In 1994, Jon and Karl Hartman hosted the first Botcon in Fort Wayne Indiana. 

    Longtime Transformer fans will recall that Hasbro was winding down the Generation 2 line and it looked as if Transformers was once again destined for the scrap yard of obscurity.   The convention exclusive that year was the Stunticon Breakdown.  Hasbro only made a few hundred, and had no plans to distribute the toy through mainstream sources. 

    Botcon began as a small group of fans, (only a few hundred or so), and slowly grew to the massive event that fans know it as today, with attendance numbering in the thousands. 

    The Hartman brothers started the annual convention that for a time prevented Transformers from fading completely into obscurity.   As the years progressed, the conventions got larger and more elaborate. 

    The exclusives also got more elaborate.  The first exclusive was simply the remnant of a dying toy-line.  At later conventions, the exclusives included toys, comic books, posters and compact discs. 

     In 1997, The Hartmans were joined by Glen Hallit and formed 3H Enterprises.  Included with the double packed exclusives, Fractyl and Packrat, was the Critical Mass comic, by Simon Furman and Andrew Wildman. 

    This year, 3H took Botcon to a new level with Transformers, The Wreckers.  This year’s convention exclusive comic is the first part of a new Transformer story line.  In 1994, 3H ensured that Transformers would survive the end of Generation 2.  In 2001, following the end of the controversial Beast Machines series, 3H is ensuring that Transformers will exist as something other than the repackaged Robots in Disguise from Japan.   In short, 3H is starting an official, and continuing storyline. 

    While The Wreckers is not the first time 3H has produced a Transformer story-line, it is the first that began by removing itself from its source material.  By the end of the first issue, the main characters have been assembled, and have left Cybertron. 

    The Wreckers is written by Hallit.  It is obvious even on the first read that Hallit is familiar with the characters, and repeatedly manages to use them efficiently and concisely.   He even manages to find a use for Wheelie and Daniel.  This is not a smart-@$$ remark about their fates in The Wreckers, but a comment about the way they were used.   The simple fact is that Hallit made Wheelie and Daniel more useful in 2 or 3 pages of comic book than they were in a dozen episodes of the television series. 

    Another example of Hallit’s use of characters is Tigatron’s comments about Optimus Primal before entering the shuttle complex.   The dialogue in this scene is in character for Tigatron, offers a hint as to where the story may be going, and possibly some insight into Hallit’s opinion of Beast Machines. 

    Perhaps the best example of the writing’s quality is the lack of exclamation points!  In many cases, Transformers stories are littered with excessive use of exclamation points!  For some reason, otherwise talented writers feel the need to put them in for emphasis!  They are foolish! Thankfully, the few that appear are limited to character dialogue!

    While The Wreckers spends much of the first issue distancing itself from Beast Machines, both in terms of setting and direction, it does have some elements in common.  One of the most obvious is the premise that the characters are being manipulated by a higher power.  Megatron manipulates his Vehicons.  The Oracle manipulates its followers, using mind control and wiping memories.  The Vok create pawns to fight their battles.   Tarantulas is shown to be in the process of creating an army. 

    Some fans may gripe about inconsistencies with the original cartoon and comic from the 80’s and 90’s, but the simple fact is that it is unavoidable.  The original series was not consistent with itself.  For example the Generation One episode War Dawn, would contradicts itself halfway through.  Current fans would do well to simply accept the ret-conning of past mistakes as official and necessary for the purpose of telling a substantive story. 

    Dan Khanna’s art, while rough in some spots, is very clean and detailed.  While he takes some liberties with character design, his art is clear enough that readers know who is on panel, and kit-bashers can use the comic as a reference for converting action figures. Khanna even takes the time to show characters interacting with each other.  Some of the more interesting examples of this are the Deployers being shown to be the Transformer equivalent of pets. 

    While the comic is at times hampered by formatting problems, such as misplaced word balloons, the story and art are clear enough to compensate for this. 

    On the BotCon Beyond forums, one fan speculated that the popularity of The Wreckers in the British Transformer Comic was a result of the fact that they were simply a random group of Transformers, and were close to what many fans had in their collections.   The new Wreckers build nicely on this concept, as both a group of random characters and factions.    In The Wreckers, Hallit does a good job of not only mixing factions, but also old and new characters.  Despite having over a dozen characters in major roles, the comic does not seem over-crowded. 
 

Autobots

• Alpha Trion-First Appearance: Search for Alpha Trion (Generation One Episode)
• Other Appearances: War Dawn, The Key to Vector Sigma, Forever is a Long Time Coming 
• Alpha Trion was an ancient Autobot, who led an uprising against the Quintessons and gave Optimus Prime The Matrix of Leadership.    His spirit joined with Vector Sigma, (that means he died).  The last page of The Wreckers shows The Oracle bringing Alpha Trion back to life.
• Hasbro never released a toy of Alpha Trion.   In The Wreckers, Alpha Trion appears as a repaint of either Beast Machines Snarl, or possibly Beast Wars 2 Lion Prime.  In any case, 3H has not released a toy.  Anyone who wants an Alpha Trion will have to wait for some clearer pictures to be released and build off of those. 

• Arcee-First Appearance: Transformers the Movie 
• Other Appearances: Miscellaneous season 3 episodes and U.K. comics. 
• Arcee was the token female Autobot.  She never really contributed much to the plot.  However, being one of the only female characters on a mid-eighties cartoon aimed at males made her distinctive, and likely explains her popularity.  In The Wreckers, Arcee is one of the last to join the team before they leave Cybertron. Despite her popularity as a character, Hasbro never released a toy of Arcee.  However, there are rumors of prototypes that were never released.  At Botcon 2001, 3H released the first official Arcee toy.  It is a repaint of Transmetal II Blackarachnia. While 3H has not released exact numbers, my own estimate is that about 1,300 were made.  Regardless of the number made, some of them had a voice-chip built into the box.   The voice chip variant was intended for pre-registrants only, sort of an exclusive exclusive.  However, a few were distributed during the normal convention.  Arcee is common, but expensive on-line. 

• Devcon-First Appearance:  The Gambler (Generation One Episode)
• Other Appearances: none that I can recall 
• Devcon was a lone Autobot nomad.  He wandered the galaxy befuddling and frustrating Decepticons and other evildoers. 
• Considering Devcon only appeared in one episode, it is unsurprising that Hasbro never released a toy of the character.   Devcon’s Wrecker form is a recolored Beast Machines Mirage.  As of this writing no official Devcon toy has been released.  However, Mirage is still fairly common.  Anyone who wants a Devcon will have to repaint a Mirage.  (I have already done this, and believe me when I tell you that white paint on yellow Hasbro plastic is a frustrating, bad, painful, and generally unpleasant thing.) 

• Rodimus-First Appearance: Transformers the Movie 
• Other Appearances: many, many episodes. 
• Rodimus is the character you are thinking he is.  Read the comic to find out what he does. 
• Hasbro released Hotrod and Rodimus Prime when the movie was released in 1986.  Recently, Takara manufactured a reproduction of the original Hotrod toy from the 80’s.  If you do not have Rodimus, finding one should be easy enough, albeit slightly  expensive. 

Decepticons

• Cyclonous-First Appearance: Transformers the Movie
• Other Appearances: Various third season episodes of Generation One 
•  Cyclonous was created from the remains of a dead Decepticon in Transformers the Movie.  Most fans believed that Cyclonous was created either from Skywarp or Bombshell.  The animation in Transformers the Movie was notoriously inconsistent, hence the confusion.   However, since Cyclonous and Skywarp appear side by side in The Wreckers, it is probably safe to say that Cyclonous was not created from the remains of Skywarp. 
•  Hasbro released two Cyclonous toys in the 1980’s.  The first accompanied the movie, the second was a slightly retooled variant sold with the Target Master sub-line.  Both tend to be expensive, with prices averaging about one hundred dollars.   In The Wreckers, Cyclonous appears as a repainted ultra-scale Jetstorm.  No toy has been released.  In other words, anyone who wants a Wrecker Cyclonous is going to have to make one.    Some speculate that Cyclonous and/or some of the other Wreckers that have not been released may be released in the future.  Jon Hartman of 3H will only say, “That is Hasbro’s decision.  But it would be nice.” 

• Skywarp-First Appearance: More Than Meets the Eye
• Other Appearances:  various first and second season episodes
•  Skywarp was a Decepticon air warrior who could teleport.  Aside from having a kewl power, he really did not do a lot.  It seemed like he died in Transformers the Movie, but apparently that was not the case.  All things considered, I would like to see Triple H retcon the movie entirely. As an interesting side note, Beast Machines Mirage’s profile card is very similar to the original Skywarp’s.  They both can teleport and enjoy using this power to abuse their teammates. 
•  Skywarp was part of the first wave of Transformer toys in 1984.  Additionally, the short lived Machine Wars (1994-95) toy line had a Skywarp character.  The profile card was similar to that of the original.  However, this version of the character never appeared in any official story.  3H’s version of Skywarp is a repaint of the deluxe scale Jetstorm toy.  It is a good thing that this toy is common, because 3H has not released Skywarp.  (At this point it should be apparent that anyone who wants a complete set of Wreckers will need a lot of paint, time, and patience.  Of course, it is good to have a use for two of the more useless toys in the Beast Machines line.   Neither looks like what it is supposed to, namely Jetstorm from the cartoon.)   Zabgoth, a prolific kit-basher, advises that anyone thinking of making Skywarp use a Jet-drone because the colors are easier to change on that toy. 

• Apelinq-First Appearance (partial): Visitations, Botcon ‘98 script reading 
• First Appearance (full): Reaching the Omega Point, Botcon ’00 comic 
• Other Appearances: Apelinq’s Journal, www.BotconBeyond.com 
• Apelinq was a Maximal scientist and member of The Wreckers team.  Apelinq was the only Wrecker besides Rodimus to survive Megatron’s conquest of Cybertron.   While searching for other survivors, Apelinq was cast through a time-storm to the battle at Point Omega.  After the battle, Apelinq returned to his own time and joined the new Wreckers team as it left Cybertron. 
• Apelinq was the Botcon 2000 exclusive toy.  Roughly 1300 toys were made.  The best way to get one is to look on E-bay or to contact toy dealers.  Apelinq was a repaint of Transmetal Optimus Primal.   (He may be hard to get, but at least you do not have to make your own.) 

•  The Deployers-First Appearance: The Wreckers #1
•  Other Appearances: none 
•  The Deployers are a trio of Maximal drones.   They seem to be the Transformer equivalent of pets.   The Deployers follow the Maximals around and join battles.  Rav is a raven.  Mol is, appropriately enough, a mole.  Dillo is an armadillo. 
•  All three of The Deployers were released through general channels.  However, two sets of colors exist.  The colors used for the comic seem to be the scarcer of the two sets.  Rav is red.  Mol is purple.  Dillo is red and yellow. 

• Packrat-First Appearance: Critical Mass, Botcon ’97 comic 
• Other Appearances:  Visitations 
•  Packrat was a Maximal thief who joined Optimus Primal’s crew under circumstances that 3H has yet to reveal.  Also unknown are the circumstances under which he became a transmetal and joined Primal Prime’s crew. 
•  Packrat was released as a Botcon exclusive in 1997.  He was packaged with Fractyl and a comic book.  Less than 600 complete sets exist, with the number of Packrats made being slightly higher than that of Fractyls.    Even if you manage to find a complete set, it will probably cost at least two hundred dollars, likely more.  In The Wreckers, Packrat is shown to be a transmetal.  While no toy was released, making one will be the easiest conversion on this list.  The Wal-Mart exclusive Rattrap has a nearly identical color scheme.  Simply use a small amount of nail-polish remover to remove the name printed on the back of the toy.  (It would not do to have Packrat running around with “Rattrap” printed on his back.) 

• Primal Prime-First Appearance: The Wreckers #1 
• Other Appearances: Apelinq’s Journals 
• Primal Prime was created by the Vok.  He was created to stop Tarantulas and later led a group of Maximals and Predacons into the future where they joined the battle against Megatron’s Vehicons.
• Primal Prime was released on the general market, but is very scarce.  Prime usually costs about 40 dollars or so.   Primal Prime was repainted from Optimal Optimus.

• Ramulus-First Appearance:  The Wreckers #1 
• Other Appearances: none 
• Ramulus was “born” out of one of the many stasis pods lost by the Maximals during The Beast Wars.   After spending some time living wildly in the mountains, Ramulus joined Primal Prime’s crew and left Earth.  Ramulus feels abandoned by Optimus Primal.  It is unknown if this will be a major factor in the plot as the series progresses. 
• The good news is that Hasbro released a Ramulus toy onto the mass market.  The bad news is that it was manufactured in a different color scheme that the one appearing in The Wreckers comic.  Only a handful of green Ramulus toys are known to exist. It is one of the rarest Transformers toys ever.  If you do not have one, you probably will not find one.  If you have one, you could sell it for an obscene amount of money.  I personally have only seen one, and that was part of the Wrecker display at Botcon 2001.  I have heard rumors of two more. In short, buy a normal red Ramulus and start painting. 

• Sonar-First Appearance: The Wreckers #1 
• Other Appearances: none 
• Sonar is the only other female Wrecker.  The story of how she joined
• Primal Prime’s crew has not been told.
• Sonar did not have much panel time in the comic.  The good news is that Sonar is probably the easiest Wrecker to get.  She is fairly common, and can often be found discounted at KayBee.  If you buy Sonar from a dealer, expect to pay between ten and fifteen dollars. 

•  Tigatron-First Appearance: Fallen Comrades, Beast Wars episode 
•  Other Appearances:  Various Beast Wars episodes 
•  Tigatron was “born” from a stasis pod that opened during the Beast Wars.   Tigatron and his companion Airrazor were abducted, (Other Voices), by the Vok.  The two were fused into a new being, Tigerhawk.  When Tigerhawk was destroyed, the two Maximals were reborn in new bodies.  The art in the comic seems to indicate that Tigatron is in Ravage’s re-animated corpse.  Tigatron was one of the first to join Primal Prime. 
• Hasbro released a Tigatron toy in 1996.  Takara released a Japanese variant about a year later.  3H released Tigatron’s new form as an exclusive in 2001.   Tigatron was packaged with a special edition of The Wreckers comic book.  The toy is a repaint of the Japanese X-9 (Ravage) mold.  Like Arcee, Tigatron is easy enough to find on-line, but will probably be very expensive.    All things considered, it will probably be better to buy this toy than to make your own.  X-9 is just as expensive, just as difficult to get, and putting white paint on black plastic is an exercise in frustration. 

• Fractyl-First Appearance: Critical Mass
• Other Appearances: Visitations
• Fractyl was a Predacon geo-chemist in the second Megatron’s crew during the Beast Wars.   How he left and eventually joined Primal Prime is unknown.  Fractyl became a transmetal after being re-built by Arcee. 
• Fractyl was originally released by 3H in 1997.  He was packaged with Packrat and the Critical Mass comic book.   Fractyl was a repaint of Terrorsaur.  Slightly fewer than 600 Fractyl toys were made.  A complete set of Fractyl and Packrat toys usually will sell for at least $200, often more.  Fractyl’s transmetal form is repainted from Terrorsaur/Terranotron.    Either one is fairly common and should not cost more that fifteen to twenty dollars loose.   One fan, Zabgoth, made an interesting observation.  The transmetal Terrorsaur mold has been repainted twice, once for Terranotron, the other for Fractyl.  Oddly, Terrorsaur’s transmetal form does not count in any official story, yet both repaints do, despite Fractyl never being officially manufactured. 

• Rotorbolt-First Appearance: The Wreckers #1 
• Other Appearances: none 
• While Rotorbolt’s faction is never explicitly stated, Jon Hartman told me he is a Predacon.  Rotorbolt is a helicopter.  He is a member of The Wreckers.  That is all we really know about him. 
• No Rotorbolt toy has been made.  Rotorbolt is a repaint of Obsidian.  Aside from Packrat, Rotorbolt is the easiest Wrecker conversion.  Obsidian is still fairly common, and cheap.  A few hours of easy painting will yield a Rotorbolt.  However, those who plan to go the extra mile and replace his spark should be advised that the Obsidian mold was not made to be disassembled.  I managed to draw blood from myself while installing a new spark.  (Changing his spark actually makes Rotorbolt one of the more difficult Wreckers to produce at home.) 

• Spittor-First Appearance: The Wreckers #1 
• Other Appearances: none 
• How Spittor joined Primal Prime is still a mystery.  He is a poison frog.  He killed a few Vehicons in The Wreckers #1.  That just about sums it up. 
• While not as common as Sonar, Mirage, or Obsidian, Spittor is still one of the easier toys to find.  If you cannot find one in a mainstream toy store, Spittor is common enough on-line for less than $20 if mint in package.  Spittor is worth the money even if you hate the comic. 

Comments and Speculation

    Hallit has done well with the first issue.  However, there are areas that could be problematic.  With the sheer amount of characters in the story, The Wreckers as a series could possibly degenerate into a fan-boyish “spot the character” title.  As well as characters such as Arcee were handled, I still have some (most likely unjustified) fears that characters will start appearing for the sake of appearing, and not do anything useful in the story. 

    If The Wreckers has a downside in terms of story, it is that the first issue sets up several story lines, and then leaves the reader hanging.  While it is a given that Triple H will continue and conclude the current story-lines, a little speculation is just about the only way to pass the time. 

    I anticipate a Unicron appearance.  Arcee’s and Tigatron’s box text both mention an ancient evil.  The inside cover of the comic has a number of faction icons printed on it.  One of the factions represented is the Blendtrons.  In Japan, the Blendtrons were Unicron’s shock troops.  Tarantulas is a servant of Unicron, and makes an appearance in the first issue. 

    The sleeping giant mentioned by The Oracle could either be the Last Autobot (from the end of the original comic run), or Fortress Maximus.  Fort Max was mentally bonded to Spike, who of course was Daniel’s father.  While the comic focused on Arcee’s reaction to Daniel’s death, we did not even see Spike, and his wife Carly’s, reaction. 

    Windrazor, from Botcons 1999-2000, will be accounted for.  Apelinq is shown to be pulling Windrazor away from the battle at Omega Point.  It is unlikely that 3H would have gone out of their way to include this detail if they did not plan to do anything with it. 

    Onyx and Vicegrip will be accounted for.  Along with Windrazor, they have both been left in limbo.  At one point, Fractyl mentions a dead friend.  I tend to think it will be either Onyx or Vicgrip.  Recently, Triple H released official back-story for Onyx.  This could be setting up for something later.  (I have contacts at 3H, but I will not bother to ask.  They won’t lie to me, but that does not mean that they will tell me anything.) 

    One of the last panels shows the planet Quintessa.  I have not substantive idea what it may mean however. 

Overall

    The Wreckers is a worthwhile read.  For every spoiler in this review, there is still plenty I left out.  (I did not even mention all of the Generation One characters that appear, and in some cases die.  Oh, you get to see how powerful Tigatron is.)  Comic fans may want to buy a copy from 3H simply by virtue of the fact that it is a first issue and a good story. 

    3H has done a top notch job over the years both maintaining and expanding upon Transformers.  As a final bit of speculation, if all goes well, perhaps Triple H could publish a regular, general market Transformer comic.  I would buy it, and I think a lot of other people would as well. 
 

    Freelance writer and Transfan Nick Forgione’s work can also be found on-line at www.yellowmonster.com, www.robobase.com, as well as in The Revere Record (real newspaper published out of Revere, Mass.   And what’s more, he likes Beast Machines.  Anyone wishing to contact him (especially about job opportunities) can do so at njf@yahoo.com.

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