devil Z supplanted them with his more powerful Godmaster
minions, and although they would often participate in missions, their standing was downgraded and their regularity of appearance on the battlefield diminished. Eventually, they generally only served to supply comic relief, and departed Earth with the other surviving Decepticons when Devil Z was destroyed.
, with the Decepticon DinoForce, a group of Pretenders with outer shells resembling dinosaurs. they were used by Deszaras
primarily for their ability to combine into Dinoking. Oddly, the shells were shown to be sentient, able to act and think for themselves when their hosts weren't around. Also, the shells were fully transformable even though the Dinoforce themselves were never shown to transform.
as a machine posing as a human named "Alice", played by Isabel Lucas
.
Unlike most Transformers who adopt obviously mechanical alternate forms for disguise, Alice takes the form of an animatronic figure of Alice From Alice in Wonderland from an amusement park, and therefore is able to pass as human. This interpretation of Pretenders is closer to the Japanese Pretenders from Transformers: Generation 1, such as in the Masterforce anime, who actually turned into humans instead of wearing organic-looking shells over robot bodies, as was their depiction in the U.S.
One of the earliest scenes caught on camera during the production of Revenge of the Fallen was a puppet of Alice in robot mode attacking the car as Mikaela, Sam and Leo made their escape. Initial fan reactions lead many to think this was Frenzy from the last film returning.
The special effects used to create Alice were done by Digital Domain
, which used no green screen
or motion capture
in its work.
Alice was voted one of the All-Time Hottest Robots by Techland in April 2010.
Isabelle Lucas was recognized for her breakout performance as Alice at Spike TV's Scream 2009 awards, which was reported by the Associated Press.
.
Alice appears in Transformers: Nefarious #1, set months after the events of the 2009 film. She steals an RV in Seattle and is chased by Skids
and Mudflap
, who keep her occupied until Sideswipe arrives and defeats her. She is taken to NEST headquarters on Diego Garcia
to be examined by Ratchet
. Sideswipe is disgusted by her decision to disguise herself as a human.
Transformers (toy line)
The is a line of toys produced by the American toy company Hasbro. The Transformers toyline was created from toy molds mostly produced by Japanese company Takara in the toylines Diaclone and Microman. Other toy molds from other companies such as Bandai were used as well...
, introduced in 1988. The concept behind the toy was that the Transformers were capable of disguising their robotic forms through the use of synthetic organic outer shells.
Cloudburst
- CloudburstCloudburst (Transformers)Cloudburst is a fictional character from the Transformers series. He turns into a jet and has a shell that looked like an armored human. He shouldn't be confused with Phoenix, a Japanese Transformer who shares the same toy.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
(spacecraft) (in Japan released as PhoenixPhoenix (Transformers)Phoenix is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers series. He was one of the stars of the anime series Transformers: Masterforce where he was voiced by Masato Hirano...
)
Landmine
- LandmineLandmine (Transformers)Landmine is the name to several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. He shouldn't be confused with Lander.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
(mining vehicle) (in Japan released as LanderLander (Transformers)-Transformers: Generation 1:As a ground tank, Lander can reach speeds exceeding 400 km/h. In his human guise he is an automovive planner from New York. He is skilled at land attacks and is the physically strongest Autobot Pretender...
)
Waverider
- WaveriderWaverider (Transformers)Waverider is an fictional character from the Transformers seriese. He is an Autobot Pretender who turns into a boat.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
(bathyscaphe) (in Japan released as DiverDiver (Transformers)Diver is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers universe and major characters in their respective anime series. Both are heroic characters who specialize in underwater combat.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
)
Decepticons
While the AutobotAutobot
Autobot, a faction of sentient robots from the planet Cybertron, are usually the main protagonists in the fictional universe of the Transformers, a collection of various toys, graphic novels, paperback books, cartoons and movies first introduced in 1984. In all but one Transformer story, the...
s' outer shells all resemble human beings clad in armor, the Decepticon
Decepticon
The Decepticons are usually depicted as the antagonists in the fictional universes of the Transformers stoyline and related comics and cartoons, and the enemies of the Autobots and the University of California Davis Aggies...
s' shells are all in the form of monstrous animalistic creatures. The robot figure is contained entirely within the shell, invisible to the outsider observer. After the shell splits apart to release it, the shell can be recombined for a second figure. Although the first set of Pretenders was released early in 1988, a second set of 6, exclusive to North America, was also sold. Metalhawk
Metalhawk
Metalhawk is a fictional character, a Transformer robot in the Japanese Masterforce series.-Transformers: Generation 1:Metalhawk transforms into a jet, and has a human Pretender shell. In robot mode his left hand could retract and launch knock-out gas. His weapons include a Jet Rifle, Titanium...
, named so because his inner robot was constructed partially of die-cast metal (a rarity in 1988), was only sold in Japan.
Bomb-Burst
Bomb-Burst is Decepticon
Decepticon
The Decepticons are usually depicted as the antagonists in the fictional universes of the Transformers stoyline and related comics and cartoons, and the enemies of the Autobots and the University of California Davis Aggies...
Pretender, released as a toy in 1988. His tech-spec profile describes him as a vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
who swoops down on his enemies and uses his serrated metallic fangs to drain their fuel. His Pretender shell has a special texture that causes a rust rash on contact. The shell is the form of a humanoid vampire bat
Vampire bat
Vampire bats are bats whose food source is blood, a dietary trait called hematophagy. There are three bat species that feed solely on blood: the Common Vampire Bat , the Hairy-legged Vampire Bat , and the White-winged Vampire Bat .All three species are native to the Americas, ranging from Mexico to...
, which can be blinded by bright sunlight and is armed with a corrosive slime shooter and armor-piercing battle axe. The inner robot transforms into a vertical take-off and landing
VTOL
A vertical take-off and landing aircraft is one that can hover, take off and land vertically. This classification includes fixed-wing aircraft as well as helicopters and other aircraft with powered rotors, such as cyclogyros/cyclocopters and tiltrotors...
hover jet with dual lasers.
He is considered the closest thing Transformers have to vampire.
Toys
- Generation 1 Pretender Bomb-Burst (1988)
- This Decepticon Pretender came with a shell shaped like a vampire bat humanoid. This toy is identical to the toy released as Blood in Japan.
Skullgrin
Like several other Pretenders, Skullgrin's personality changed somewhat when he received his Pretender shell. Normally a cool, calculating combatant, inside the shell he becomes a rampaging engine of destruction that tries to destroy everything in his path, never retreating. It has been speculated that the shell has a personality of its own. However, the egotistical Skullgrin has a surprising personality quirk — he loves Earth and is fascinated by it. Making him very different from other Decepticons. In his affair with Circuit-Breaker, he actually bargained for fuel instead of fighting to avoid any casualties.
Skullgrin's Pretender shell is easily distinguishable by having the skull
Skull
The skull is a bony structure in the head of many animals that supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.The skull is composed of two parts: the cranium and the mandible. A skull without a mandible is only a cranium. Animals that have skulls are called craniates...
of a bovine animal for a head. The shell's dark gray color, multiple spikes, and skull ornaments on its belt
Belt (clothing)
A belt is a flexible band or strap, typically made of leather or heavy cloth, and worn around the waist. A belt supports trousers or other articles of clothing.-History:...
give it a menacing appearance, similar to Judge Death
Judge Death
Judge Death is a fictional character of the Judge Dredd universe recounted in the UK comic 2000 AD. He is the leader of the Dark Judges, a sinister group of undead law enforcers from the alternate dimension of Deadworld, where all life has been declared a crime since only the living commit crimes...
. The inner Skullgrin robot transforms into a Cybertronian tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
.
Toys
- Generation 1 Pretender Skullgrin (1988)
- This toy is identical to the toy sold in Japan as Dauros.
- Generations Deluxe Skullgrin (2010)
- A remold of Generations DarkmountStraxusLord Straxus is a fictional character from the Transformers series. A toy based on his Marvel comic appearance was released in 2010 under the name Darkmount.-Marvel Comics:Straxus was the Decepticon governor of a province of Cybertron known as Polyhex...
.
Submarauder
As silent and mysterious as the ocean depths. Sly and sinister. Roams the sea in solitary contentment. Angers easily, exploding into a furious frenzy. Serrated claws can shred a battleship like paper. Transforms into deep sea attack submarine, armed with proton cannon. Inside shell, wields torpedo rifle and unbreakable, organic-steel sword that eats metal on contact.
Toys
- Generation 1 Pretender Submarauder (1988)
- This toy is identical to the Gilmer toy.
Autobots
- Chainclaw (bear) Chainclaw was named the 7th oddest thing that G1 Transformers transform into by Topless Robot.
- CatillaCatillaCatilla is a genus of fungus in the family Cyphellaceae....
(sabre-toothed tiger)
Decepticons
- Carnivac (wolf)
- Snarler (boar)
The exterior shells of these figures were organic representations of the mechanised animals the interior robots transformed into, also equipped with armor and mounted weapons.
Decepticon
- Roadgrabber (jet)
The interior robots of the Pretender vehicles were contained within large armored-vehicle style shells. When the interior robot was removed, the shell could be reconfigured into a battle vehicle for them to pilot.
Autobots
- Pincher (scorpion)
- Longtooth (amphibious combat vehicle)
- Doubleheader (double cockpit jet)
Stranglehold
Stranglehold is a metal rhino. He is "The Muscule Monster". He will do anything to win. Stranglehold is an Intergalactic Cybertronic Wrestling Federation Champion. Stranglehold loves kicking, gouging, punching, and curling cars to be in good shape and to have revenge. Stranglehold has a small gun and a huge gun. He is equipped with a cuncussion blaster in robot mode. Also he has a backpack. Stranglehold is all brawn - no brain. He has a brawn blaster that can drain down his enemies' power. Octopunch, StarscreamStarscream (Transformers)
Starscream is a fictional character in the Transformers franchise. He is one of the most prolific characters in the Transformers fictional work, appearing in almost all incarnations of the story. Starscream is usually portrayed with the same characterization...
and Bludgeon
Bludgeon (Transformers)
Bludgeon is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers universes. For trademark reasons, he is now marketed by Hasbro as Decepticon Bludgeon. They are all Decepticon warriors who turn into tanks.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
are alike Stranglehold.
Autobots
- JazzJazz (Transformers)Jazz is the name of a fictional character from the various Transformers universes. He is usually portrayed as a music loving robot and talks with a slang accent. He is also a good friend of Optimus Prime's...
(Porsche) - BumblebeeBumblebee (Transformers)Bumblebee is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers universes. In most incarnations, Bumblebee is a small, yellow Autobot with the altmode of a compact car.- Transformers: Generation 1 :...
(Volkswagen Beetle) - GrimlockGrimlockGrimlock is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers universes. He is usually portrayed as a tough leader who turns into a mechanical dinosaur...
(Tyrannosaurus rex)
Four classic characters, re-imagined as Pretenders. All four have humanoid shells. The inner robots were also sold without their shells as part of the K-Mart exclusive "K-Mart Legends" line.
Autobots
- Vroom (car, motorbike w/sidecar) Vroom was named the 21st top unfortunately named Transformer by Topless Robots.
- Crossblades (jet/dragster, helicopter)
Decepticon
- ThunderwingThunderwingThunderwing is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers series. Introduced in 1989, he was a major villain in the Marvel Comics Transformers series. Although Thunderwing was created after the US Transformers television series ended, the character of Black Shadow did appear in...
(small jet, large jet/spacecraft)
The Mega Pretenders kicked the Pretender concept up a notch, giving both the interior robot and the shell the ability to transform and combine to form a larger vehicle.
Crossblades and Thunderwing were retooled and recolored in Japan and were sold as Blue Bacchus and Black Shadow respectively.
Decepticon
- RoadblockRoadblock (Transformers)Roadblock is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes.-Transformers: Generation 1 :Roadblock is a human member of G.I. Joe, a soldier who has met the Transformers several times...
(tank/jet/half track tank)
Taking the Pretender concept to the extreme, the Ultra Pretenders featured two shells — a large exterior vehicle shell, which then contained a secondary humanoid shell (which could also transform), and within that, finally, the diminutive interior robot. Roadblock is a notable sufferer of "gold plastic syndrome" — gold plastic is known for deteriorating faster than other colors, and the inner robot is made mostly of this material, making it is hard to find an intact Roadblock.
Decepticon Monster Pretenders (1989)
- Icepick (monster; exclusive to North America)
- Birdbrain (monster; exclusive to North America)
- Bristleback (monster; exclusive to North America)
- Slog (monster; exclusive to North America)
- Scowl (monster; exclusive to North America)
- Wildfly (monster; exclusive to North America)
These six figures were unique among the Pretenders — small robots with monster alternate modes, housed within shells made from soft rubber. Together, the six interior robots could combine into Monstructor. This set was sold in Japan as Dinoforce
Dinoforce
The Dinoforce, also known as kyoryu sentai in Japan, was a group of Decepticon Pretenders under the command of Deszaras. Unique to the Dinoforce is their Pretender shells sentience; when the members of the Dinoforce are not merged with their Pretender shells, the shells can think and act on their...
, where the inner robots were recolored and had soft rubber dinosaur shells instead of monster shells.
Marvel Comics
With the North American Transformers cartoon having come to a conclusion the previous year, it fell to Marvel ComicsMarvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
to provide the supporting fiction for Pretenders in the West.
Attempting to maximize his warriors' power of disguise and surprise, the Decepticon commander Scorponok
Scorponok
Scorponok is the name shared by several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. All are Decepticons that turn into Scorpoins.- Transformers: Generation 1:...
conceived a method of merging "sythoplasm" — a synthetic organic substitute — with six of his warriors, creating the Decepticon Pretenders. A computerized version of Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime is a fictional character from the Transformers franchise. Prime is the leader of the autobots, a faction of transforming robots from the planet Cybertron. The autobots are constantly waging war against a rival faction of transforming robots called Decepticons...
had spied on the process, however, allowing the Autobots to duplicate it in time to meet the Decepticon attack with their own Pretenders. But while the Autobots were well aware of the true nature of their opponents, the dim-witted Decepticons at first thought they were merely fighting particularly tall humans, giving the Autobots the element of surprise when they split from their shells and forced the Decepticons back. Both factions used their shells and inner forms simultaneously and separately in combat, splitting their concentration to double their effective fighting force. This tactic was seen again and again in subsequent stories involving the Pretenders.
Later, the Decepticon Skullgrin underwent a brief stint as a movie star, using his shell to play the role of a monster, until he was attacked by Circuit Breaker
Circuit Breaker (Transformers)
Circuit Breaker is a fictional comic book character in the 1980s Marvel Comics Transformers series.-Fictional character biography:After being severely injured in a raid for Earth oil by the Decepticon Shockwave, computer genius Josie Beller was left paralyzed in both legs and one arm...
.
When Starscream
Starscream (Transformers)
Starscream is a fictional character in the Transformers franchise. He is one of the most prolific characters in the Transformers fictional work, appearing in almost all incarnations of the story. Starscream is usually portrayed with the same characterization...
attained the power of the Underbase, the Pretenders were among the Transformers able to survive his onslaught due to their organic components. Seeking to bolster his forces, Scorponok contacted Carnivac, Catilla
Catilla
Catilla is a genus of fungus in the family Cyphellaceae....
and Snarler — three Decepticons left on Earth after the reality-shredding Time Wars — and gifted them with Pretender shells in exchange for their attacking Fortress Maximus
Fortress Maximus
Fortress Maximus is the name of several fictional characters from several of the various Transformers universes. Fortress Maximus appeared in the season 4 finale of the US Transformers animated series voiced by Stephen Keener. He was one of the stars of the Japanese Transformers: Headmasters...
. Although they failed, they were allowed to keep their shells, and subsequently encountered Springer
Springer (Transformers)
Springer is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers universes. For trademark reasons, many toys of the character are named Autobot Springer.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
and the other Autobot Time Wars survivors. Catilla joined the Autobots outright, while Carnivac sided with them but remained a Decepticon in name, leaving Snarler disgusted and vowing to make them pay. Snarler assembled a new Mayhem Attack Squad — including the Pretenders Bludgeon
Bludgeon (Transformers)
Bludgeon is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers universes. For trademark reasons, he is now marketed by Hasbro as Decepticon Bludgeon. They are all Decepticon warriors who turn into tanks.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
, Stranglehold and Octopunch — and attacked the "survivors" in a battle that saw Bludgeon kill Catilla.
Not long after, Landmine
Landmine (Transformers)
Landmine is the name to several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. He shouldn't be confused with Lander.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
and Cloudburst
Cloudburst (Transformers)
Cloudburst is a fictional character from the Transformers series. He turns into a jet and has a shell that looked like an armored human. He shouldn't be confused with Phoenix, a Japanese Transformer who shares the same toy.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
were sent on a mission to acquire new parts to repair the fallen Autobots, only to run afoul of the dealers of said parts, the robot-eating Mecannibals. Chosen by the Mecannibals to be their next meal, Cloudburst stayed their consumption by convincing the Mecannibals to allow them to acquire an additional ingredient that would make them tastier to eat, retrieving it from the nearby planet of Femax. There, Cloudburst so impressed the female warrior chieftain that she sought to make him her mate, only to decapitate him in rage upon discovering that he was a robot within his shell. Landmine was able to placate her, and Cloudburst was repaired; as they left the planet, they discovered that the Decepticons Dreadwind and Darkwing
Dreadwing
Dreadwing is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers universes.-Transformers: Generation 1:“Dreadwing” is the name of the combined form of the two Decepticon Powermasters, Dreadwind and Darkwing, released separately in 1988.The two Decepticons had very distinct...
had been responsible for the Mecannibals discovering their true nature, and were able to escape the monsters' clutches while they set off to make their robot-spotters the Mecannibals next meal.
Escaping the Mecannibals for a brief time, Dreadwind and Darkwing were sent on a mission by Megatron to recover Starscream's corpse. Megatron then captured Ratchet
Ratchet (Transformers)
Ratchet is the name of several characters in the Transformers universes. According to the original creator of the Transformers names, Bob Budiansky, Ratchet was named after the character of Nurse Ratched from the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The name Ratchet is almost always portrayed as...
, teleporting him — and, accidentally, the deactivated bodies of Grimlock
Grimlock
Grimlock is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers universes. He is usually portrayed as a tough leader who turns into a mechanical dinosaur...
, Jazz
Jazz (Transformers)
Jazz is the name of a fictional character from the various Transformers universes. He is usually portrayed as a music loving robot and talks with a slang accent. He is also a good friend of Optimus Prime's...
and Bumblebee
Bumblebee (Transformers)
Bumblebee is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers universes. In most incarnations, Bumblebee is a small, yellow Autobot with the altmode of a compact car.- Transformers: Generation 1 :...
— to Cybertron, where he forced him to rebuild Starscream as a Pretender, who he then unleashed on the Autobots and Decepticons on Earth. Ratchet was able to use the discard prototype Pretender shells to revive Grimlock, Jazz and Bumblebee, and defeated Megatron's plan. While Starscream got to grips with his new situation — feeling that the Decepticons considered him a walking joke, when in actuality, they were terrified of him — the Mayhem Attack Squad Pretenders were sent to attack Grimlock and co. on the orders of the Decepticons' new Cybertronian commander, Thunderwing
Thunderwing
Thunderwing is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers series. Introduced in 1989, he was a major villain in the Marvel Comics Transformers series. Although Thunderwing was created after the US Transformers television series ended, the character of Black Shadow did appear in...
, a Pretender himself. Four UK strips showed how Thunderwing became commander; but no explanation was given for where Thunderwing acquired his Pretender shell, and he was only shown without it in one panel in "The Big Shutdown". This would confuse the issue of the origin of the Pretender shells further, as illustrations for the text story, "The Magnificent Six", would show Thunderwing with his shell as a lieutenant of Megadeath before the Ark
Ark (Transformers)
The Ark is an Autobot spacecraft in the Transformers Universe. It has appeared as a central fixture of the Transformers storyline ever since its creation, as the Autobots main method of transport to Earth and as a base once they arrive....
crashed on Earth.
When the quest to recover the Autobots' lost Creation Matrix
Autobot Matrix of Leadership
The Matrix of Leadership or Creation Matrix in the fictional Transformers universes is the Autobot talisman of legend, passed down from leader to leader. It consisted of an oval-shaped container, holding a glowing crystal. To open the Matrix is to release an unpredictable wave of power from the...
began, Autobot Pretenders Longtooth, Pincher and Doubleheader tracked a lead to the planet of Pequod, discovering that the last of an extinct race of sea-mammals named the klud had been revived by Matrix energy. Longtooth was attacked by the creature, and then, his injuries addling his mind, set out to kill it in an Ahab-like quest
Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, was written by American author Herman Melville and first published in 1851. It is considered by some to be a Great American Novel and a treasure of world literature. The story tells the adventures of wandering sailor Ishmael, and his voyage on the whaleship Pequod,...
, only to be stopped by his allies. The "Pretender Classics" then located the Matrix on a moon of the planet Cameroon, but Thunderwing stole it and was possessed by it, attacking the Autobots until he was defeated by being jettisoned into space. It was here for the first time that a liability inherent in using a Pretender outer shell separately in combat was shown; Thunderwing blew a large hole straight through Bumblebee's Pretender shell, and, though nowhere near the blast, Bumblebee's inner form was crippled by the feedback.
Thunderwing later returned during Unicron
Unicron
Unicron is a fictional character from the Transformers universe and toyline. Created by Floro Dery, he was introduced in the 1986 animated film The Transformers: The Movie as the film's main antagonist. Unicron is a prodigiously large robot whose scale reaches planetary proportions, and he is also...
's attack on Cybertron, but was destroyed by the Chaos-Bringer, allowing Optimus Prime to use the Matrix to save the day, at the cost of his own life. Grimlock was appointed new Autobot leader, and lost his Pretender abilities when exposure to Nucleon robbed him of being able to transform, turning him into an Action Master
Action Masters
Action Masters are a sub-line of the Transformers toy franchise, first released in 1990, with a wave of new releases released in Europe in 1991. It featured Transformers action figures who were unable to transform, but came with transforming partners, weapons or exo-suits. Some of the larger sets...
.
Octopunch would appear among the troops of Bludgeon attacking the planet Klo in issue #80, "The End of the Road!" Although they were winning against the Autobots, the arrival of Optimus Prime and The Last Autobot turned the tide and the Decepticons retreated.
Bludgeon, meanwhile, became new Decepticon leader for several years, until Megatron returned and battled him, decapitating his outer shell and then destroying his interior robot (as seen in Transformers: Generation 2
Transformers: Generation 2
Transformers: Generation 2 is the name used to refer to a Transformers toy line, television series and comic book series which ran from 1993-1995...
).
In the Rhythms Of Darkness alternate 2009, the Pretender Monsters are lackeys of Galvatron
Galvatron
Galvatron is the name of several fictional Transformers, most often the recreated version of Megatron, the Decepticon leader. He was voiced by Leonard Nimoy in the 1986 Transformers movie, and then by Frank Welker in season 3 and 4 of the animated television series. Since then, other Transformers...
, while Chainclaw is one of the few surviving Autobots.
Pincher and Doubleheader appeared in Marvel U.K. Transformers #251 "The Void!" where they were among the Autobot crew of a ship commanded by Rodimus Prime which was retreating from Cybertron.
Dreamwave Productions
While the Pretenders received profiles in Dreamwave ProductionsDreamwave Productions
Dreamwave Productions was a Canadian art design studio and comic book publisher founded in 1996 and is best known for their multiple Transformers comic book series...
' More Than Meets the Eye series, only a few Pretenders were actually featured in any Dreamwave stories. Bludgeon and Bugly were both part of the Chaos Trinity, along with Mindwipe
Mindwipe (Transformers)
Mindwipe is the name of two fictional characters in the Transformers toy line and fictional series by Hasbro. Both are Decepticons.-Transformers: Generation 1:Mindwipe is a Decepticon Headmaster who transforms into a bat....
, and helped procure subjects for The Fallen
Fallen (Transformers)
The Fallen is a fictional character in the Transformers universes. According to Hasbro, he was formerly known as Megatronus Prime, and is a multiversal singularity, meaning that while he exists across the multiverse, he has no alternate-universe counterpart.-Character history:Although the Fallen's...
's plans in the second volume of Transformers: The War Within
Transformers: The War Within
This article is about the comic book series. For other uses, see The War Within .Transformers: The War Within is a series of comic book mini-series written by Simon Furman and published by Dreamwave Productions featuring Generation One characters with brand new pre-Earth designs.The series focuses...
, known as The Dark Ages. They were eventually defeated by a combined force of Autobots and Decepticons.
Alternate universe versions of Bludgeon and Thunderwing, as well as Scourge
Scourge (Transformers)
Scourge is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers series. He first appeared as one of the central villains in the 1986 film The Transformers, voiced by Stan Jones. He also regularly appeared in the animated Transformers series and Transformers comic books. Since then other...
, Dirge
Dirge (Transformers)
Dirge is the name of several different fictional characters from the Transformers series. He was first introduced in 1985 as a villain in the Transformers series, appearing in the comic book by Marvel Comics and voiced by Bud Davis in the animated television series. Since then the name Dirge was...
and Galvatron
Galvatron
Galvatron is the name of several fictional Transformers, most often the recreated version of Megatron, the Decepticon leader. He was voiced by Leonard Nimoy in the 1986 Transformers movie, and then by Frank Welker in season 3 and 4 of the animated television series. Since then, other Transformers...
were among the Heralds of Unicron in the final story arc of Dreamwave's Transformers: Armada
Transformers: Armada
Transformers: Armada, known in Japan as , is a Transformers animated series, comic series and toy line which ran from 2002–2003. It was originally scheduled for 2001, however was delayed until early-2002...
series, sent to soften the Armada universe for Unicron's arrival. However, Armada Megatron defeated Galvatron with the help of the Star Saber
Star Saber
Star Saber is the name of several fictional characters and also a legendary weapon in the Transformers toyline. He is the protagonist in the Japanese exclusive series Transformers: Victory.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
and the others were blown up by the Autobots.
The Dreamwave Transfomers Universe book also gave the first ever information/description on Monstructor, the combine form of the Pretenders Monsters. Monstuctor is described as an Lovecraftian-type abomination that was divided into five separate, and weaker, robots to stop its quest to destroy all life within universe by unknown forces.
IDW Publishing
In the IDW PublishingIDW Publishing
IDW Publishing, also known as Idea + Design Works, LLC and IDW, is an American publisher of comic books and comic strip collections. The company was founded in 1999 and has been awarded the title "Publisher of the Year Under 5% Market Share" for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 by Diamond Comic...
miniseries The Transformers: Stormbringer
The Transformers: Stormbringer
The Transformers: Stormbringer is a comic book mini-series, published by IDW Publishing.The series debuted in July, 2006 and is set during the same time frame as The Transformers: Infiltration...
, the Pretender process, called "bio-cybernetic grafting", was invented by Thunderwing
Thunderwing
Thunderwing is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers series. Introduced in 1989, he was a major villain in the Marvel Comics Transformers series. Although Thunderwing was created after the US Transformers television series ended, the character of Black Shadow did appear in...
in his attempts to allow Transformers to survive Cybertron
Cybertron
Cybertron is a fictional planet, the homeworld of the Transformers in the various fictional incarnations of the metaseries and toyline by Hasbro. In the Japanese series, the planet is referred to as "Cybertron" pronounced as セイバートロン Seibātoron...
's deterioration. Pretender shells are made from "bodily tissue culled from living beings", which led Megatron to decry the process as an abomination and decommission it which was a surprising act for Megatron, who was known to take virtually any advantage he could get in the war with the Autobots, causing Thunderwing to go rogue to prove it worked. The process inadvertently turns the subject into a supremely powerful maniac, more force of nature than sentient being, and Thunderwing's initial rampage made Cybertron uninhabitable. A cult of Decepticons under Bludgeon
Bludgeon (Transformers)
Bludgeon is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers universes. For trademark reasons, he is now marketed by Hasbro as Decepticon Bludgeon. They are all Decepticon warriors who turn into tanks.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
, comprising Bomb-Burst, Skullgrin, Finback and Iguanus
Iguanus
Iguanus is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers series.-Transformers: Generation 1:Iguanus is a loathsome Decepticon who is in love with his Pretender shell so much he rarely takes it off.-Reception:...
, brought Thunderwing back online in 2006, in an attempt to rejuvenate Cybertron by the sacrifice of inhabited planets. They were intending to undergo the grafting process themselves, but the Wreckers
Wreckers (Transformers)
The Wreckers are a sub-team of Autobots in the fictional Transformers universe, functioning essentially as a commando unit. They are not derived from the Transformers toyline but rather are the creation of Marvel UK writer Simon Furman, who introduces the Wreckers in the story arc Target:2006...
terminated most of the group before this could happen; Bludgeon underwent the process too soon and it went wrong, destroying his mind in a psychic backlash.
The robot forms of Bludgeon's group are drawn substantially different from the robot forms of their toys, and resemble the designs of their Pretender shells. Bludgeon's Pretender shell was redesigned to be that of a transformable Mega-Pretender. Also, Thunderwing was given a secondary attack mode where his jet wings folded in and his body extended, making him a giant among the other Transformers.
Monstructor
Monster Pretenders
The Monster Pretenders are a group of fictional Decepticons in the Transformers franchise. The team is the last of the traditional combiners from the Generation 1 series and is one of the few non-Micromaster combiner teams to have six members .-Transformers: Generation...
made his debut in The Transformers: Spotlight issue on Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime is a fictional character from the Transformers franchise. Prime is the leader of the autobots, a faction of transforming robots from the planet Cybertron. The autobots are constantly waging war against a rival faction of transforming robots called Decepticons...
, however his components were neither Pretenders nor Decepticons, as they were imprisoned before factions or the Pretender process existed.
Devil's Due Publishing
The concept of Pretender shells was given another new origin in Devil's Due PublishingDevil's Due Publishing
Devil's Due Publishing is an independent comic book publishers in the United States. Based in Chicago, Illinois, DDP is best known for its wide selection of genres, including licensed and original creator-owned properties that populate its monthly comic book series and graphic novels.Though...
's fourth G.I. Joe vs the Transformers series. Here, Bludgeon and the future Pretender Monsters came to Earth to exploit it, but were shot down. To survive, they made a deal with the serpent cult Cobra-La
Cobra-La
Cobra-La is a fictional civilization created by Hasbro for the military-themed toyline and TV series G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. Introduced to the public in G.I. Joe: The Movie and the 1987 series of action figures, Cobra-La was created as a reference to James Hilton's Lost Horizon, and the...
to work for them. However, Cobra-La's aversion to mechanical technology would mean that they took organic shells out of necessity, being "adjusted" for Cobra-La's purposes. Unlike IDW's re-imagining of Pretenders, the Pretenders seen here resemble the traditional look of their Pretender toys.
Pretenders in Japan
Not all of the Pretender toys released in the West reached Japan, and several of those that did were either renamed or remolded in some way.Decepticons
- Blood (Bomb-Burst)
- Dauros (Skullgrin)
- Gilmer (Submarauder)
Additionally, one entirely new Autobot Pretender figure was created for this year — Metalhawk
Metalhawk
Metalhawk is a fictional character, a Transformer robot in the Japanese Masterforce series.-Transformers: Generation 1:Metalhawk transforms into a jet, and has a human Pretender shell. In robot mode his left hand could retract and launch knock-out gas. His weapons include a Jet Rifle, Titanium...
, so named for the large amount of die-cast metal in his interior robot, which transformed into a jet.
Also, this year saw the release of a recolored version of the original Fortress Maximus
Fortress Maximus
Fortress Maximus is the name of several fictional characters from several of the various Transformers universes. Fortress Maximus appeared in the season 4 finale of the US Transformers animated series voiced by Stephen Keener. He was one of the stars of the Japanese Transformers: Headmasters...
toy named Grand Maximus. His Headmaster component, Grand, was outfitted with a newly-created Pretender shell. Grand is a recolored version of Fortress Maximus's component, Cerebros.
In addition, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
did not receive the following Pretenders:
1989
This year saw only Decepticon Pretenders released, all sufficiently colored differently from their American cousins.Dinoforce
The Japanese version of America's Pretender Monsters, these toys were colored in creams, blacks and greens, and were given entirely different shells in the images of cyborg dinosaurDinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s. Their combined form is Dinoking. They included:
- Goryu (redeco of Icepick; T. rex)
- Gairyu (redeco of Bristleback; Ankylosaurus)
- Doryu (redeco of Scowl; Stegosaurus)
- Kakuryu (redeco of Slog; Triceratops)
- Yokuryu (redeco of Wildfly; Pteranodon)
- Rairyu (redeco of Birdbrain; Apatosaurus)
Crossformers
The Crossformers are versions of America's Mega Pretenders that have names based on their base colors, and shells that appear to be remolded variants of the American Mega Pretender shells. It is possible they may have been released earlier than the Mega Pretenders (1989) because while both share the same decals as the American versions, the frames of each label matches the color of the place it sat on each Crossformer. (For example, while Thunderwing has lavender wings and Black Shadow has red ones, the edges of the labels are red.)- Blue Bacchus (remold/redeco of Crossblades)
- Black Shadow (remold/redeco of Thunderwing)
Super God Masterforce
The cancellation of the American Transformers cartoon series had not deterred Japan — in 1987, they produced their first exclusive Transformers series, Transformers: The HeadmastersTransformers: The Headmasters
is a Japanese anime television series.-Development:Inititally, Takara, the Japanese producers of the Transformers toyline, imported the American Transformers cartoon series from 1985 to 1986...
, and did the same in 1988 with Transformers: Super-God Masterforce
Transformers: Super-God Masterforce
is the title of a Japanese Transformers line of toys and anime series that ran from April 12, 1988 to March 7, 1989 for 42 episodes. On July 3, 2006 the series was released on DVD in the UK, and it was aired on AnimeCentral in the UK a few years later....
, starring the Pretenders.
Eight thousand years ago, a starship containing the Autobot Pretenders Metalhawk
Metalhawk
Metalhawk is a fictional character, a Transformer robot in the Japanese Masterforce series.-Transformers: Generation 1:Metalhawk transforms into a jet, and has a human Pretender shell. In robot mode his left hand could retract and launch knock-out gas. His weapons include a Jet Rifle, Titanium...
, Lander, Diver and Phoenix pursued the Decepticon Pretenders Blood, Dauros and Gilmer to Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
-era Earth, where they crashed. Using their Pretender abilities, the Autobots adopted the form of humans - not using simple external shells like in the American fiction, but actually transforming the very structure of their bodies into an organic
Organism
In biology, an organism is any contiguous living system . In at least some form, all organisms are capable of response to stimuli, reproduction, growth and development, and maintenance of homoeostasis as a stable whole.An organism may either be unicellular or, as in the case of humans, comprise...
equivalent, shrinking down to normal human size to hide in plain sight among burgeoning humanity. The Decepticon Pretenders, on the other hand, adopted the forms of monstrous creatures, becoming feared as demons by early man. After many battles, the Autobots succeeded in defeating their enemies and sealing them away for thousands of years — Blood in the pyramids of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Gilmer in the ruins of Atlantis
Atlantis
Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC....
, and Dauros beneath the Nazca Lines
Nazca Lines
The Nazca Lines are a series of ancient geoglyphs located in the Nazca Desert in southern Peru. They were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. The high, arid plateau stretches more than between the towns of Nazca and Palpa on the Pampas de Jumana about 400 km south of Lima...
in Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
.
Liberated in the near future by the mysterious Decepticon god, Devil Z, the three Pretenders entered his service, and immediately began to draw the Autobot Pretenders out of hiding, before turning their attention to a series of plans of acquiring energy and disrupting one of the three Chokoon Powers on Earth. After a string of failures, Devil Z supplanted them with his more powerful Godmaster
Powermasters
Powermasters were a sub-group within the Transformers toyline in 1988. They were defined by the inclusion of a miniature figure which "unlocked the secret of the transformation"—in other words, the toy could not transform from vehicle mode to robot mode unless the figure was transformed into engine...
minions, and although they would often participate in missions, their standing was downgraded and their regularity of appearance on the battlefield diminished. Eventually, they generally only served to supply comic relief, and departed Earth with the other surviving Decepticons when Devil Z was destroyed.
Victory
The Pretenders made a return of sorts in Transformers: VictoryTransformers: Victory
, commonly shortened to simply Transformers: Victory, is an anime series produced by Toei Animation. It is a Japanese-produced spin-off of the well-known original Transformers cartoon, and the final complete animated series from the original "Generation 1" era.-Development:Following the conclusion...
, with the Decepticon DinoForce, a group of Pretenders with outer shells resembling dinosaurs. they were used by Deszaras
Deszaras
Deathsaurus is the fictional antagonist of the animated series Transformers: Victory and its accompanying toyline, one of the numerous Transformers series. Wired Magazine once nominated him as one 12 most ridiculous Transformers of all time....
primarily for their ability to combine into Dinoking. Oddly, the shells were shown to be sentient, able to act and think for themselves when their hosts weren't around. Also, the shells were fully transformable even though the Dinoforce themselves were never shown to transform.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
A Pretender appears in Revenge of the FallenTransformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a 2009 American science fiction-action film directed by Michael Bay and produced by Steven Spielberg. It is the sequel to the 2007 film Transformers and the second installment in the live-action Transformers series...
as a machine posing as a human named "Alice", played by Isabel Lucas
Isabel Lucas
Isabel Lucas is an Australian actress and model perhaps best known for her role as Tasha Andrews on the Australian television soap opera Home and Away...
.
Unlike most Transformers who adopt obviously mechanical alternate forms for disguise, Alice takes the form of an animatronic figure of Alice From Alice in Wonderland from an amusement park, and therefore is able to pass as human. This interpretation of Pretenders is closer to the Japanese Pretenders from Transformers: Generation 1, such as in the Masterforce anime, who actually turned into humans instead of wearing organic-looking shells over robot bodies, as was their depiction in the U.S.
One of the earliest scenes caught on camera during the production of Revenge of the Fallen was a puppet of Alice in robot mode attacking the car as Mikaela, Sam and Leo made their escape. Initial fan reactions lead many to think this was Frenzy from the last film returning.
The special effects used to create Alice were done by Digital Domain
Digital Domain
Digital Domain is a visual effects and animation company founded by film director James Cameron, Stan Winston and Scott Ross. It is based in Venice, Los Angeles, California...
, which used no green screen
Green Screen
The Green Screen international wildlife film festival is held annually in Eckernförde, Germany. The festival shows full-length and short nature documentaries about animals in their natural habitat. It is the only festival of its kind in Germany...
or motion capture
Motion capture
Motion capture, motion tracking, or mocap are terms used to describe the process of recording movement and translating that movement on to a digital model. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, and medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robotics...
in its work.
Alice was voted one of the All-Time Hottest Robots by Techland in April 2010.
Isabelle Lucas was recognized for her breakout performance as Alice at Spike TV's Scream 2009 awards, which was reported by the Associated Press.
IDW Publishing
In the comic adaption of Revenge of the Fallen, it is mentioned that Alice took her form and name by scanning an animatronic Alice in Wonderland from an amusement parkAmusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
.
Alice appears in Transformers: Nefarious #1, set months after the events of the 2009 film. She steals an RV in Seattle and is chased by Skids
Skids (Transformers)
Skids is the name used for four characters in the Transformers Universes. Due to trademark reasons, the name was modified to "Skid-Z" for it to be used on new characters and an "Autobot" prefix was added when the original Skids toy was reissued and when he became an Alternator.-Transformers:...
and Mudflap
Mudflap (Transformers)
-Transformers: Cybertron:Mudflap transforms into a construction crane. In the Japanese version of the series; Transformers: Galaxy Force, the character is called Demolishor....
, who keep her occupied until Sideswipe arrives and defeats her. She is taken to NEST headquarters on Diego Garcia
Diego Garcia
Diego Garcia is a tropical, footprint-shaped coral atoll located south of the equator in the central Indian Ocean at 7 degrees, 26 minutes south latitude. It is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory [BIOT] and is positioned at 72°23' east longitude....
to be examined by Ratchet
Ratchet (Transformers)
Ratchet is the name of several characters in the Transformers universes. According to the original creator of the Transformers names, Bob Budiansky, Ratchet was named after the character of Nurse Ratched from the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The name Ratchet is almost always portrayed as...
. Sideswipe is disgusted by her decision to disguise herself as a human.