Jab’s Builds! (Family Dog! Bayou Billy! Sonic Blast Man! Contra!)

[catsi563]

I LOVE THE DINOBOTS theyve always been a faveorite even to the point that i DID make them into a combiner when i was a kid i named it the unimaginative Dino KIng but hey i was 12 and it sounded cool I also added in Club a brute strong and tough Ankylosaurus because whats better than a dino bot but one who laughs off megatrons blasts unless hes using his fusion cannon attached to a blackhole trick.

Reading the Transfomers RPG has an interesting take on Grimlock. hes apparently very articulate and while no super genius is smarter than your average cyber bear

but when he transforms his logic circuits are limited some how and he starts talking simpler and more primal

still awesome though and i love the concept of voclanicus because a dino combiner that can wipe the floor with predaking is just neat

In my personal head canon Volcanicus had a big brother little sister thing going with Bright Wing my raptor combiner from my squad of Auto Birds and a friendly rivalry with Hard Road the truck combiner on which one was stronger they never did settle it

[Quasimofo]

The Dinobots were never meant to be the drooling idiots they were portrayed as in the cartoon. I still have the stat card cutouts from the backs of the boxes, and of them, only Sludge (the bronto) could be described as dumb. Even then he was still smarter than his cartoon counterpart. They were the ones who would get down and dirty and get the job done, screw the "proper" command and engagement protocols. I believe the original inspiration for the Dinobots was the concept of the rogue military unit that started with the Dirty Dozen and then got popular in the 1980s, such as the A-Team.

[Jabroniville]

SLAG
Alternate Mode: Triceratops
Role: Back-Up Powerhouse, The Angry One
Group Affiliations: The Autobots, The Dinobots
PL 12 (167)
STRENGTH 12 STAMINA -- AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -1 AWARENESS -2 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Expertise (Soldier) 4 (+3)
Intimidation 12 (+10, +13 Size)
Perception 2 (+0)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Daze (Intimidation), Diehard, Equipment 7 (Blasters +11- Multiattack), Fast Grab, Fearless, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Smash, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 9, Startle, Takedown 2

Powers:
"Robots In Disguise"
Senses 2 (Extended & Low-Light Vision) [2]
Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) [30]
"Robot Legs" Speed 2 (8 mph) [2]
"More Than Meets The Eye" Morph 1 (Robot) (Feats: Metamorph) [6]
* (Mode Notes: Robot Mode has lower Strength, but a Sword makes up for the damage. It has no Flame Breath, but gains Flight 7)

"100% Sensical and Consistent Transformer Size"
Growth 7 (Str & Toughness +7, +7 Mass, +3 Intimidation, -3 Dodge/Parry, -7 Stealth) -- (25 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [15]
Protection 7 (Extras: Impervious 9) [16]
Strength-Damage +2 [2]

"Flame Breath" Blast 12 (Diminished Range -1) [23]

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+14 Damage, DC 29)
Blaster +9 (+11 Ranged Damage, DC 26)
Flame Breath +9 (+12 Ranged Damage, DC 27)
Initiative +0

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +14 (+5 Impervious), Fortitude --, Will +6

Complications:
Enemy (The Decepticons)
Rivalry (Other Autobots)- The Dinobots do not get along well with their peers, and do not like taking orders. Slag in particular dislikes Optimus Prime.
Motivation (Destruction & Rebellion)- Slag is angry even by Dinobot standards.
Disabled (Lack of Energon)- Transformers require lots of energy to function.

Total: Abilities: 10 / Skills: 18--9 / Advantages: 29 / Powers: 40 + 56 / Defenses: 23 (167)

-Slag, the Triceratops, has by far the worst attitude of the Dinobots- his name is even used as a frequent Autobot swear word! This is the equivalent of a human being named "Shit!" or "Goddammit!", and is perfectly-fitting for Slag's violent character (though in some parts of England, it's also a synonym for "slut", necessitating some humorous edits in their version of the original show- the character has since been renamed in the west as "Slug", which is a horrible name).

-For the most part, Slag was just a glorified Backgrounder in both comics & cartoon, as he would just follow around Grimlock and attack whatever the boss attacked. That said, he's tough as nails. He can use his standard Blasters (Blast 11- Multiattack), or use Flame Breath in Triceratops Mode- it's stronger, but has less range and isn't Multiattacked. But it also can't be disarmed or damaged like Equipment can.

[Jabroniville]

SLUDGE
Alternate Mode: Brontosaurus
Role: Back-Up Powerhouse, The Stupid One
Group Affiliations: The Autobots, The Dinobots
PL 12 (174)
STRENGTH 12 STAMINA -- AGILITY -1
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -2 AWARENESS -2 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Expertise (Soldier) 4 (+2)
Intimidation 12 (+10, +13 Size)
Perception 2 (+0)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Daze (Intimidation), Diehard, Equipment 7 (Blasters +11- Multiattack), Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Smash, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 9, Startle, Takedown 2

Powers:
"Robots In Disguise"
Senses 2 (Extended & Low-Light Vision) [2]
Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) [30]
"Robot Legs" Speed 2 (8 mph) [2]
"More Than Meets The Eye" Morph 1 (Robot) (Feats: Metamorph) [6]
* (Mode Notes: Robot Mode has lower Strength, but a Sword makes up for the damage. It has no Flame Breath, but gains Flight 7)

"100% Sensical and Consistent Transformer Size"
Growth 7 (Str & Toughness +7, +7 Mass, +3 Intimidation, -3 Dodge/Parry, -7 Stealth) -- (25 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [15]
Protection 7 (Extras: Impervious 9) [16]
Strength-Damage +2 [2]

"Earthquake Stomp" Damage 10 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Burst +2) (Flaws: Distracting, Limited to Grounded Targets) Linked to Affliction 12 (Strength; Dazed & Hindered/Stunned & Prone) (Extras: Area- 60ft. Burst +2, Extra Condition) (Flaws: Distracting, Limited to Grounded Targets) [34]
"Sauropod Neck & Tail" Extra Reach [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+14 Damage, DC 29)
Blaster +9 (+11 Ranged Damage, DC 26)
Flame Breath +9 (+12 Ranged Damage, DC 27)
Initiative -1

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +14 (+5 Impervious), Fortitude --, Will +6

Complications:
Enemy (The Decepticons)
Rivalry (Other Autobots)- The Dinobots do not get along well with their peers, and do not like taking orders. Sludge thinks that only the strongest should lead, and that means Grimlock.
Motivation (Destruction & Rebellion)
Reputation ("Sludge DUMB!")- Sludge is called-out by everyone for being stupid... EVEN BY THE STANDARDS OF THE DINOBOTS.
Disabled (Lack of Energon)- Transformers require lots of energy to function.

Total: Abilities: 6 / Skills: 18--9 / Advantages: 28 / Powers: 40 + 68 / Defenses: 23 (174)

-Sludge is amusing because he's one of those characters who gets the reputation as "The Stupid One"... on a team FULL of stupid characters! And also because a friend of mine got him for Christmas instead of Grimlock- disappointing enough (he'd naturally asked for the T-Rex toy), but then he had to go and watch the TF episode where Megatron outlines all of their personality flaws as part of an evil plot: "Grimlock is ARROGANT! Slag is VIOLENT!... And Sludge is STUPID!!" I mean, can you imagine having your big Christmas Gift toy being described on TV in such insulting terms? At least the other two could be perceived as cool personality traits (especially Slag's temper)- but STUPIDITY? It didn't help that he was obviously the least-cool of the first three (and both Snarl & Swoop end up cooler as well- Swoop is basically Mecha-Rodan!).

-Sludge is pretty much like Snarl & Slag, but is so stupid he makes the two of them look like Rhodes Scholars. He also apparently has a stomp that causes Earthquakes, not Fire Breath like the others.

[Davies]

-Sludge is amusing because he's one of those characters who gets the reputation as "The Stupid One

Which leads to an unintentionally funny moment in the comics adaptation of the animated movie, where the writer apparently didn't get the memo about this, and gives him an incredibly articulate and inspiring speech at one point. (And this is while Grimlock is still doing, "Me king!")

[Ares]

Love me some Transformers. I was big into the line as a kid, though I was more of a Masters of the Universe fan overall (my youngest brother was big into Transformers when we were younger).

Optimus Prime was definitely the breakout characters of the franchise, as a solid example of how to do a powerful, inspiring, decidedly good hero right. He was basically the Autobot version of Captain America or Superman, and they made it work.

Likewise, Bumblebee was always fun as the sidekick character who hung out with the humans, who I'll always remember for having the same voice actor as the Spider-Man of the "and his Amazing Friends" series.

Outside of those two that everyone liked, some of my favorites included:

Sideswipe - Part of it was just the coloring (that red, white and black combo is awesome) and the voice (Michael Bell, voice of Duke, Raziel Bruce Banner, and numerous others), but just the character as a whole was fun if you look at him collectively. He's basically a dedicated Cybertronian warrior and one of the Autobot elite ass kickers. Besides his gun he had a shoulder mounted rocket launcher and a jet pack, making him one of the few Autobots who could fly. And there was the notion that his fists could hit like piledrivers. While this changed several times in the show, I love how IDW turned that into Sideswipe basically having this Terry Bogard-esque "Burn Knuckle" punch power that made him this elite Autobot hand-to-hand specialist. Him being a kind of loveable jock who used to be arrogant and uncaring but has learned to value protecting the innocent is also one of those nice touches that sells the character for me. Whenever I play Transformers: Devastation, I actually play as Sideswipe, not Optimus Prime.

Hound - I always liked Hound. The irony of a guy with a dedicated military vehicle mode being more of a pacifist who enjoyed nature and loved humanity was just really cool. The holographic powers were also an interesting touch, and him being the Autobots dedicated tracker / Ranger made him fun.

Fortress Maximus - Just . . . okay, Metroplex is cool, but Fortress Maximus is an AWESOME name, and a Metro-Titan that can turn into a space ship? Frickin awesome.

Soundwave - I think Soundwave was high up on everyone's list of favorite Decepticons. His mini-casset buddies was a cool concept, making him a guy who carried around his own goon squad. More importantly, he had the look and the loyalty. He was Megatron's legit competent sidekick, and was actually loyal to the guy. In a team full of cowards and backstabbers, a loyal powerhouse like Soundwave stood out.

Blitzwing - I like Blitzwing more in concept than anything else. A triple changer who can go from a robot to a tank to a fighter jet should have made him this elite Decepticon badass, a real powerhouse who wound up jobbing more than anything. And the NAME. BLITZWING. That's just awesome.

[Jabroniville]

SNARL
Alternate Mode: Stegosaurus
Role: Back-Up Powerhouse, The Glum One
Group Affiliations: The Autobots, The Dinobots
PL 12 (166)
STRENGTH 12 STAMINA -- AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -1 AWARENESS -2 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Expertise (Soldier) 4 (+3)
Intimidation 12 (+10, +13 Size)
Perception 2 (+0)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Daze (Intimidation), Diehard, Equipment 7 (Blasters +11- Multiattack), Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Smash, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 9, Startle, Takedown 2

Powers:
"Robots In Disguise"
Senses 2 (Extended & Low-Light Vision) [2]
Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) [30]
"Robot Legs" Speed 2 (8 mph) [2]
"More Than Meets The Eye" Morph 1 (Robot) (Feats: Metamorph) [6]
* (Mode Notes: Robot Mode has lower Strength, but a Sword makes up for the damage. It has no Flame Breath, but gains Flight 7)

"100% Sensical and Consistent Transformer Size"
Growth 7 (Str & Toughness +7, +7 Mass, +3 Intimidation, -3 Dodge/Parry, -7 Stealth) -- (25 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [15]
Protection 7 (Extras: Impervious 9) [16]
Strength-Damage +2 [2]

"Flame Breath" Blast 12 (Diminished Range -1) [23]

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+14 Damage, DC 29)
Blaster +9 (+11 Ranged Damage, DC 26)
Flame Breath +9 (+12 Ranged Damage, DC 27)
Initiative +0

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +14 (+5 Impervious), Fortitude --, Will +6

Complications:
Enemy (The Decepticons)
Rivalry (Other Autobots)- The Dinobots do not get along well with their peers, and do not like taking orders.
Reputation (Loner)- Snarl is unsociable and tends not to speak.
Motivation (Destruction & Rebellion)- The morose Snarl is only happy when he is BEATING ASS.
Disabled (Lack of Energon)- Transformers require lots of energy to function.

Total: Abilities: 10 / Skills: 18--9 / Advantages: 28 / Powers: 40 + 56 / Defenses: 23 (166)

-Snarl and Swoop were added to the Dinobots a handful of episodes after the original three showed up- Snarl is fairly-indistinguishable from the Original Three in concept- a big dumb Stock Dinosaur with a bad attitude. He even greatly resembles Slag & Sludge- a big gray quadruped with die-cast silver & red everywhere. In a peculiar bit, he was absent through a big chunk of the Movie (missing the big battle between the Dinobots and Devastator during The Battle Of Autobot City), but then suddenly popped up with everyone else later- it's likely different animators working on different scenes merely didn't communicate properly as to who was where. He has proven to be more-popular than "Original Trio" Sludge- Snarl received a Generation 2 model (a red one- not really a great color for him), while Sludge did not.

[Jabroniville]

SWOOP
Alternate Mode: Pteranodon
Role: Back-Up Powerhouse, The Friendly One
Group Affiliations: The Autobots, The Dinobots
PL 12 (184)
STRENGTH 11 STAMINA -- AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 11 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -1 AWARENESS -2 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Expertise (Soldier) 4 (+3)
Intimidation 10 (+10, +13 Size)
Perception 2 (+0)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Diehard, Equipment 7 (Blasters +11- Multiattack), Fast Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Smash, Move-By Action, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 9, Startle, Takedown 2

Powers:
"Robots In Disguise"
Senses 2 (Extended & Low-Light Vision) [2]
Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) [30]
"Robot Legs" Speed 2 (8 mph) [2]
"More Than Meets The Eye" Morph 1 (Robot) (Feats: Metamorph) [6]
* (Mode Notes: Robot Mode has lower Strength, but a Sword makes up for the damage. It has no Flame Breath, but gains Flight 7)

"100% Sensical and Consistent Transformer Size"
Growth 7 (Str & Toughness +7, +7 Mass, +3 Intimidation, -3 Dodge/Parry, -7 Stealth) -- (25 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [15]
Protection 6 (Extras: Impervious 9) [16]
Strength-Damage +2 [2]

"Flame Breath" Blast 12 (Diminished Range -1) [23]
Flight 8 (500 mph) [16]

Offense:
Unarmed +11 (+13 Damage, DC 28)
Blaster +9 (+11 Ranged Damage, DC 26)
Flame Breath +9 (+12 Ranged Damage, DC 27)
Initiative +0

Defenses:
Dodge +11 (DC 22), Parry +11 (DC 22), Toughness +13 (+5 Impervious), Fortitude --, Will +6

Complications:
Enemy (The Decepticons)
Rivalry (Other Autobots)- The Dinobots do not get along well with their peers, and do not like taking orders.
Reputation (Left Alone)- Though nicer than the other Dinobots, Swoop is often ignored because he's not only a part of that group, but a bit ugly by Transformer standards.
Motivation (Destruction & Rebellion)
Disabled (Lack of Energon)- Transformers require lots of energy to function.

Total: Abilities: 14 / Skills: 16--8 / Advantages: 26 / Powers: 40 + 71 / Defenses: 25 (184)

-Swoop is the most-different of the Dinobots- he's the only one who transforms into a flying reptile (usually thought of as a dinosaur anyways), and rarely leaves that mode- most Dinobot scenes feature him flying in to assault the enemy with Flyby attacks while the others are biting and shooting fire. Created alongside Snarl, his "Rrakk! Call me Swoop!" and kind of silly name made him iconic to my group of friends, as my bestie at the time kept repeating that line (and had the episode on *VHS*, which was totally unusual for the time!). He's the only Dinobot toy not to have a notable "seat" for a tiny figure, and is noted for his fragility- an intact Swoop is worth a LOT of money on the secondary market as a result.

-Swoop is a bit weaker than his friends (he's much more lightly-built, especially in Dinosaur Mode), but makes up for it with accuracy and the ability to Fly- the others are land-bound unless they're in Robot Mode (which they rarely are).

[Sidney369]

Grimlock's original toy stats gave him a 7 out of 10 for intelligence, but that was never shown on the cartoon, much like Ratchet being a party animal and Bumblebee having aquatic abilities.

The first canon story about a Dinobot combiner was the Beast Within https://tfwiki.net/wiki/The_Beast_Within which everyone considers to be one of the worst Transformer stories ever.

[greycrusader]

My kid brother had the Swoop figure and it definitely was fragile-I think the segment of one wing snapped off within three months.

[Jabroniville]

INFERNO
Alternate Mode: Fire Truck (Mitsubishi Fuso F-Series FT)
Role: Backgrounder, Search & Rescue Guy
Group Affiliations: The Autobots
PL 10 (168)
STRENGTH 9 STAMINA -- AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Expertise (Soldier) 5 (+6)
Insight 1 (+2)
Perception 4 (+5)
Stealth 4 (+7, +1 Size)
Technology 2 (+3)

Advantages:
Equipment 6 (Laser Gun +10- Multiattack), Improved Defense, Ranged Attack 7, Set-Up, Teamwork

Powers:
"Robots In Disguise"
Senses 2 (Extended & Low-Light Vision) [2]
Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) [30]
Flight 7 (250 mph) [14]
"Robot Legs" Speed 2 (8 mph) [2]
"More Than Meets The Eye" Morph 1 (Fire Truck) (Feats: Metamorph) [6]
* (Mode Notes: Fire Truck is MUCH bigger than Inferno is, but keeps the same Toughness. Has an extending ladder)

"100% Sensical and Consistent Transformer Size"
Growth 6 (Str & Toughness +6, +6 Mass, +3 Intimidation, -3 Dodge/Parry, -6 Stealth) -- (21 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [13]
Protection 4 [4]
Strength-Damage +1 [1]
"Heat Resistant" Immunity 10 (Heat Effects) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [5]

"Fire-Retardant Foam" Nullify Flames 8 (Extras: Ranged) (16) -- [17]

• AE: "Water Gun" Blast 4 (8)

Offense:
Unarmed +9 (+10 Damage, DC 25)
Blaster +9 (+10 Ranged Damage, DC 25)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +10, Fortitude --, Will +7

Complications:
Enemy (The Decepticons)
Power Loss (Flight)- Whether or not Autobots can fly is wildly-inconsistent. First they could, then they couldn't, and then plenty were doing it (if sometimes only in space).
Disabled (Lack of Energon)- Transformers require lots of energy to function.

Total: Abilities: 32 / Skills: 16--8 / Advantages: 16 / Powers: 54 + 40 / Defenses: 18 (168)

-Inferno is inexcusably given rather little to do in the series, given how much the target audience of young boys loves fire trucks. Seriously- they were REALLY FRIGGIN' COOL to me as a kid- the biggest, baddest vehicle you were likely to see on a regular basis. And yet the Autobot version of one is "Just Some Guy" in the show. Inferno just kinda popped up out of nowhere along with various other "Post-Ark" characters in the cartoon, as if we were just supposed to think he'd always been there. Usually he's just "The guy who puts out flames". He's also one of the better examples of "Transformers Scale Issues" in the series- a fire engine is a MASSIVE vehicle- he should easily be six times larger than most of his teammates- Porches, Corvettes and Ambulances are not known to be their size the way fire trucks are. And yet, Inferno is basically "just some guy" out there, not really standing out as any larger than his teammates. Kind of disappointing, all things considered. His mold was Re-Tooled to make Grapple (who's yellow).

-Inferno's the same as all the Car Transformers, but packs some "Firefighter" stuff on as well, and has +1 Will Save (he's known for a lack of fear about fire).

[Jabroniville]

SANDSTORM
Alternate Mode: Dune Buggy & Sikorsky S-62 Helicopter
Role: Backgrounders, One-Note Guys
Group Affiliations: The Autobots
PL 9 (141)
STRENGTH 9 STAMINA -- AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Expertise (Soldier) 5 (+6)
Insight 1 (+2)
Perception 4 (+5)
Stealth 4 (+7, +1 Size)
Technology 2 (+3)

Advantages:
Equipment 6 (Laser Gun +9- Multiattack), Ranged Attack 6, Set-Up, Teamwork

Powers:
"Robots In Disguise"
Senses 2 (Extended & Low-Light Vision) [2]
Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) [30]
Flight 7 (250 mph) [14]
"Robot Legs" Speed 2 (8 mph) [2]

"Triple Changer"
"More Than Meets The Eye" Morph 1 (Dune Buggy) (Feats: Metamorph) (6) -- [7]

• AE: "More Than Meets The Eye" Morph 1 (Sikorsky S-62 Helicopter) (Feats: Metamorph) (6)

"100% Sensical and Consistent Transformer Size"
Growth 6 (Str & Toughness +6, +6 Mass, +3 Intimidation, -3 Dodge/Parry, -6 Stealth) -- (21 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [13]
Protection 3 [3]

Offense:
Unarmed +9 (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Blaster +8 (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +8, Fortitude --, Will +5

Complications:
Enemy (The Decepticons)
Disabled (Mood Swings)- Quickswitch is prone to wild, chaotic behavior.
Power Loss (Flight)- Whether or not Autobots can fly is wildly-inconsistent. First they could, then they couldn't, and then plenty were doing it (if sometimes only in space).
Disabled (Lack of Energon)- Transformers require lots of energy to function.

Total: Abilities: 32 / Skills: 16--8 / Advantages: 14 / Powers: 48 + 23 / Defenses: 16 (141)

-An easily-bored Triple Changer. The cartoon introduced him as a descendant of beings who abandoned Cybertron millennia ago, and settled on another world. His pacifistic people required the help of the Autobots against a Decepticon invasion, and he gladly joined the battle. He only appeared in one other episode- it was pretty late in the line. Another pretty simple one, he shows that a "Triple Changer" is pretty much like any other Transformer, just with a new Alternate Effect to his Morph.

[Quasimofo]

Sideswipe - Part of it was just the coloring (that red, white and black combo is awesome) and the voice (Michael Bell, voice of Duke, Raziel Bruce Banner, and numerous others), but just the character as a whole was fun if you look at him collectively. He's basically a dedicated Cybertronian warrior and one of the Autobot elite ass kickers. Besides his gun he had a shoulder mounted rocket launcher and a jet pack, making him one of the few Autobots who could fly. And there was the notion that his fists could hit like piledrivers. While this changed several times in the show, I love how IDW turned that into Sideswipe basically having this Terry Bogard-esque "Burn Knuckle" punch power that made him this elite Autobot hand-to-hand specialist. Him being a kind of loveable jock who used to be arrogant and uncaring but has learned to value protecting the innocent is also one of those nice touches that sells the character for me. Whenever I play Transformers: Devastation, I actually play as Sideswipe, not Optimus Prime.

Sideswipe was always my favorite as well, all for the reasons you listed. But also I just loved the idea of this tough bad-ass whose vehicle mode was a Lamborghini Countach, but rather than be vain and whiny about getting a scratch on his beautiful paint job as one would expect, he just did not care one bit and would gleefully get his gorgeous vehicle mode scratched, dented, and banged up fighting.

[Jabroniville]

Dang, all these fans of Sideswipe and I relegated him to the "Other Cars" build because he's not given overmuch detail on the TF Wiki.

[Jabroniville]

The Omnibots.

OTHER AUTOBOTS
Alternate Mode: Various Vehicles
Role: Backgrounders, One-Note Guys
Group Affiliations: The Autobots
PL 8 (132)
STRENGTH 8 STAMINA -- AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Expertise (Soldier) 5 (+6)
Insight 1 (+2)
Perception 4 (+5)
Stealth 4 (+7, +1 Size)
Technology 2 (+3)

Advantages:
Equipment 5 (Laser Gun +8- Multiattack), Ranged Attack 6, Set-Up, Teamwork

Powers:
"Robots In Disguise"
Senses 2 (Extended & Low-Light Vision) [2]
Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) [30]
Flight 7 (250 mph) [14]
"Robot Legs" Speed 2 (8 mph) [2]
"More Than Meets The Eye" Morph 1 (Various Forms) (Feats: Metamorph) [6]
** (Vehicle Notes: Replaces Flight with Speed. Lower Defenses and no Blasts)

"100% Sensical and Consistent Transformer Size"
Growth 6 (Str & Toughness +6, +6 Mass, +3 Intimidation, -3 Dodge/Parry, -6 Stealth) -- (21 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [13]
Protection 2 [2]

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Blaster +8 (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +8, Fortitude --, Will +4

Complications:
Enemy (The Decepticons)
Power Loss (Flight)- Whether or not Autobots can fly is wildly-inconsistent. First they could, then they couldn't, and then plenty were doing it (if sometimes only in space).
Disabled (Lack of Energon)- Transformers require lots of energy to function.

Total: Abilities: 28 / Skills: 16--8 / Advantages: 13 / Powers: 54 + 15 / Defenses: 14 (132)

-These guys complete the rest of the Autobots- the Cars tend to be fairly-spry, and show up a lot, but these guys are mere filler and tend to be rather "Gimmicky", meant to sell different aspects of the toys- Instant Transformations, Double Agents and whatever. They're mostly balanced PL 8s.

OMNIBOTS:
* A trio of mailaway-only toys, that never appeared in the cartoon. They came from the Diaclone line, and their "Gimmick" was that they had weapons that could "snap up" while in car form (called "Assault Mode", like it was a third Form). They're supposed to be scouts, so they all have the same stats.

CAMSHAFT (Sports Car- Mazda RX-7 Series 2)- PL 8 (150):
Expertise (Scout) 4 (+5), Stealth 8 (+5 Size), Blast 8 [18]
-A stealthy scout prone to self-preservation (ie. he doesn't act like a hero).

DOWNSHIFT (Sports Car- Toyota Celica Supra/Celica XX)- PL 8 (150):
Expertise (Scout) 4 (+5), Stealth 8 (+5 Size), Blast 8 [18]
-An excitable sort.

OVERDRIVE (Sports Car- Ferrari 512 Berlinetta Boxer)- PL 9 (161):
INT 3, Expertise (Soldier) 7 (+10), Expertise (Scout) 4 (+7), Stealth 8 (+5 Size), Ranged Attack +2, Blast 8 [29]
-The leader.



TOPSPIN (Weird Amphibious Cybertronian Vehicle)- PL 8 (137):
Expertise (Traveler) 6 (+7), Quickness 4 (Flaws: Limited to Transforming) [5]
-An adventurous traveler.



FASTLANE (Futuristic Dragster) & CLOUDRAKER (Futuristic Jet)- PL 8 (132):
-A pair of "Clones" whose "Gimmick" is that they were released in a two-pack, and had identical Robot Modes. Unless you looked close enough and saw a nosecone or some wheels or something. They appear ultra-briefly in the cartoon and some of the media. Fastlane is a reckless adventurer, while Cloudraker is apparently claustrophobic and crazy.



MONSTERBOTS:
* The Monsterbots are a trio of 1987 releases, designed to transform into odd-looking mish-mash monsters. Pressing a button on their backs cause "Cold Sparks" (familiar to many '80s kids, as a LOT of toys had that kind of thing) to fire from their mouths. They appear only briefly in the Comics, and have little to do in the supporting materials, being both a late-ish release and something that quickly got overwhelmed by all the "_____Master" lines. They're basically Generic Autobots with a Blast Power.

GROTUSQUE (Bat-Winged Sabre-Toothed Cat Monster)- PL 9 (152):
"Breath Weapon" Blast 9, All-Out Attack, Power Attack [20]
-Grotusque treates life like it's a joke to be laughed at, even during disturbing or dangerous times.

REPUGNUS (Bug Monster)- PL 9 (153):
"Breath Weapon" Blast 9, Improvised Weapon, All-Out Attack, Power Attack [21]
-An unsavory type of Autobot who in some continuities has been discharged for insubordination or "nastiness". He's prone to some rather murderous urges, and it's for the best that he only sends this towards the Decepticons. His Alt-Mode is ridiculously-weak- it's just a backpack that flips up over his head to make a mask.

DOUBLECROSS (Two-Headed Dragon)- PL 9 (153):
"Breath Weapon" Blast 9, Benefit (Ambidexterity), All-Out Attack, Power Attack [21]
-The coolest-looking of the Monsterbots, Doublecross turns into a two-headed dragon. He's a bit crazy, thanks to two personalities swirling about in his head.




PUNCH/COUNTERPUNCH (Sports Car- Pontiac Fiero)- PL 8 (138):
Deception 10 (+12), AE: Morph 1 (Counterpunch) [6]
-An interesting concept for a toy/character- an Autobot who turns into a standard Vehicle Mode, but also has a separate ROBOT MODE that is a different color, and is a DECEPTICON. Yes, Punch is a double-agent- he spies on the Decepticons as "Counterpunch". He was in the cartoon for a bit, but primarily showed up in the Japanese 'toon, where he was Scorponok's Major Domo-type. He provided a great deal of information to the Autobots about Decepticon plots and movements. The toy is a tad simplistic, as his arms and torso just flip around to reveal the other color.