Dinobot (G1)

2011-11-21T03:16:03Z

24.247.114.166:

{{factions|autobot}}
{{disambig3|Dinobot}}
:''The Dinobots are an [[Autobot]] [[subgroup]] from the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]]. In some continuities, before they arrive on Earth, they are known as the '''Dynobots'''.''

[[Image:UKDinobotsPoster.jpg|right|400px|thumb|Call them the boy-band of the Autobots and prepare for a world of pain. From left to right: Slag, Grimlock, Swoop, Sludge and Snarl.]]
The '''Dinobots''' are a rowdy, arrogant, lowbrow, disobedient band of warriors that some Autobots would rather scrap than deal with. They're also one of the most devastatingly powerful and close-knit combat units in the Autobot army, being incredibly powerful in robot mode and taking [[Alternate mode|alternate modes]] based on [[Dinosaur|dinosaurs]], the most powerful creatures to ever roam the [[Earth]].

Most of them dislike [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], so whether or not they follow the [[Prime (rank)|Autobot leader]]'s orders depends on what those orders are. If it's to destroy stuff, they're down with that. If it's to help people, it kinda depends on what the weather is like.

The group's members are:

*[[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] (the mary sue)
*[[Slag (G1)|Slag]] (the BANNED IN THE UK)
*[[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] (the born-again christian)
*[[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] (the deleted scene)
*[[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] (the faggot)

and in one universe:

*[[Paddles (character)|Paddles]] (the '[[wikipedia:Pete Best|Pete Best]]" one)

In at least [[The Beast Within|one universe]], the Dinobots can combine to form a monstrous super-robot called [[Beast (G1)|the Beast]]. (Grimlock explicitly states that this is not the case in [[Marvel Comics continuity|another universe]], though he has been known to stretch the truth. [[Ruined FOREVER|Hopefully not here though]].)

{{quote|We watch each other's back, we stick together through thick and thin, and no one '''ever''' tells us what to '''do!'''|Grimlock sums his group up.|[[Maximum Dinobots issue 2|''Maximum Dinobots'' #2]]}}

==Fiction==
===Cartoon continuity===
[[Image:DinobotsG1.jpg|center|400px|thumb|From left to right: Swoop, Snarl, Sludge, Slag and Grimlock]]
{{note|Built on [[Earth]] by [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] and [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]], the Dinobots were a subgroup of Autobots with great physical power but very limited intelligence. Early on in the cartoon they are played as very dangerous (though dim) wildcards, whose great power makes them a huge advantage to the Autobots when they can be persuaded to cooperate. However, beginning with [[The Transformers: The Movie]] and in the following third season, the Dinobots are portrayed almost exclusively as comic relief: goofy childlike morons whose (arguably even greater) stupidity made them a detriment to be babysat, rather than an advantage to be courted. No in-continuity reason for this shift in their mentality is ever given, though it has been the subject of fan speculation.}}
The Dinobots were modeled after the dinosaur dongs that [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] found in the volcanic caves near the ''Ark''. Grimlock, Slag, and Sludge were built first. {{storylink|S.O.S. Dinobots}} After some initial troubles, their performance pleased [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] enough that he had two more built, adding Snarl and Swoop to the ranks. {{storylink|War of the Dinobots}}

{{note|The Dinobots' creation is the source of a small continuity clash in the cartoons. See the Notes section below for more.}}

[[Image:GrimSlagSludge.jpg|right|250px|thumb|The Three Dinobots, immediately after accidentally killing the Invisible Swordsman.]]
The Dinobots' role was simply to pulverize anyone or anything that was too strong for the Autobots to handle on their own. In the process, they frequently mouthed off, rebelled and started brawls inside of Autobot Headquarters (and the occasional [[Trypticon (G1)|dinosaur-shaped city]]).

At one point, the Dinobots became sick of only being used as the hammer of the Autobot army, so they deserted, saying that they would fight when ''they'' wanted to. However, the Dinobots were called in when the Autobots and the Decepticons began suffering from [[Cybertonium]] depletion. During the battle with the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]], they were accidentally sent to Cybertron, where they briefly reduced [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] to the role of chew toy. {{storylink|Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1}} However, Shockwave altered the Dinobots' memory circuits and forced them to work in the [[Cybertonium Pit]]. [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] and [[Carly]] managed to rescue them, and the Dinobots decided to follow Optimus Prime's orders... until such time that they decided not to do so. {{storylink|Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2}}

During the [[Battle of Autobot City]], the Dinobots were dispatched to defeat [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]. Despite their incredible strength, Devastator manhandled them. During [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]'s subsequent attack, [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] and [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] literally had to drag them aboard the shuttle, which was shot down over [[Quintessa]]. The Dinobots managed to avoid being captured and met [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]], who helped them find Kup and Hot Rod. Later, the Dinobots literally kicked the butt of [[Unicron|a god]]. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

=== Marvel Comics continuity===
{{note|The Dinobots in the Marvel comic were not created on [[Earth]], as in the cartoon, but were a distinct and pre-existing unit of five Autobot soldiers who were aboard the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'' when it crashed to Earth. The comic Dinobots, while not exactly [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]]-grade, were significantly more intelligent than their cartoon counterparts. (Their commander, Grimlock, served as overall Autobot Commander on more than one occasion.) However, they were not as strong as their cartoon counterparts, either.}}
[[Image:Dinobots Bad News.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Pretty much says it all.]]
Shortly after the crash, the ''Ark'''s computer detected [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] landing on the planet in the [[Antarctica|Antarctic]] land-out-of-time that would one day become known as the [[Savage Land]]. The ''Ark'' used the last of its capabilities to revive these five warriors and rebuild them to transform into the Savage Land's dominant lifeform: dinosaurs. {{storylink|The Last Stand|The Last Stand}} They were then dispatched to deal with the Decepticon, where they sank to the bottom of a tar pit and remained dormant until [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] revived them in the 1980s. {{storylink|Repeat Performance!}}

{{charstubfiction}}

===''The Beast Within''===
The Dinobots [[Combiner|combine]] into the [[Beast (G1)|Beast]] to fight the Decepticons, but the Beast is so savage and kill-crazy that the Autobots have to kill it. {{storylink|The Beast Within}}

=== Dreamwave comics continuity===
[[Image:ScrollDinobots.jpg|right|200px|thumb|A Dinobot by any other name would still kick your ass]]
It was established that Grimlock once commanded a splinter faction of Autobots known as the [[Lightning Strike Coalition]], which included the Dynobots. It was also established that following this, these five robots used the Cybertronian designation "D'''y'''nobots". {{storylink|Transformers: War Within: The Dark Ages|The War Within: The Dark Ages}}

The Dynobots traveled to Earth separately from the rest of the Autobots. Grimlock emerged on his own, and the ''Ark'' Autobots found him battling the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]]. The fate of the other Dinobots was unknown, but somehow Megatron had captured them and kept them in stasis in a secret base. After being freed, they traveled to Cybertron and helped liberate it from Shockwave's control. {{storylink|War and Peace}}

===Devil's Due comic continuity===
The Dinobots were originally five present-day Autobots who were sent back in time by [[Teletran 3]] and reformatted into dinosaurs. When [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] traveled back in time, they recovered the Dinobots, who proceeded to beat Shockwave's Decepticons three ways from Sunday. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 4}}

Grimlock was later sent to Earth to oversee the decommissioning of Cybertronian technology {{storylink|The Art of War issue 1|The Art of War #1}}, where his team found that human scientists had used the deactivated Megatron's technology to create the evil [[Serpentor|Serpent Organic Robot]]. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 2|The Art of War #2}} Grimlock and the others followed this new threat back to Cybertron, only to be captured and imprisoned by the Decepticons. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 3|The Art of War #3}} He was eventually freed by his G.I. Joe allies {{storylink|The Art of War issue 4|The Art of War #4}}, and helped defeat Serpent O.R. Meanwhile, Snarl was seen among the Autobot troops fighting against Serpent O.R.'s army. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 5|The Art of War #5}}

===''Legends'' anthology===
The story "[[Paddles (story)|Paddles]]" features a [[Paddles (character)|sixth Dinobot of the same name]]. This is also the only appearance of the character. {{storylink|Paddles (story)|Paddles}}

=== IDW comics continuity ===
{{ongoing}}
{{quote|Crash and Burn!|Dinobot unit motto|[[Maximum Dinobots issue 1]]}}
[[Image:Shockwaveg1idw.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Good times.]]
Before the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]], Grimlock and the Dynobots were amongst the gladiatorial teams that competed in the [[Forge]]. When Megatron put out a call for combatants, the Dynobots were amongst those who were shown grudging respect by the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]] as opposed to the remainder of the "amateurs" in the crowd. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin #3}}

And by that, what we ''really'' mean is that Grimlock and Slag had never met before both were thrown in a brig for pissing off their commanding officers (''shooting'' them in Slag's case). Bonding over their mutual desire to get things done and ignore the rules, they decided to form their own strike team: the Dynobots. In a personal quirk, however, Slag didn't want them to be seen as a ''proper'' team. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 2}} The five warriors deliberately cultivated a terrifying reputation with their sheer brutality. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 1|Maximum Dinobots #1}}

Eons later, the Dynobots followed [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] to prehistoric Earth on a revenge-fueled crusade, ''after'' Optimus had told them to get over it already. The planet's energon fields forced them to take on the forms of the local animal life. Thus protected, they attacked Shockwave on the surface. Sadly, it did not protect the Dynobots from Shockwave's energy blasts, which melted the artificial skin and caused the Dynobots to go into [[stasis lock]] due to excessive [[energon radiation]]. Due to a deadman's switch, The Dynobots' ship (the ''[[Skyfire (ship)|Skyfire]]'') blasted a volcano that buried everyone in molten lava. They were later unearthed by a human archaeological dig {{storylink|Spotlight: Shockwave}} which was taken over by [[Skywatch|government agents]]. {{storylink|Escalation issue 5|Escalation #5}}

Though Grimlock was the first to be brought back online, he was freed from Skywatch's control through a virus implanted by a [[Machination]] spy (under orders from [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]). Scorponok wanted Grimlock to join him, but Grimlock refused, fought Scorponok and escaped, vowing to find and rescue the other Dynobots. Scorponok, however, planned to take control of the Dynobots himself and use them to assassinate Grimlock. {{storylink|Spotlight: Grimlock}}

Reactivated by Skywatch, the Dynobots were put through their paces, seemingly to great success (secretly because the Machination had "helped" set up Skywatch's neural nets). When Grimlock appeared in Fallon, the town was cordoned off and the "Thunder Lizards" were sent to engage him. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 1|Maximum Dinobots #1}} The resulting clash caused ''massive'' damage to Fallon, helped along by Scorponok causing the neural nets to fluctuate so he could increase the conflict between the Dynobots.

Eventually they were allowed to have their sentience so they could find out Grimlock had set up the deadman's switch, which left them buried on Earth, ''without telling them''. While feeling some guilt for what he did, Grimlock defended his actions by saying "er, hello, we're vicious amoral rule-breakers, of course I did it". Which ''worked''. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 2|Maximum Dinobots #2}}

[[Image:Dynobots divided MaximumDinos.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Bad times.]]
Rightfully so, the Dynobots were pissed with their leader, and walked away after Swoop read Grimlock the riot act. When Grimlock was attacked and almost destroyed by the [[Sunstreaker clone]]s, however, the team reunited once again for battle. Although fighting valiantly, they might have been destroyed, if not for the intervention of the [[Monsterbot]]s, whom were earlier contacted by Grimlock.
{{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 3|Maximum Dinobots #3}}

Aboard the Monsterbots' ship, the Dynobots wondered why Grimlock would side with the outcasts. They gave Grimlock a stern look when he exited the cockpit. The Dynobots didn't see the point of fighting Scorponok, but Grimlock said that Scorponok made it their fight when he turned the Dynobots against him. Snarl disagreed, saying that it has always been Grimlock's fight, that he and the other Dynobots went along with him, and that it was now Grimlock's wounded pride at stake. After the Monsterbots blasted away the defenses, Grimlock exited the ship, saying that there was no way he could let this go, and that with or without the Dynobots, there would be a reckoning for Scorponok. The Dynobots decided that arguing is pointless and followed Grimlock. When [[Hunter O'Nion]] pulled the cords from [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]]'s head, shutting him down, the clones ceased to function. Sludge cried out in victory, but the moment is short-lived as Scorponok blasted Sludge into stasis. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 4|Maximum Dinobots #4}}

[[Image:MaximumDinobots Don'tMessWithTheDynos.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Hey, he's sayin' what we're all thinkin'!]]
Grimlock stared down at Sludge's dead body, brooding about how it was his fault Sludge was dead... while a battle between Scorponok and Shockwave (for rights of revenge upon Grimlock) raged on around him. Eventually Snarl, Slag, and Swoop decide to get to the Monsterbots' ship while the getting was good, but Grimlock stayed behind with Sludge. Grimlock tried infusing some of his [[spark]] energy into Sludge to revive him, but it seemed to have no effect. Shockwave got the upper hand and let Scorponok escape, and in frustration, Grimlock attacked Shockwave. Grimlock and Shockwave were too busy fighting to notice the return of Slag, Snarl, and Swoop, who reasoned that, while helping Grimlock might not be much of a cause, it still beat being no better than the Monsterbots. They were noticed by Sludge, however, who seemed to have recovered due to Grimlock's treatment after all. The four of them dove into the fray proper, but Grimlock ordered them to go after Scorponok instead. When [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] was about to get squished by Scorponok, the remaining Dynobots showed up in just the nick of time. At Hot Rod's urgings, Swoop severed the connections keeping Scorponok's head conscious. But before the Dynobots could kill the rest of Scorponok, [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] showed up and told them that Scorponok would be revived and made to answer to a tribunal instead. He then said they should purge the entire Machination facility, gather up all related Machination technology, and get as far away from Earth as possible as soon as possible—a plan that the Dynobots, Hot Rod, and Hunter were all perfectly OK with. Ultra Magnus later told Grimlock that having Scorponok and Shockwave in custody could help offset Grimlock's own sentence, and that the other Dynobots' warrants had been canceled, and Grimlock was content with that and the fact that Sludge was alive again thanks to him. On Earth, the other Dynobots meanwhile happily repaired the Skyfire. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 5|Maximum Dinobots #5}}

== Toys ==
===Generation 1===
[[Image:G1Slag toy.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Slag]]
* '''Dinobots''' (1985)
**[[Grimlock (G1)/toys|Grimlock]]
**[[Slag (G1)|Slag]]
**[[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]]
**[[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]]
**[[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]]

:The five Dinobots were sold individually in boxed packages from 1985 to 1986. They featured a uniform color scheme of red for their die-cast metal parts, black plastic for legs and forearms, smoky translucent for [[Pre-Transformers|remnant cockpits]], and golden metalized plastic highlights depicting machine details. Most had fairly good articulation for G1 toys; only Slag had the conjoined foot-base common to many of the automobile-based Transformers in G1.

{{-}}

* '''Pretender Classics''' (1989)
** Grimlock

:A much smaller and simpler version of Grimlock, with a [[Pretender]] shell, was part of the [[Pretender Classics]] line.

[[Image:G1-toy SnarlAM.jpg|right|100px|thumb|Action Master Snarl]]
* '''Action Masters''' (1990)
** Grimlock
** Snarl

:Both Grimlock and Snarl were given new toy forms as part of the [[Action Master|Action Masters]] line.

{{-}}
===Generation 2===
* '''Dinobots''' (1993)
** Grimlock
** Slag
** Snarl

:Three of the original five Dinobot molds were reissued in new colors.

===Beast Wars===
[[Image:BWtoy-Grimlock.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Beast Wars Grimlock]]
* Grimlock (Deluxe, 1997)

:A redeco of [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]].

{{-}}

===Alternators===
* Grimlock (2005)

:He turns into a 1/24th scale Ford Mustang.

===Classics===
[[Image:Classics_Swoop_toy.JPG|thumb|right|Classics Swoop (mistransformed in robot mode).]]
* Swoop (Mini-Con Dinobots Team, 2006)

:A new mold for the original character, alongside two new-character teammates [[Knockdown (Classics)|Knockdown]] and [[Terrorsaur (Classics)|Terrorsaur]].

* Grimlock (Deluxe, 2006)

:A new mold based on his original design, with an updated dinosaur mode.

===Masterpiece===
* Grimlock (2009)

==Notes==
* The Dinobots are the first Transformers whose creation is shown in the cartoon. It seems simple enough: The Autobots simply construct their bodies, flick the switch, and they're animate. Wheeljack later upgrades their brains, after which they display sentience. However, the later episode "[[The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1]]" heavily implies that there's no way to bring a Transformer to life without the use of the supercomputer [[Vector Sigma]]. Still other episodes would show the creation of [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] and the [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]] without the use of Vector Sigma. For more on this issue, see the separate article ''[[Reproduction]]''.
[[Image:MadGeister.jpg|thumb|300px|Now we know who Grimstone stole his hat from!]]
*Four of the original five Dinobot designs served as the templates for the "Geisters", recurring villainous henchmen on the Takara/Sunrise co-production ''[[Brave (franchise)|Brave Exkaiser]]''; Slag became [[:Image:HornGeist.jpg|Horn Geist]], Sludge became [[:Image:ThunderGeist.jpg|Thunder Geist]], Snarl became [[:Image:ArmorGeist.jpg|Armor Geist]], and Swoop became [[:Image:PteraGeist.jpg|Ptera Geist]]. In what might be called [[Beast (G1)|a vision of things to come]], the four were once briefly fused into a single robot called "Mad Geister" (マッドガイスター ''Maddogaisutā''). However, because each Geister controlled a portion of the combined body—and, aside from Ptera Geist, they had the accumulated brain power of a Froot Loop—this ended rather badly for them. In a more successful (if not [[Mega-Dinobot|also prescient]]) later development, the Geisters learned to merge in groups of two, with Ptera Geist and Thunder Geist forming the centaur-esque "[[:Image:PtederAndHormor.jpg|Pteder]]" (プテダー ''Putedā'') and Horn Geist and Armor Geist forming "Hormor" (ホーマー ''Hōmā'').
* The 2003 ''[[Transformers: Dinobots|Dinobots]]'' line, a Wal-mart exclusive, reuses most of the Generation 1 Dinobots' names. In the absence of any [[bio]]s or fiction, however, it is unclear if they are meant to represent the same characters.
* The 2005 [[Grimlock (Energon)|Grimlock]] and [[Swoop (Energon)|Swoop]] two-pack was originally intended to portray the Generation 1 characters, but ended up as part of the ''[[Energon (toyline)|Energon]]'' toyline instead, representing new characters.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Dinobot''' (ダイノボット ''Dainobotto'')
*''Portuguese:'' '''Dinobóticos''' (Portugal comic), '''Robodinos''' (Brazil comic)
*''Hungarian:'' '''Vasállatok''' (first ''The Movie'' dub, "Iron-animals") '''Dínók''' (second ''The Movie'' dub)

[[Category:Autobot subgroups]]
[[Category:Combiner teams]]
[[Category:Dinobots| Dinobot (G1)]]
[[Category:Generation 1 subgroups]]
[[Category:Generation 2 subgroups]]
[[Category:Wings Universe subgroups]]

MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

Dinobot (G1)