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Orange and Blue

And here walks a bot, in the orange and blue,

a generic 'con islander with little to do.

Not quite enough legs, but still inspired by spiders,

this bot needs a name and we're the providers.

Let's craft our theories since canon has dropped her,

we'll start with the basis that she too is a 'copter.

A search & rescue disguise came to me first,

a beacon of hope when life's at its worst,

but that doesn't quite track with all that we know

about webs and their habits to not let flies go.

Back to the drawing board, it's time for a think.

what is her role now she's free of the clink?

Her frame could be from a local news station,

eight eyes in the sky spreading disinformation.

I realised too late that this has sadly been done,

by that spidery spindoctor in Transformers One.

The third option, of course, is a detective inspector

drawn to the tough cases, like a bee to nectar.

Picture the crime scene, no bot has a clue:

Stakeout's clocked off; Prowl's gone for a brew,

Streetwise is hungover; Barricade's at the station;

It's been the wrong week to give Strongarm vacation.

Yes picture that crime scene, they need someone new,

and here walks Silkspin, in the orange and blue...

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Let's get back to this blog's bread & butter - guys who only appeared in 1 panel! Today we have this ogre of a bot tossing a pair of hapless forgettables from Nick Roche's opening few pages of Last Stand of the wreckers with Josh Burcham on colours.

This guy has a real great ape vibe which naturally leads me to talk about the only piece of Transformers media I talk about more than Needlenose's Hawt Forearms the IDW comics which is the seminal classic that is Rid15. I love the animal robot modes we see in that goofy freakshow cast but in this post lets take a look at Groundpounder and Simacore - a pair of absolute units with silverback and orangutan bot modes respectively:

I think these Hominidaecons have room in their non-existent influence to include a third Mechorilla - and I'd like to present our little potential future ex-convict to the mix! A real Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce No if you will. If anyone is out there facing some artist block then maybe Monkeywrench here is your next great subject! Just a bumbling mass of mass with nothing to hold the line between his fists and your face. A master of both gorilla warfare and kong fu, this great-ache sports a not-so-subtle splash of Slugfest with hues of succulent slime and silky smooth (s)magenta. (alliteration is my passion) You know the age old question: what do you give a 9,000 pound robo-primate? Whatever he wants! And yes, I know Monkeys aren't apes - put your primatologist pitchforks down and look at the sketch of hope that will ignite the fire that will bring Monkeywrench fanart to the top of the Transformers Fandom:

I think the only logical next step is to make some rid15 posts here as that show has not only an incredible named bot cast but also a couple of unnamed stragglers just tantalisingly sitting there ready for me to do this thing I do.

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It is only fair that Writhemind get's the same love as Bouncer - so they get a scribbleformer also.

Am I mortified by the concept of reviving this blog after nearly 7 years of radio silence? Yes. Anyway! Worming their way to the side of the enigmatic Nexus Prime is today's specimen - an unnamed protector who dares to ask the simple question: Is 4 horns too many horns for a head?

Drawn in all their glory by Livio Ramondelli for IDW's Robots in Disguise issue 34 and seen rocking an early variation of the patented IDW Orion Pax Mono-tit™, this bugger is one of Nexus' early headmasters created by the fusion of a cybertronian and a wee beastie who forms the head.

But what beast forms this noggin? Well the antser is actually tremendously cool!

It's 2 beasts! Sadly it's difficult to identify these critters fully as Galvatron flies off the handle and beheads both before we can get a good look beyond ticking off that the aforementioned horns form some real nasty mandibles. Would not want to be on the refleaving end of those!

The idea of a single head being formed out of 2 insectoids is such a delightful concept which deserves so much more exploration but it sits in the beautiful contextless void of background bots. We will never know these fellas' backgrounds, personalities or vibes but we simply have to assume that one is far worse than the other - the lesser of 2 weevils if you will. I suppose it mite be time to theory-craft a name for our invertebrate trio so I'd like to propose:

The mighty Writhemind (sticking with the head-based naming scheme) and their head(s)master companions Grandible and Jawrax!

Well that's the post I guess - see y'all next time!

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The humble goon.

The classic bruiser.

The simpering minion.

The lowly henchbot.

Today, my friends, I think we need to discuss what makes a good goon.

To do this we have an absolute unit of a case-study from Guido Guidi, Stephen Baskerville and John-Paul Bove's magnificent artwork for IDW's Drift - Empire of Stone - which is a book chock-full of Background Bots that you already know are stashed in my unsuspiciously-named goon folder for a later date.

Our pal here is a paragon of the artform that is gooning:

Having a dreamy but intense glare- ✓ Check!

A loyal passion for stancing up next to your boss and/or their treacherous second-in-command - ✓ ✓ Double Check!

Repping the home team - ✓ Check! Our Fella is a walking billboard for that insignia!

Being a hubba hubba awooga hot rock with a glock - ✓ Check!

Replacing a major injury with a gimmick instead of a personality - ✓ Check! Just look at that confirmed grappling-hook claw prosthesis (and also the confirmed zero words leaving his cutiepie faceplate)

Being intimidating whilst also being exceptionally killable - ✓ Check and ✓ Check!

That's a 6/6 sweep for our winner of the most-likely-to get-unicronned-into-a-Sweep award.

Unfortunately there is about as much material for my potential future ex-husband this con after his death as there was before it. This in itself is an undeniable classic gooner move (too much?) but it nonetheless hurts that he'll now never grappling hook me down the aisle with a solemn silent stare that stills my stirring heart.

I know of only one name appropriate for such a handsome thug (that just so happens to pair with his cute springy grappling-hook like a fine wine and perfectly aged buffaloid cheese) and that is Bouncer!

Now I am no artist but I'd like to try and bring some love to these backgrounders with some much needed fanwork - so the scribbleformer treatment it is:

Thanks for reading!

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Am I mortified by the concept of reviving this blog after nearly 7 years of radio silence? Yes. Anyway! Worming their way to the side of the enigmatic Nexus Prime is today's specimen - an unnamed protector who dares to ask the simple question: Is 4 horns too many horns for a head?

Drawn in all their glory by Livio Ramondelli for IDW's Robots in Disguise issue 34 and seen rocking an early variation of the patented IDW Orion Pax Mono-tit™, this bugger is one of Nexus' early headmasters created by the fusion of a cybertronian and a wee beastie who forms the head.

But what beast forms this noggin? Well the antser is actually tremendously cool!

It's 2 beasts! Sadly it's difficult to identify these critters fully as Galvatron flies off the handle and beheads both before we can get a good look beyond ticking off that the aforementioned horns form some real nasty mandibles. Would not want to be on the refleaving end of those!

The idea of a single head being formed out of 2 insectoids is such a delightful concept which deserves so much more exploration but it sits in the beautiful contextless void of background bots. We will never know these fellas' backgrounds, personalities or vibes but we simply have to assume that one is far worse than the other - the lesser of 2 weevils if you will. I suppose it mite be time to theory-craft a name for our invertebrate trio so I'd like to propose:

The mighty Writhemind (sticking with the head-based naming scheme) and their head(s)master companions Grandible and Jawrax!

Well that's the post I guess - see y'all next time!

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thanks a ton for this blog! its gonna provide me a great amount of fodder characters to add detail to in my personal continuity. i also wanna make a joke about how flame and wipe-out should be on here considering everyone forgets about them - my friend group has taken to just calling wipe-out "fridge"

Oh Thankyou, you’re too kind - I’m just glad that someone can find a use for all of these little genericons! He is a little fridge isn’t he - a lovely little waving fridge though. Also, you never know, April first is always just around the corner so we might get the hot headed scientist himself on here - we’ll just have to wait and see….

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Holy memory stick, batbot! What is it about the combination of lime green and delicious purple that makes my optics water? My opinions on faceplates are well documented but a lime green one - is it just me or is it really hot in here? As far as the various flavours of memory stick go this has to be my all out favourite especially with that body of succulently supportive Kelly green. Now obviously this bot needs a name suitable for someone of a data stickish or cassettatron body type - so may I introduce you to the absolute stunner that is Syntax of the Anti-Vocasionist League! Like the colours upon his frame, Syntax clashes with his own name as he fights to tear down the very structure of the harsh regime of an alternate Cybertron - acting as a glitch in the oppressive program of the functionist code. In other news I’m quite literally in the merch queue at TFNation right now so please if you’re here at all this weekend and see someone smiling like an idiot with some palate of hideous Hawaiian shirt on then please come and say hi - today it’s a clashing combination of red and blue like everyone’s favourite G1 smoke enthusiast.

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Let’s take a look at the old “Am I wildly in love with this giant alien robot?” shopping list:

1. Mouthplate 2. Pet 3. Tote bag 4. Sex Eyes 5. Actually Needlenose

4 out of 5 is not a bad score, it would make this bot my top scorer if being Needlenose wasn’t worth 30 points. Yeah, maybe this cutie is a little reminiscent of noted massive bitch and mutineer, Getaway of ReadTheRoomBabe (it’s a place, don’t look it up) but I’m willing to look past that because, let’s be honest, Getaway scores 2 out of 5 - which is 1 more than Rodimus and I’d Conjunx his Endura any day.

The defence rests, your honour.

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Just wanted to say the adorable post you wrote on Needlenose made what had been shaping out to be a terrible evening much brighter and I really appreciated reading it. Thank you very much for sharing!

Thankyou so much for this message, it honestly means the world to me and I’m so happy that something I wrote made you feel better - I’m just so sorry it took me so long to reply. Here is a picture of Mr Dreamboat to make up for it.

Hot damn I love Needlenose and his sexy sexy optics - Anyway, keep on bot hunting anonymous and I hope you’re feeling on top of the world again soon.With love, B-B.

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When my boi Sky-byte was introduced into the modern IDW fiction I got a powerful tingling feeling in the part of my lower leg that controls my undivided love towards the 2001 RID cartoon and that tingling stays with me to this day. This feeling may be the reason for today’s post as when I saw these 4 musical masterbots in the background of Optimus Prime #8 I instantly thought of the build team from the aforementioned magnum opus that is the 2001 RID cartoon.

So in the same style as the build team I would like to introduce you today to the first documented appearance of the Noise Team!

In the green we have Bugle, the team’s simple-minded but skilled  resonance expert

The white bot on the drum is the technically brilliant Steelpan, the quiet roadie of the group

Donning the blue is Cyber String, the serious second-in-command who deals with all the public relations of the team

Wearing red and leading the noise team is the hot-headed Pipes, the youngest member of the group who, despite his burning desire to be famous, isn’t even the first bot you think off when the name pipes is mentioned

Now as you may remember the build team combined into the mighty Landfill and while combiners are much more difficult in the current IDW canon, I think that the build team’s nature of having Wedge being the only mind present in landfill (as opposed to the merged consciousness of those subjected to the enigma of combination) would be just fine as the 3 bots who form the limbs are essentially just armour for the bot in the middle. 

It is with this in mind that I tell you of the prodigious ENSEMBLE, the combined form of the Noise Team. Towering over most other bandbots, Ensemble speaks with a perpetually auto-tuned version of Pipes’ voice with each configuration of his limbs representing a genre. The options are 

Jazz, when Bugle forms the arms

Rock and roll, when Steelpan forms the arms

Classical, when Cyber String forms the arms

As far as Indie bands go, the Noise Team is my number 1. What can I say? I liked them before they were cool.

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…and out of the smoke step the number 1 glam rock band this side of the Pious Pools - Needlenose and the Energon Goodies! 

Can I take a moment just to take a look at Needlenose’s forearms? Like holy smokes son they’re thicker than his waist! I didn’t realize until about 20 minutes ago that I would totally be the Raoul to his Tracks - if you know what I mean.

Anyway onto the main attraction, Needlenose’s thighs the background bots, today’s flavours are fizzy peach Ironhide and the fourth wheel. Looking at Fizzy Peach’s heavy-duty-esque stripes I’m gonna make the call and say this bot “knew” Hefter, everyone’s favourite dead forklift. His very volatile response to seeing and hearing, officer-of-the-law, Orion Pax supports this idea.

(Oh my primus look at Needlenose’s kibble muscles.)

Moving on to our Tall, drilled and mysterious friend, would you look at that glancing to the left scowl. Not a happy petro-bunny. I get the feeling this lumbering slouched bot spends a lot of time in tight confined spaces and has a deep loathing for them. Perhaps due to the funcionist doctrine forcing his drill alt mode to put to be put to use carving away at the ground that would become these sewers. Perhaps he was the groups tour guide through the maze of Cyberton’s sewers that he knows so well. Perhaps Needlenose sounds exactly like David Bowie. We may never know the truth. In fact we probably won’t as both bots were brutally murdered on the next page.

I wonder if Needlenose is over Horri-bull yet?

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Look at this mural of beautifully unobtrusive bots. A collection of complimentary no-names and never-agains. Now I could dissect any member of this band of charging crystal city cronies (and I probably will) but for now I have my targets set on one resident in particular. So if you’ll all stop ogling Dai Atlas’ groin for just a minute, it’s time to take a look at the only land-based vehicle mode trundling into the fray. May I present, Backwardshalftrackwhichisalsolikeatankbot! 

(Trust me, the name will grow on you)

Right of the bat, I’m getting a Jumpstarter-like transformation scheme from this guy but at the same time I think those yellow highlights could form the spikey-cheek-sideburn-flares that almost every inhabitant of crystal city not present in this crowd scene seem to exhibit. It does seem an odd-choice to have the treads at the front and the dragster wheels at the back but I’ve got to say, I absolutely love this fella’s design, I really really do. This ride is giving me serious G.I.Joe vibes - think HISS tank or Tread Ripper. The colour-scheme I just love - I loved it on Gundam 00 Dynames and I love it on this cutie. 

Now, why is he in vehicle mode? I believe there are four main reasons which this bot could have for front-lining the the crystal citizenry in his vehicle mode:

Those guns up-top form a tarn-like pair of arm mounted fusion cannons which would be much more difficult to aim when running as opposed to driving - especially for an untrained pacifist.

The guns, when in robot mode, actually form an integral part of this Cybertronian’s anatomy. I could easily see those guns forming the upper arms of the bot and therefore being unusable in combat - this may sound like a stupid design choice but for all we know this bots served the fairly unique (but I imagine very sought after) role of appearing completely unarmed in robot mode but deadly in vehicle mode. Think Sonic and Boom from mtmte.

Broken T-cog.

He just prefers his vehicle mode. I would too if I turned into the Functionist Council’s worst nightmare since that bot… the one with the impressive serial code - I can’t think of his name, Reng? Rang? Ah, forget it.

I really hope it’s the second option because I love the idea of bot who appears totally harmless in robot mode but is actually more than meets the eye. (Did I do that right? Is it canon now? I said the words.)

So yeah, that was Backwardshalftrackwhichisalsolikeatankbot - If any bot deserves a spotlight, it’s this guy.

Quick note: If anyone has any requests to find a generic which has specific characteristics or they spot a background bot which they really like (or really don’t like) then please let me know. B-B out.

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A great spot and a great shout. The further down this post you go the more demoralized the bots get.

Rack 'n' Ruin, Doubleheader, Two-Head. Any other TFs have more than one head in the conventional sense? Maybe a generic?

I think I remember a NAIL with that going on…

Yeah, there he is!

Also, I know we’re talking about robot modes rather than alt modes, but Doublecross is probably worth mentioning here. He’s far from the only guy with a multi-headed alt. mode, but his heads talk to each other with separate personalities.

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Here’s another 2-headed NAIL from the same double page spread who looks just so pleased to be back on Cybertron. 

There is also this wider bot from the lost-light crew’s memorial from Ex-RID issue 2.

My generic sense was tingling.

Rack 'n' Ruin, Doubleheader, Two-Head. Any other TFs have more than one head in the conventional sense? Maybe a generic?

I think I remember a NAIL with that going on…

Yeah, there he is!

Also, I know we’re talking about robot modes rather than alt modes, but Doublecross is probably worth mentioning here. He’s far from the only guy with a multi-headed alt. mode, but his heads talk to each other with separate personalities.

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I’m a sucker for big wheels at the best of times but OOOOOO-WEEEEEEE would you take a look at this bot? Move over slugfest, there’s a new colour combo on the block and it’s making me weak. Whether they’re a teacher or a clinician, this beautiful Camien has certainly caught my eye. Like you can just imagine being there, about to find out if the Camien equivalent of your first born child survived the creation process, as Rainbow Rob saunters over looking like Prowl at a fire-themed birthday party to deliver the life-changing news. I just get the feeling that  the Gradient Gremlin comes straight into work from her part-time job as a Dulux colour chart - and hot damn does she pull it off! It’s so sophisticated, it’s a little bit of colour in what must be quite a dim job. You still look and just think “she means business” and you can’t fault that professionalism. 

As for an alt-mode prediction, I’m not 100% sure. You see the size of those tyres and you think off-road but the grooves say otherwise. Maybe an ex-military off-road armoured vehicle, notice the fuel tank/missile pod-esque shapes on her shoulders. Maybe she invested in some sportier tyres for her city job. The winch looking back kibble definitely makes me think rough terrain but it looks like the actual rope is missing which supports the idea of a career change. Whatever her story I think this bot is beautifully interesting and interestingly beautiful- if this is a sign of the level of detail in background bots that Lost Light has in store for us then I’m a very happy petro-rabbit.

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Damn son! Take a look at those cuuuurves!

This is one ripped bot with a neck problem and a wicked side profile. The smooth edges and aerodynamic vibe he’s got going along with this image of him showing his tyres means that my money is on him being an ex-racer turned decepticon. 

He’s really got a very sinister vibe to him, doesn’t he? That crest, which looks like a fold-down night vision visor, and those creepy mandible things - he gives me the heebie jeebies. Looks quite a bit like a bot I know with a removable face.

SLIGHT SPOILERS FOR THE END OF MTMTE AHEAD.

This bot is one of the bots on the necrobots wall of lost bots so it’s time to assign him a name! Oh boy!

So taking a look at these names a couple stand out as potentials. There’s Quickflash but that sort of has a camera-bot vibe to it. Lookout of Vos looks good with the Visor but not with the whole racing vibe. Hi Score of Polyhex stands out as an appropriate name as well. I’m ruling out Kickstart as the shoulder wheels don’t seem very motorcycle-ish and Optik too as that again seems too based on sweet eyes.

I think I am going to go for:

Seems to fit most categories. If anyone else thinks they have a better name, as always, let me know.

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We’ve all been there. When you start at your new job, let’s say at a bar, you’re clean, careful, you put all the glasses away nicely and those glasses are so clean they’re literally invisible. 

Cut to anywhere from 1 month to 3 years later and there you are - your shirt is stained, you’re more relaxed and you smash at least 1 glass every week, which is probably due to the fact that, regardless of the value, you flip glasses in your fingers or “smoothly” throw them into place.

“Alright b-b, we get it - but how is this relevant to Mr Shoulderpads over here?” I’m glad you asked stranger. I’m glad you asked. Take a look at his eyes. He is not looking where he is walking. What if he walks into somebot? I’ll tell you what, he falls. He falls hard. He has, at most, 1 hand to stop his fall. Maybe if he wasn’t working while walking he’d have 2 which could potentially stop him from smashing the contents of his tray into the hard floor. Clearly he’s worked in this job for a while and has started to relax, maybe if he did his job well he’d have a name and actually be remembered enough to not make it onto his blog.

For those of you not in the know, those aren’t cybertronian christingles (or primeingles I guess?), they’re brains. Active brains. Imagine seeing a brain surgeon performing surgery while walking along, let alone carrying 6 other brains as well. Now imagine if those brains were actually alive brains which were due to be put back into someone’s skull.

I’m sure he’s a very competent guy but his negligence could lead him to a nasty stumble with a higher death count than the entire cast of the  2001 robots in disguise series combined.