Skullgrin
| This article is about the Generation 1 Pretender. For his Japanese counterpart from Super-God Masterforce, see Dauros. |
- Skullgrin is a Decepticon Pretender from the Generation 1 continuity family.
When you encounter Skullgrin, just who you're meeting depends largely on what he happens to be wearing at the time. The Cybertronian robot at his core is intelligent, logical, coldblooded, and vain. He tends to put his own interests above the Decepticon cause and is easily distracted from missions and even direct combat should something of interest catch his optic. He finds Earth in particular quite interesting and is eager (in a decadent and mercenary way) to learn what it has to offer him.
Should you meet Skullgrin inside his Pretender shell, however, you'll find yourself facing a whole different beast. When he's encased in its monstrous hide, a new personality takes over: he becomes a snorting, snarling, sinister sick-o. Low on brains but brimming over with boundless, unstoppable rage, this Skullgrin is the kind of warrior you just point in a certain direction and let fly. Mindless destruction is his favorite pastime, and he won't stop snarling and fighting until everything before him has fallen.
The disconnect between these two personas can lead to some rather erratic behaviour on his part. The two disparate personalities attempting to reconcile themselves within him can make who and what Skullgrin is like on any given day a toss-up, and should the coin come down wrong, a potentially deadly one for anyone nearby.
Fiction
Marvel Comics continuity
Marvel The Transformers comics
After commandeering a genetics research lab on Earth, Scorponok was able to create the science of Pretender shells using synthoplasmic chambers constructed by himself and Vorath. Skullgrin was one of six Decepticon volunteers transformed by the process into Pretenders. Pretender to the Throne!
Skullgrin was sent to Earth alone by Scorponok to construct a fuel depot in secret for his Decepticon comrades, the belief being that his organic shell would arouse less suspicion than a normal Decepticon would due to the increasing public hostility towards giant alien robots, fanned by the Z Foundation. Skullgrin caught the attention of Rollie Friendly after Bigfoot-style sightings of him appeared in the gutter press, and the film director offered him a movie role. The Pretender agreed in exchange for being paid in fuel. When the public and press went wild over him, Skullgrin began to like being a movie star. But while his Pretender shell had fooled most people, robot hunter Circuit Breaker suspected his origins. When Skullgrin revealed his true form to the movie's leading lady, the robophobic Circuit Breaker attacked and destroyed both the film and his movie career. Monstercon from Mars!
Scorponok's troops, Skullgrin included, met with Ratbat's forces. Distrust between the two leaders led to an all-out battle between the two groups, till they realized that Starscream had manipulated them both to battle while he made his escape to acquire the Underbase. Cold War! After Starscream gained the power of the Underbase, Skullgrin was part of a wave with the other Decepticon Pretenders and the Predacons that tried to take down Starscream. His power was too much for the Decepticons and the Predacons were destroyed. However, the Pretenders were spared thanks to their syntho-flesh Pretender shells. Dark Star
Along with Iguanus and Bomb-Burst, Skullgrin hijacked the Keeler Oil Terminal in the Gulf of Mexico to convert the oil into a more refined form of energon with a transmuter. As he completed the device, however, they were ambushed by three Autobot Pretenders and battle ensued. While Cloudburst and Bomb-burst prevented a human jet from crashing and destroying the rig, Skullgrin and Iguanus were subdued and captured by Landmine and Splashdown. The Chain Gang!
Following the destruction of their mobile starship headquarters, the Decepticons established a new base hidden under the New Jersey dumps. Shortly thereafter, Iguanus was chosen by Scorponok to spearhead a new energy-collecting endeavor with his fellow Pretenders. When Skullgrin expressed displeasure at being left with guard duty while the other Pretenders had more exciting roles, Iguanus taunted that it was because movie stardom had made him a softhearted fleshling-lover. When Iguanus captured a human snooping near the base, Skullgrin attempted to convince his fellow Pretender not to immediately terminate her. This resulted in a brawl between the two of them that would be interrupted by the arrival of Mudslinger. He battled the Off Road Patrol, but failed to prevent them from destroying the equipment he was guarding. King Con! Skullgrin later saw Zarak's return to the Decepticons' base and was ordered by him to contact Cybertron's Decepticons for soldiers to battle Roadhandler in a wrestling match. The Interplanetary Wrestling Championship!
He later partook in an attack on the Autobots at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. As he was exiting his shell to assist Scorponok, Prime smashed a jet in his face. The Resurrection Gambit! When Starscream appeared just as that battle ended, Skullgrin was quickly defeated alongside Hot Rod. Skin Deep
When the Autobots surrendered to the Decepticons, Skullgrin and Bomb-Burst made sure to remove Cloudburst's armor to make sure he wouldn't use it to rebel. When Optimus Prime, Kup and Hot Rod escaped and invaded Zarak's quarters, Skullgrin was among those who came to their leader's rescue, but ultimately saw the beginning of an Autobot-Decepticon alliance, only to end up buried as a new civil war began with the destruction of the Decepticon base. Surrender! After digging himself out, he joined Bludgeon, Soundwave and Octopunch in an assault on Starscream, Mindwipe and Runabout. ...All This and Civil War 2
In the aftermath of Unicron's attack on Cybertron, Skullgrin was witness to Optimus Prime's apparent last words.Still Life!
Transformers Comic-Magazin
Template:TransformersComicMagazin Skullgrin was present when the Decepticons unleashed a robotic hell-beast known as 'King Con' on New York; however Optimus Prime rented a helicopter to fly a banner announcing huge raw oil deposit finds in the Rocky Mountains. After a short hesitation, the Decepticons retreated to pursue these findings. New York — A City Sinking in Terror At another point, Bomb-Burst, Skullgrin, and Submarauder attempted to stop the Race Car Patrol and the Off Road Patrol from joining a mission to stop Decepticons from gathering spilled oil in Alaska, but they failed in this task. Headmaster of the Dimensions The trio were also part of a wave of Decepticon attacks on oil refineries, but their raid was cut short when the Autobot Pretenders chased them into an ambush by other Autobots. He Who Laughs Last ... Skullgrin, among others, was discussed as part of simulation accidentally triggered by Goldbug. Memories of Bumblebee
Marvel Generation 2 comic
Skullgrin was sent out with five of his fellow Decepticons to explore Fahl space, and their ship was attacked by the Cybertronians. Skullgrin alone survived long enough to try to return to Megatron, and exploded in re-entry attempting to warn his leader. New Dawn
Classics
Twenty years after the battle of Klo, Skullgrin had joined Gigatron's Decepticons on Earth, and was present when Gigatron's team attacked the Autobots' Ironworks headquarters for their hidden Rarified Energon reserves. Invasion Prologue
While observing Ironworks with Gigatron and the rest of his troops from afar, Skullgrin and the others received word from Spinister that strange Transformers from another dimension had invaded the Autobot base. Gigatron decided the time was ripe to make another play for the Rarified Energon while the Autobots were distracted, and the Decepticons moved in. Octopunch and Skullgrin tried to sneak into Ironworks from underground, but encountered two alleged Autobots instead. Scoop proved more than a match for Skullgrin, first destroying the shell, then defeating the inner robot. Invasion
Dreamwave Generation One continuity
Skullgrin was a brilliant and methodical field commander for the Decepticons. However, nobody likes intelligence in the Decepticon Empire, so his superiors put a shell program in his Pretender shell's circuitry that drove him nuts and made him virtually useless in a leadership position. And everyone lived happily ever after. More Than Meets The Eye #6
IDW Generation 1 continuity
Skullgrin was among the attacking Decepticon forces against the Autobots in the battle at the Citadel. He responded enthusiastically to Blitzwing's orders when he ordered the Decepticons to assume siege mode. Endgame
Skullgrin was one of the cultists under Bludgeon attempting to resurrect Thunderwing. Spotlight: Soundwave When Jetfire and the Technobots came snooping around Thunderhead Pass, Skullgrin and the other cultists attacked and captured most of the Autobot scientists. Stormbringer #1 When Jetfire attempted to escape his confinement, he bashed Skullgrin into a wall. Stormbringer #2 Later, when Optimus Prime and the Wreckers arrived, Springer blew Skullgrin up with a grenade. Bummer. Stormbringer #3
Games
Transformers: Battle Tactics
Skullgrin participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! Transformers: Battle Tactics
Toys
Generation 1
- Skullgrin (1988)
- Accessories: Sword, 2 x guns (left & right), belt
- Skullgrin's inner robot turns into a Cybertronic tank thing, with two built-in cannons in addition to Skullgrin's own guns that can be attached to the sides. The tank has three wheels on the underside to allow him to roll. Amusingly, the largest wheel ends up on his crotch in robot mode. The built-in cannons can be swung out of his arms easily in this mode, while his side guns can either be attached to his knees or held in his fists. The guns themselves can also be combined into a single double barrel gun, though the large size means it suits his Pretender shell better.
- Skullgrin's Pretender shell is a humanoid monster with a demonic ram's skull. The top of the skull is moulded in softer, rubberised plastic, like most shell accessories. The lower jaw of the skull is moulded into the chest of the shell itself and even includes a tongue. Because the lower jaw is unpainted it becomes almost invisible, giving Skullgrin the appearance of having no lower jaw at all.
Unusually, his belt actually works like a belt, looping around the shell and fastening together. While this may be more realistic or may look better, it also means one needs to unfasten the belt every time one opens the shell. The shell is armed with a sword and the double gun.
- Skullgrin was sold in Japan as Dauros.
Generations
- Skullgrin (Deluxe, 2010)
- Accessories: Pick-axe/cannon, missile launcher, machine gun, smoke grenade launchers
- Part of the fifth wave of Generations Deluxe class toys, Skullgrin is a retool and redeco of Generations Darkmount with a new head, who transforms into a half-tracked self-propelled artillery vehicle inspired by the South African G6 Rhino, and a tripod-mounted howitzer platform.
- In vehicle mode, the turret can rotate and the barrel can raise. Initially it was planned to have the sculpt interact with Scout Class figures who could man his "fortress mode". The remainders of that idea are the otherwise pointless handlebars that end up on his knees in robot mode.[1] In robot mode, the cannon barrel becomes a pick-axe weapon, while his smaller weapons are equipped with C joints and thus can clip onto various compatible rungs, bars and tubes sculpted onto the vehicle or robot. Just like Darkmount, Skullgrin's head was designed with a light-piping feature, but it is not utilized due to the red paint covering his eyes and the usage of opaque plastic for his piping.
Notes
Foreign names
- French: Crânien (Canada)
- Italian: Korno
External links
References
- ↑ TakaraTomy staff interview in Transformers Generations 2011 vol. 1, translation at TFW2005.
