Skullgrin

Skullgrin is aDecepticonPretenderfrom theGeneration 1continuity family.

When you encounterSkullgrin,justwhoyou'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.

Contents 1Fiction 1.1Marvel Comics continuity 1.1.1MarvelThe Transformerscomics 1.1.2Transformers Comic-Magazin 1.1.3MarvelGeneration 2comic 1.1.4Classics 1.2DreamwaveGeneration Onecontinuity 1.32005 IDW continuity 1.4Prime Wars Trilogymarketing material 1.52019 IDW continuity 1.6Velocitron Speedia 500 2Commercial appearances 3Games 3.1Transformers: Battle Tactics 3.2Transformers: Bumblebee Overdrive 4Toys 4.1The Transformers 4.2Generations 4.3Power of the Primes 4.4Legacy 5Notes 5.1Foreign names 6References

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

MarvelThe Transformerscomics

After commandeering a genetics research lab on Earth,Scorponokwas able to create the science of Pretender shells using synthoplasmic chambers constructed by himself andVorath.Skullgrin was one of six Decepticon volunteers transformed by the process into Pretenders. But soon after the process was completed, the Decepticons took notice of a digital eavesdropper. After tracing the intruder toAlternate Reality, Inc.,Scorponok sent out his newly recreated troops to test their might against the spies. But, having gained access to the Pretender process themselves, the Autobots were able to manufacture heroic counterparts to Scorponok's goons. A digital copy ofOptimus Primeproved to be a superior tactician against the Decepticons, tipping the odds in the Autobots' favor. Skullgrin and his kin were soon driven into a retreat.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 theZ Foundation.Skullgrin caught the attention ofRollie FriendlyafterBigfoot-style sightings of him inNorth Carolinaappeared 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 hunterCircuit Breakersuspected his origins. When Skullgrin revealed his true form to the movie'sleading lady,the robophobic Circuit Breaker attacked and destroyed both the film and his movie career.Monstercon from Mars!

Scorponok's troops, Skullgrin included, met withRatbat's forces. Distrust between the two leaders led to an all-out battle between the two groups, till they realized thatStarscreamhad manipulated them both to battle while he made his escape to acquire theUnderbase.Cold War!Both Decepticon camps united, only to be once more distracted when they detected the Autobots approaching their location. Skullgrin and his teammates were ordered by Scorponok to "crush everysparkfrom their bodies. "This too was realized to have been a ruse by Starscream, and the Autobots formed a temporary alliance with the Decepticons to go after him. 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, rendering immune to Starscream's blasts.Dark Star

Along withIguanusandBomb-Burst,Skullgrin hijacked theKeeler Oil Terminalin theGulf of Mexicoto convert theoilinto a more refined form ofenergonwith atransmuter.As he completed the device, however, they were ambushed by threeAutobotPretenders and battle ensued. WhileCloudburstand Bomb-burst prevented a human jet from crashing and destroying the rig, Skullgrin and Iguanus were subdued and captured byLandmineandSplashdown.The Chain Gang!

Following the destruction of their mobile starship headquarters, the Decepticons established a new base hidden under theNew Jerseydumps. 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 captureda humansnooping 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 ofMudslinger.He battled theOff 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 battleRoadhandlerin a wrestling match.The Interplanetary Wrestling Championship!

He later partook in an attack on the Autobots atMacDill Air Force BaseinFlorida.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 alongsideHot Rod.Skin Deep

When the Autobots surrendered to the Decepticons, Skullgrin and Bomb-Burst made sure to remove Cloudburst's armor to assure he wouldn't use it to rebel. WhenOptimus 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 joinedBludgeon,Soundwave,andOctopunchin an assault on Starscream,Mindwipe,andRunabout....All This and Civil War 2

Transformers Comic-Magazin

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 TerrorAt another point, Bomb-Burst, Skullgrin, and Submarauder attempted to stop theRace Car Patroland theOff Road Patrolfrom joining a mission to stop Decepticons from gathering spilledoilinAlaska,but they failed in this task.Headmaster of the DimensionsThe 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 byGoldbug.Memories of Bumblebee

MarvelGeneration 2comic

Skullgrin was sent out with five of his fellow Decepticons to exploreFahl space,and their ship was attacked by theCybertronians.Skullgrin alone survived long enough to try to return toMegatron,and exploded in re-entry attempting to warn his leader.New Dawn

Classics

Twenty years after the battle of Klo, Skullgrin had joinedGigatron's Decepticons on Earth, and was present when Gigatron's team attacked the Autobots'Ironworksheadquarters for their hiddenRarified Energonreserves.Invasion Prologue

While observing Ironworks with Gigatron and the rest of his troops from afar, Skullgrin and the others received word fromSpinisterthat 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.Octopunchand Skullgrin tried to sneak into Ironworks from underground, but encountered two alleged Autobots instead.Scoopproved more than a match for Skullgrin, first destroying the shell, then defeating the inner robot.Invasion

DreamwaveGeneration Onecontinuity

Skullgrin was a brilliant and methodical field commander for the Decepticons. However, nobody likes intelligence in theDecepticon Empire,so his superiors put ashell programin 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

2005 IDW continuity

First appearance:Stormbringer#1

Skullgrin was one of the cultists underBludgeonattempting to resurrectThunderwing.Spotlight: SoundwaveWhenJetfireand theTechnobotscame snooping aroundThunderhead Pass,Skullgrin and the other cultists attacked and captured most of the Autobot scientists.Stormbringer #1When Jetfire attempted to escape his confinement, he bashed Skullgrin into a wall.Stormbringer #2Later, whenOptimus Primeand theWreckersarrived,Springerblew Skullgrin up with a grenade.Stormbringer #3

Skullgrin survived the encounter and was taken toGarrus-9.AfterOverlordtook control of the prison, he freedShockwave,who selected certain Decepticons to take with him. Like the rest of Shockwave's companions, he was onThe List,and had been intended to be handed over to theDecepticon Justice Divisionin exchange for the former Senator being allowed to go free, a dealTarnrejected.The Ties That Bind

Prime Wars Trilogymarketing material

Skullgrin was aPrime Masterwho housed the spark energy ofLiege Maximo,able to grant trickster abilities to other Transformers.Power of the PrimesSkullgrin / Liege Maximo online bio

2019 IDW continuity

Skullgrin was a member ofMayhem,a terrorist group operating on the Cybertronian colony ofVelocitron.They denounced the colony's practice of choosing theirFirst Senatorusing theSpeedia 500race, and promised to disrupt it. For effect, Mayhem murdered an upcoming racer namedElectronson a live broadcast.Tread & Circuits Part 1

During the race, Skullgrin tried to bury the racers with explosives triggering an avalanche. Mayhem bottle-necked most of the racers in a mountain pass, attacking the participants. An Ascenticon namedKnock Outmade it through the commotion and won, but Skullgrin and most of Mayhem escaped capture.Tread & Circuits Part 3At the swearing-in ceremony days later, Mayhem assaulted the Velocitronian Senate. Skullgrin fought withThunderclash,leader of theWreckersstunt team, but was beaten unconscious. Only later, after the Wreckers had departed, was it revealed that Mayhem and the Ascenticons had collaborated from the beginning. Knock Out's ascension to First Senator had been planned, and now the Decepticons ruled Velocitron.Tread & Circuits Part 4

Velocitron Speedia 500

Skullgrin was one of many spectators for theSpeedia 500race onVelocitron.Velocitron Speedia 500 Part 2He remained for the second week of the race, where he was infatuated withAxlegrease.Velocitron Speedia 500 Part 3

Commercial appearances

Shortly after the Autobots developedPretenders,the Decepticons learned to duplicate the process. Their own foray into this technology yielded Skullgrin,Bomb-Burst,andSubmarauder.The Decepticon Pretenders forced their way into the Autobot research lab that birthed their heroic counterparts, where they proved just as capable of splitting from the shells to fight on two fronts each. Skullgrin faced off againstLandminein the ensuing fight.Pretenders commercial

Games

Transformers: Battle Tactics

Skullgrin participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was an Uncommon character who could be recruited after collecting 75 units of Cybermetal and 36 units of Transmetal.Transformers: Battle Tactics

Transformers: Bumblebee Overdrive

Skullgrin was in command of the eighth Decepticon base attacked and destroyed by the Autobots during a series of raids. He pursued the invaders in tank mode launching several bombs and missiles against his target, but foolishly ran over his own bombs and blew himself up.Transformers: Bumblebee Overdrive

Toys

The Transformers

• Skullgrin(Pretender,1988)

• Accessories:Pretender shell, "vibro-sword",left & right" lasers ", belt
• Known designers:Masakatsu Saito(concept artist)

Released in the fifth year of the originalThe Transformerstoyline (fourth in European matkets) in the first assortment of Pretenders,Skullgrin turns into a Cybertronic "assault tank", withtwo built-in cannonsin 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. 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 slagmaker laser",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 molded in softer, rubberized plastic, like most shell accessories. The lower jaw of the skull is molded 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. Which is admittedly kind of wicked-cool.

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, which can lead to splitting if done a lot. The shell is armed with the vibro-sword and the double gun.

Skullgrin was sold in Japan asDauros.

• More information on Skullgrin at TFU.info

Generations

• Skullgrin(Deluxe Class,2010)

• Accessories:Pick-axe/cannon, missile launcher, machine gun, smoke grenade launchers
• Known designers:Bill RawleyandJoe Kyde(Hasbro),Andrew Scribner(deco artist)

Part of the fifth wave ofGenerationsDeluxe Class toys, Skullgrin is aretoolandredecoofGenerationsDarkmountwith a new head, transforming into a half-trackedself-propelled artillery vehicleinspired by theSouth African G6 Rhino,and a tripod-mountedhowitzerplatform.

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 withC jointsand 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.

This mold was also used to makeBotCon 2012'sThe Bard of Darkmount.

• More information onGenerationsSkullgrin at TFU.info

Power of the Primes

• Liege Maximo(Prime Master,2018)

• TakaraTomy ID number:PP-02
• TakaraTomy release date:May 25,2018
• Accessories:Skullgrin decoy armor, claw
• Known designers:John Warden(Hasbro),Robby Musso(concept artist)

Released in the first wave ofPower of the PrimesPrime Master toys,Liege Maximois a tiny robot (the same size and general construction of aTitan Master) that comes with a "decoy armor" based on Skullgrin'sPretendershell, which can transform into a large weapon-mode which can be held by other toys. The flip-out claw part can also detach from the armor and be held in its 3 mm-compatible hand.

The inner Prime Master robot can store inside the decoy armor or rideLegends Classfigures in vehicle mode, and is fully compatible with toys from the previousTitans Returnline. The "Power Swap" gimmick means itssparkform can plug onto any decoy armor's weapon form (which has a5 mm postto be held by larger figures), Deluxe Class figures' chest armor, Voyager Class figures' bucklers, Leader Class figures'Matrix(in place of their Matrix core),combiners' torsos (in place of theirEnigma of Combination), or theScepter of Sparks.With the power ofyourimagination, this bestows the Prime Master'sunique poweron the larger figure.

Depending on the individual copy, the peg holes on Liege Maximo's legs varies from normal size to near-shallow, which the latter makes him somewhat prone to falling off from the decoy armor's weapon form. Unlike every other Titan Master/Prime Master, Liege Maximo and his fellow first wave Prime Masters feature backpacks/symbols secured by pins instead of screws.

While not ashelfwarmer,Liege Maximo could still be found among future waves of thePower of the Primesline, and even among figures of the followingWar for Cybertron: Siegeline.

Liege Maximo/Skullgrin was retooled with a newPrime Mastersigil and decoy armor front asThe Fallen/Bomb-Burst.

Legacy

• Skullgrin(Deluxe Class,2022)

• TakaraTomy name:Skullgrin(スカルグリン)
• TakaraTomy ID number:TL-18
• TakaraTomy release date:February 25,2023
• Accessories:2 swords, 2 blasters, connector/tail unit
• Known designers:Mark Maher(Hasbro),Hisashi Yuki(TakaraTomy)

Part of the third wave ofLegacyDeluxe Class figures, Skullgrin, like his fellow PretenderIguanusof the same line, transforms from a robot mode that hybridizes elements of the shell and inner robot of his original toy into a Cybertronian tank that bears only a vague resemblance to his original vague alt-mode. In robot mode, his tail is articulated. Cute! The white nylon frames in the legs are quite thin, which can result in the treads detaching during transformation.^[2]

He includes four weapons (whicharebased on his original weapons both hand-held and built-in), which can combine together into a sword/cannon hybrid. The instructions suggest that Skullgrin's swords can plug into the5 mm portson his sides as shields, and his cannons can be plugged into his back in robot mode. Amusingly, the cannons are carved to look like there are fists folded into them, as this was how the original Skullgrin toy appeared... though if you want to getsupernitpicky, and of coursewe do,these faux-fists are not at the same angle as those of the original toy.

Mark Maher's commentary shows a skull attached to a piece that forms the front of the tank mode on Skullgrin's component diagram, but this was cut from the final toy. As with every other figure but the original, Skullgrin's face is once again missing a lower jaw,howeverMaher intended for there to be one until very late in the process bucking the usual trend of it just going unnoticed that Skullgrin ever had one in the first place.^[3]Skullgrin’s stock image shows him with purple paint on his chest, however the actual release has him with burgundy paint on his chest, the same as elsewhere on his body.

This mold wasretooledto make theBuzzworthy BumblebeeTroop Builder Pack Cybertronian Trooper,and more extensively retooled intoLegacy: UnitedQuake.

Notes

• Skullgrin'scharacter modelin theMarvelcomics is based onTakaraconcept art byMasakatsu Saito,rather than aMarvel Productions/Toei-original model.
• Bob Budiansky originally wrote Skullgrin's profile sometime in 1987, well before giving the character the spotlight inissue #45of the Marvel Comic in mid-1988. Skullgrin's depiction in this story doesn't match up with the profile; his bio describes him as having a "split personality" —rational while in robot mode, but a feral beast while inside his shell—yet he spends nearly the whole comic inside his shell, and is largely coherent throughout. When the profile was printed years later in 1990'sissue #72,it was amended after the fact to insert an explanation for Skullgrin's behavior in the earlier issue, blaming his "two disparate personalities trying to interface on the same level".
• Skullgrin initially appears inStormbringerusing a new mechanical design mostly based on his classic Pretender shell before dying inStormbringer#3.This leaves a separate Cybertronian inspired by the inner robot design alone to be Skullgrin's Japanese counterpart,Dauros.Bomb-BurstandBloodshare a similar pattern in this continuity. However, Skullgrin reappears inLost Light#14,drawn according to the inner robot design. He then makes a final cameo appearance inOptimus Prime#20drawn according to the Pretender shell.

Foreign names

• Japanese:Skullgrin(スカルグリンSukarugurin)
• French:Crânien(Canada, "Cranial" )
• Italian:Korno( "Horn" )
• Mandarin:Shānyáng Guài( sơn dương quái, "Goat Monster" )

References