100000000000000000 Grains of Sandron!!

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"100000000000000000 Grains of Sandron!!" 敵勢100000000000000000粒!! (Sandron 100000000000000000 Tsubu!!)
Publisher	Kodansha
Published in	Comic Bom Bom
First published	May 1999
Cover date	June 1999
Script	Shōji Imaki
Artist	Shōji Imaki
Continuity	Beast Wars

Be hold, the killer sand!

Synopsis

Longrack is consumed by a quicksand. Big Convoy jumps into the quicksand and saves Longrack, escaping by firing the Big Cannon to create counterforce. The Maximals run toward a town located in a higher ground. During the running, Break nearly falls into the quick sand before he is saved by Big Convoy with his Mammoth Haken. He then gets dragged all the way into the town by Big Convoy. After entering the town, the Maximals find the residents are all dead, leaving nothing but only skeletons. Big Convoy tells the rookies stay in the town until the Gung Ho is fixed in one hour according to NAVI.

Meanwhile, on Dinosaur, Dead End confronts Magmatron, asking him why ordered them retreat. Guiledart asks Dead End to stand down and has a quarrel with him. Magmatron tells Guiledart it is okay for Dead End's attitude and starts to explain the reason to Dead End. Magmatron tells him he order them to retreat because of the "cannibal sand". The Predacons think it is a good idea to have Big Convoy and his trainee eaten by the sand. Saberback even divines with a result showing a bad omen to Big Convoy.

Cute things always bite.

On Lakso, Heinrad tells Big Convoy that Longrack is in a bad situation for a while. Longrack now feel thirsty and is stuck in mid-transformation. Soon after check on the others, Big Convoy starts to feel his left knee now having a symptom. Thinking this might be some sort of infection, Big Convoy sends Longrack's body data to NAVI for diagnosis.

While Break and Heinrad are taking care of Longrack, Stampy finds the sand has climbed into the town. He kicks and makes a grimace at the sand. After he leaves, the sand starts to impersonate Stampy.

After the diagnosis comes out, NAVI tells Big Convoy that there are lots of sand in Longrack's body. She then goes further that those sand is in fact a kind of Transformer, known as the "Sandrone", which is able to enter a victim from a joint, starting to eat out the power system and the transform circuit before devastating the CPU in the head eventually. She also says the Sandron may related to the Angolmois energy. Big Convoy thinks it is the reason why they are attacked by the Sandron after retrieving the capsule. Shortly after, Break and Stampy encounter a legion of the Sandron impersonating the Maximals who try to seize the Angolmois capsule. Break, Stampy, and Heinrad start to fight the impostor legion. Big Convoy says the rookies are safe because they are not too powerful, the impostors will be not powerful as well. Feeling the body start to "frozen", Big Convoy tells Break if something happens to him, he wants Break to take command.

Just when Break thinks they are going to be defeat, NAVI arrives with the recently-fixed Gung Ho in time, blowing all the Sandron impostors apart. After the Maximals retreat, Big Convoy feels relieved and lays himself on the deck. However, the Sandron forms a legion of Big Convoy, trying to firing at the Gung Ho, but Big Convoy destroys them immediately with Big Cannon by swinging himself rapidly. However, he falls off because he can barely control his body. The Sandron soon formed a gigantic upper torso of Big Convoy and fired at the Gung Ho. Break recalls Big Convoy's words and takes over the driver seat, managing to rise the ship's altitude in time to avoid the attack. The giant Big Convoy crumbles shortly after because the Angolmois capsule had left the planet surface in a certain distance. NAVI says the Sandron lost the power because the Angolmois capsule was away from them. After the ship is safe, Break rushes out, trying to rescue Big Convoy — only to find he is safe. This time, it is Break who falls off the ship, cursing Big Convoy.

Learning the Gung Ho leaves Lakso safely, Magmatron decides now it is the time for him to fight Big Convoy.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Maximals	Predacons	Others
Stampy (1) Break (2) Heinrad (3) Longrack (4) Big Convoy (6) Cohrada (7) NAVI (12)	Dead End (8) Magmatron (9) Guiledart (10) Saberback (11) Sling (13)	Sandron (5)

Quotes

"Don't worry. Even there are lots of enemies, they are your doppelgängers after all. — That is, they are not powerful. Seems you guys are saved."

—Big Convoy, sitting and watching the battle between the rookies and the Sandron.

"Shut up, you should join the fight, too!"

—Break to Big Convoy

"It will be bad if they impersonate me."

—Big Convoy, implying he is very powerful.

"Damn you loafing instructor!"

—Break to Big Convoy

Notes

• When being attacked by the Sandron, Longrack's robot and animal faces both have expression for feeling uncomfortable.

• It is unknown why Longrack feels thirsty instead of pain when his transform circuit is attacked by the Sandron.

• Both Break and Stampy don't have any siblings.

• Heinrad's sake bottle can be used as a melee weapon like a ball-and-chain flail.

• It is unclear whether the Angolmois energy temporarily evolved the sand into Sandron, or giving the Sandron the ability to impersonating other objects.

• It is unknown why the giant Big Convoy impersonation is colorless.

Real-word references

• Sandron's ability to impersonate anyone by physical contact may be a reference to the T-1000 Terminator's ability.

• Heinrad's transformation doesn't seem mechanically, but like the Tanuki taking other form in Japaneses lore.

• Saberback is shown to use tarot in efforts at divination. What he holds in the hand is "Death".