Double Pretender

Spider monkey.

A Double Pretender is a type of Pretender that has two robots occupying one Pretender shell. The two robots are capable of combining into one robot outside the shell.

Fiction

Shattered Expectations

The two Double Pretender shells were among the first Pretender shells that the Decepticons developed. Shattered Expectations

Badlands

The Pretender Oilmaster operated as a bounty hunter, tracking the Decepticon outcast known as Magnificus. He was defeated by Hawk when the flying Decepticon arrived to make Magnificus an offer on behalf of Scrash. Badlands

Oilmaster is presented as a regular Pretender, with no obvious partner found inside his "Double Pretender" shell.

TransTech

The Transcendent Technomorphs had never encountered a double pretender prior to Oilmaster. This led to some trouble for the Decepticon when he was jailed, but only two of his three components were fitted with restrainers. This caused him to act "twitchy." He was nonetheless able to help repel the Waruder invader, alongside a group of other wanted criminals, when the situation arose. Cybertron's Most Wanted

Toys

Unreleased

Hasbro at one point had plans to release a Pretender subgroup consisting of a combiner pair inside one shell. Whether artwork was produced and whether the inner robots for the shells were given prototypes is unknown, but the two prototype shells have been spotted in two color schemes each. The four-armed spider creature has been seen in a black-and-grey deco as well as a predominantly brown deco. One version of the armored gorilla is grey with red armor, and the other is brown with black armor. The black spider creature and grey armored gorilla were first and last seen at a display at BotCon 1996.

The shells are of the same size as the 1989 normal Pretenders. Unlike most other Pretenders, it seems the Double Pretenders were to be opened at the back to insert or remove the inner robots, rather than down the middle.

Your bargaining posture is highly dubious. Proceed on your way to oblivion. This item has been canceled, with no current plans for release.

Timelines

Haven't you always wanted a monkey?

• Cybertron's Most Wanted (BotCon 2015 box set)

Accessories: gun, sword, friggin' Pretender shell

Oilmaster is a redeco of Generations Legends Class Swerve and Flanker, which fit together into a newly-sculpted Pretender shell designed by Boss Fight Studio after the original unreleased Oilmaster toy. The Swerve redeco is colored to resemble Oilmaster's inner robot from "Badlands". The shell has shoulder and neck rotational joints (the neck being a first for Pretender shells), 5 mm post-holes in its wrists, plus two 5 mm holes on its back for weapon storage. Unlike most Pretenders, the shell does not split in half to store the inner robots: instead the backpack swings up on a hinge for access to the inner cavity, with the truck slotting into the backpack-part proper, and the jet pegging into a post-hole inside the body.

His shell weapons are from Construct-Bots sets, notably Optimus Prime's sword and Megatron's blaster rifle.

Oilmaster was available exclusively in the BotCon 2015 five-figure box set, packaged with Battletrap, Packrat, Megatron, and Stepper.

The shell was redecoed for TFSS 5.0 Optimus Prime (see below). The inner robot mold was also used to make TFSS 5.0 Quickslinger and Hi-Q. It also served as the basis of the non-toy Shattered Glass incarnation of Swerve.

• More information on Timelines Oilmaster at TFU.info

Combiner Wars

• Double Pretender Optimus Prime (2017)
  • Accessories: Pretender Shell, Pretender Shell Gun, Blaster

Combiner Wars Double Pretender Optimus Prime is a redeco/retool of Generations Legends Class Swerve, with a new head and a Generation 2-inspired deco for his pickup truck mode. He reuses the blaster from his Legends Class figure while the shell's ion cannon is recolored from the one included with Generations Orion Pax.

He also comes with Hi-Q (a redeco of Flanker) and a Pretender shell redecoed from Oilmaster's, and it was decorated after the original unreleased grey-and-red gorilla shell.

This figure was only available through Fun Publications' Subscription Service 5.0 and shipped together with Double Pretender Megatron.

• Double Pretender Megatron (2017)
  • Accessories: Pretender Shell, Sword for Pretender Shell, Rifle for Pretender Shell, Spacewarp Mini-Con, Joint piece for Spacewarp

Combiner Wars Double Pretender Megatron is a redeco of his Legends Class toy, with his coloration based on his canceled Generation 2 "arctic-camo" Combat Hero Megatron toy. He also comes with Spacewarp (a redeco of Generations Payload) and his Pretender shell, which is redecoed from Grand Maximus's. Double Pretender Megatron also comes with a joint piece for Spacewarp to let her fit in the shell along with Megatron. This joint piece is sculpted to resemble the large chromed laser cannon that the original G1 Megatron toy came with. His Pretender shell weapons are black repaints of Titans Return Sentinel Prime's rifle and Voyager Class Optimus Prime's sword.

This figure was only available through Fun Publications' Subscription Service 5.0 and shipped together with Double Pretender Optimus Prime.

There are two ways to make Megatron and Spacewarp fit into the shell:

1. Fiddle the Megatron figure into a different position, and insert the joint piece on his chest to allow Spacewarp to attach on it.

2. If the joint piece doesn't work due to its tolerance, rearrange Megatron in a slightly different position, and peg Spacewarp into Megatron's arm.

Notes

• In an interview, Vinnie D'Alleva referred to these Pretenders as the "Monster Pretenders". Whether that was actually supposed to be their name or if D'Alleva got them confused with the other Pretender combiner group is not clear.
• A prototype pretender shell with a strong resemblance to Groundbreaker's was displayed alongside the two double pretenders at BotCon 1996. Whether it actually had any connection to the concept is unknown.

External links

• BotCon 2004 Interview with Vinnie D'Alleva, p2
• Double Pretenders at Toyarchive.com, including the prototype Groundbreaker
• New BotCon 96 Photos at TFW2005.com