Scavenger (Armada)

Scavenger is an Autobot from the Armada portion of the Unicron Trilogy continuity family.

"Scavenger SMASH Mini-Cons."

A grizzled old mercenary, Scavenger has fought on both sides of the war between the Autobots and Decepticons across the centuries. Said to be one of the greatest Cybertronian martial artists of all time, his wealth of hard-earned experience won over eons of conflict makes him unafraid to speak his mind, even to the likes of Megatron.

Despite his mercenary nature, Scavenger has a strong sense of honor and loyalty, which drives him to nurture the potential he sees in others. Long ago, he trained Optimus Prime in combat, and the Autobot commander values his old mentor's counsel; in the present day, he has taken an interest in the young warriors Hot Shot and Starscream. In particular, he sees the makings of a great leader in Hot Shot, despite the youngster's cockiness and bravado... but that's nothing that can't be beaten out of him.

Scavenger's Mini-Con partner is Rollbar.

Fiction

Toy pack-in comics

The Destruction Team sense a theme.
L'équipe Destruction détectent un thème.
El Equipo de Destrucción sentido un tema.

Scavenger and Rollbar were assigned the task of constructing a satellite dish that could help find Megatron. In response, Megatron sent the Destruction Mini-Con Team and Starscream to destroy the dish, which they succeeded at. But Scavenger retaliated, plowing Starscream into the sea and tying up the Destruction Team. In the battle's aftermath, Scavenger was saddened at the destruction of his satellite dish, but Rollbar cheered him up by reminding him that they could build another one. Armada Volume 2

Scavenger later walked around while the Air Defense Team asked Optimus Prime if they could investigate a distress signal. Armada Volume 3 He cheered on Optimus Prime's defeat of Galvatron on Cybertron. Armada Volume 4

Dreamwave Armada continuity

Dreamwave Armada comic

A million years ago, Smokescreen and Scavenger were guarding the entrance to the Loop when Hot Shot barged in, demanding to know where Optimus Prime was. Smokescreen informed him that Prime was in the satellite room and asked if anything was wrong. All Hot Shot would say was that wrong didn't begin to describe the situation. Armada #1 What had transpired was that a group of renegade Cybertronians calling themselves "Decepticons" were attacking Mini-Con villages and capturing the inhabitants for some reason. While sifting through the rubble of Village C-52, Scavenger opined that it looks like the diminutive Mini-Cons tried to put up a fight, but didn't stand a chance. Soon afterwards, Megatron, the Decepticon leader, attacked Cyber City, with his captured Mini-Cons re-engineered to Powerlinx with Bulks, providing them great power. The Autobots were beaten up and forced to retreat. Armada #2

For a million years the civil war raged on, the once-proud Autobots struggling to defend themselves against the powerful, Mini-Con augmented Decepticons, who were in possession of Cybertron's only remaining Mini-Cons, the others having escaped at the beginning of the conflict. Hope came in the form of a Mini-Con Reactivation Signal sent from a distant world called Earth and the Autobots resolved to go there and fight for Truth, Justice and Freedom. Almost immediately after arriving on Earth, Smokescreen was destroying public property and suggesting that they simply smash their way across the planet to find the Mini-Cons, a plan that Scavenger agreed to, as Cybertron was their priority. This callous attitude earned them both a sharp, furious rebuke from Optimus Prime, who refused to stoop down to the level of the Decepticons. However, he also understood their frustration, telling them to save their anger for the Decepticons. Scavenger apologised for being out of line, suggesting that his logic chip was damaged. Unfortunately for the Autobots, the Decepticons had already arrived and were chasing after Sparkplug's group of Mini-Cons and their human friends, Rad, Carlos, and Alexis. Prime and Scavenger arrived just in time to smash Starscream and Cyclonus out of the sky. Armada #4

Smokescreen sure knows how to kill a conversation.

While Optimus Prime kept Megatron distracted by trash talking the Decepticon's failure to defeat the Autobots with all of their power, Smokescreen snuck up and demolished the cliff face Megatron was perched upon with his head. Scavenger noted that at least Smokescreen didn't injure anything important. Eventually Megatron Powerlinxed with all of his Mini-Cons and gained the upper hand, but help came in the form of Jolt's group of Mini-Cons, who Powerlinxed with the Autobots. Rollbar linked with Scavenger, giving him extra punching power. At a tactical disadvantage, the Decepticons were forced to flee. Armada #5

Soon after establishing their base, Optimus detected unusually high energy readings in the vicinity of Death Valley in California, and sent Smokescreen and Scavenger to investigate. After some time, they reported back that the Decepticons were readying to launch some sort of rocket. Unfortunately, the Autobots were occupied with a Mini-Con rescue operation in Alaska, so Laserbeak brought them orders to do whatever was necessary to stop the Decepticons... about twenty minutes after the rocket had been launched. Fire & Ice

Scavenger forgets he's literally both a bulldozer and a steamroller.

After arriving back from Death Valley, Smokescreen and Scavenger found an extensively damaged Optimus Prime inside Autobase: Earth and rushed him to the medical bay. When the others returned from Alaska sans their Optimus Prime, they worked together to save this Prime's life and find out what had happened to their Optimus Prime. Sadly, despite their best efforts, this Prime awakened only momentarily to deliver a cryptic warning about the walls of reality crumbling and the coming chaos before dying. Worlds Collide, Part 1 of 4

When the Decepticons detected the Autobots searching the multiverse for Optimus Prime, Megatron launched an attack on Autobase: Earth, seizing the opportunity to hit the Autobots while their biggest guns were missing. During the battle, Smokescreen and Scavenger were the front-line defense sent to buy time. Scavenger, despite being a bulldozer, swerved out of the way of the approaching tank-mode Demolishor and fell down a hill. This apparently knocked him out.

Really. Worlds Collide, Part 2 of 4

He survived the battle, but Smokescreen was seriously damaged by Megatron. Worlds Collide, Part 3 of 4 Worlds Collide, Part 4 of 4 Scavenger and the others took Smokescreen to the Autobase on Cybertron for extensive repairs, though there was a fear he might never recover. During the final battle against Unicron, Scavenger, Hot Shot, and Red Alert ambushed and blasted Megatron into the Chaos Bringer's depths to avenge Smokescreen. The End

Energon comic

During the peaceful times that followed Unicron's defeat, Scavenger was seen driving around in Cyber City. This Evil Reborn The peace didn't last, however, and Scavenger soon returned to Earth to defend it from the Terrorcons. He was either assigned to Prowl's unit in Tokyo or Inferno's unit in Moscow. Multiplicity, Pt. 2

Cartoon continuity

Linkage

"Now I'm not one to shoot from the hip...or maybe I am."

Shortly after arriving on Earth, Scavenger returned to his ship to find the Super Stunt Team and Speed Chaser Team fighting outside. On the request of Rollbar, he Powerlinxed with the Mini-Con and joined the battle on the free Mini-Cons' side, destroying the Speed Chaser Team's Fixer Bugs and sending them fleeing. Having no use for his ship anymore, he let the Super Stunt Team have his ship on the condition they'd tell no one about him. Linkage Part 4 Scavenger then drove off with Rollbar, whose decision to link up with Scavenger had activated his Servility Program and made him loyal to the Bulk. Linkage Part 5

Armada cartoon

Voice actor: Ward Perry (English), Keiji Fujiwara (Japanese), Staffan Lindberg (Swedish), Raine Heiskanen (Finnish), Michel Dodane (French), Luiz Feier Motta (Brazilian Portuguese), Ole Pfennig (German), Paolo Buglioni (Italian), Rubén León (Latin-American Spanish)

GAME OVER, MAN!

Millions of years ago, a young Optimus Prime fought with the great Decepticon warrior. So frequent were their clashes, and so familiar were they to each other, the pair eventually became friends, and Scavenger signed up with the Autobots. Seeing great potential in the young Autobot, Scavenger taught Optimus Prime how to fight in hand-to-hand combat. Trust

Scavenger was hired by Megatron for his skills as a mercenary and a bounty hunter for Mini-Cons, due to the troubles Megatron was having with the troops under his command. Scavenger claimed that at first he did not know whether to accept the contract or not, until he saw the sorry state of the Decepticons after their defeat at the hands of Hot Shot and the Star Saber. His mocking lack of respect or fear for Megatron intimidated the other Decepticons, as well as earning Starscream's hatred.

His first appearance on Earth was during an observation of a battle between Starscream and Hot Shot. Noting that Hot Shot only won because the Star Saber sensed its wielder's inexperience, Scavenger challenged the younger Autobot and soundly beat him, despite suffering a serious wound. Overmatch

Scavenger got stuck with digging duty to unearth the next Mini-Con. In exchange for doing "all the work," as Scavenger put it, Megatron promised to let him keep the Mini-Con he dug out. But his need to settle scores with Hot Shot won out, and he ditched his post when he heard the Autobots were approaching. Hot Shot used a bit more ingenuity in their next bout, and though Scavenger was defeated, he still ridiculed Hot Shot, claiming the sword was wasted in his hands. Gale On their next bout with the Autobots, Scavenger opted to watch from a distance instead of actively participating. When Hot Shot and Sideways were warped back to the Decepticons' moonbase alongside his retreating teammates, Scavenger waited a while before warping back himself. He got there in time to see Hot Shot get beaten up after Sideways had betrayed him and handed the Star Saber to Starscream. He convinced the others to leave Hot Shot alive and dump him back at the Autobots' base, instead of executing him. Credulous

DOOOOOOOODGE!!!

Scavenger continued to criticize Hot Shot on the battlefield whenever they encountered one another, though his words became increasingly useful tips for Hot Shot to steel himself on the battlefield... Scavenger also got himself his own Mini-Con, Rollbar, before telling Megatron that he felt he had fulfilled his contract; the Decepticons had gained the advantage over the Autobots, and so his services were no longer needed. Taking Rollbar, Scavenger left the Decepticons... and headed straight for the Autobots' headquarters. Optimus allowed him passage inside the base, and revealed to his troops that Scavenger had in fact been his spy and double agent all along. Conspiracy

Now that his true allegiance had been revealed, Scavenger took to training Hot Shot, though he seemed to nap on the job an awful lot. This didn't help instill any trust in him, especially for Smokescreen and the kids, who were worried of being betrayed as they had been with Sideways. Their suspicions were apparently confirmed when Scavenger seemed to disappear during their next mission. In truth, Scavenger was simply fighting smarter, and used a sneak attack to take Megatron out of the fight. This allowed the Autobots to secure their first Mini-Con in a long while. Smokescreen and the kids apologized for doubting Scavenger, and he accepted their apologies without making a fuss out of it. Trust

Scavenger and Hot Shot planned to stay behind at the base and train while Smokescreen and Red Alert took the kids on a camping trip, but they were called into action when a flash flood endangered their allies. Scavenger's alternate mode came in handy digging Red Alert out of a mudslide while Carlos and a younger boy were trapped inside him. Scavenger and Smokescreen got them to safety just as a torrent of water came bearing down on them. Vacation

Scavenger called in his old friend Blurr to help the Autobots, and though they secured Incinerator thanks to his help, Blurr had trouble fitting in a team unit. Despite being the one who had invited him in, Scavenger didn't involve himself while Blurr clashed with Hot Shot. Then, the final member of the Skyboom Shield trio, Downshift, activated on his own and drove away from anyone who would approach him, leaving Scavenger to deal with the Decepticons while the speedier 'bots chased him down. Due to Hot Shot and Blurr's bickering, the Autobots lost Downshift to the Decepticons. Reinforcement Later, Megatron issued a challenge to the Autobots, asking them to meet him in battle and bring an end to their conflict once and for all. Despite their enemies wielding both the Star Saber and the Skyboom Shield, the Autobots agreed to the fight. Scavenger was unable to be of much help after he was injured by Cyclonus earlier in the battle. The clash ended with the Skyboom Shield in Autobot hands, and Scavenger heaped praise onto Smokescreen for his part in their victory. Decisive Battle

The Autobots began building strategies around the use of the Skyboom Shield, though Scavenger lamented that they were awfully complicated. Their tactics were preempted anyways when the bulk of the Autobot forces stepped into a Decepticon trap, which left them scattered all over the globe. Worse yet, they couldn't reconvene while their communication system was being scrambled. When they finally managed to get their transmissions sorted out, Scavenger and the others surrounded Megatron, rescued Optimus Prime, and forced the Decepticon leader to abandon several of his Mini-Cons into their custody. Vow

While Scavenger and the other Autobots were away, Alexis, Carlos, and Rad traveled into a digital realm and met with an evil force. The Autobots returned to base and safely extricated the kids before said force could do them any harm though. Chase

With the Skyboom Shield in their possession, the Autobots became more and more adept at using coordinated tactics to defeat the Decepticons. Scavenger was able to retrieve Prowl's Mini-Con panel easily, but he began to worry as the other Autobots grew overconfident. His concern was quickly proven to be well-founded, as Optimus was nearly slain when Thrust joined the conflict on the Decepticons' side. Thankfully, Jetfire joined the fight at a pivotal moment, restoring the balance of power. Tactician But Optimus needed time to recover, and Scavenger was left to contemplate how much the Decepticons' battle prowess had improved thanks to the new addition to their ranks. As Thrust unfolded another scheme of his, this time isolating Jetfire over the ocean where the other Autobots couldn't come to his aid, Scavenger prepared to warp out and give what little support he could from a nearby island. Before he could do so, Optimus stumbled out of the medical bay, and ordered him to warp him into the warzone instead. Scavenger complied, and Optimus displayed his ability to combine with Jetfire. Together, they saved the day once more. Linkup

In a rare moment of downtime, Scavenger was supposed to help Optimus, Hot Shot, and Red Alert fix up Autobot headquarters, but not knowing what to actually do, opted to rest his optics instead. Later, the Autobots squared off against the Decepticons on a beachfront Detection but Scavenger was unable to help out much once Tidal Wave arrived. He was forced to lay down cover fire for other players while they attempted to take on the colossal Decepticon. Awakening Tidal Wave, of course, shot back. Scavenger was further kept occupied by first Starscream, and then Demolishor, when Tidal Wave combined with Megatron so they could take down Optimus Prime together. The timely appearance of Space Mini-Con team, and their combination into the Requiem Blaster saved the day for the Autobots; with the weapon in Optimus's hands, the Decepticons were forced to retreat. Desperate

The Requiem Blaster was a source of argument for the Autobots, however. With this new weapon, several of them were eager to storm the Decepticon base in the hopes of ending the war. Scavenger held a neutral position in the debate. Before a decision could be reached, it was discovered that the Space Mini-Con Team had run off along with the kids. Most of the Autobots went out looking for them, though Scavenger and Jetfire stayed behind on monitor duty, since their vehicle modes stuck out too much while in public. Runaway

When the Autobots were informed by a mysterious source to meet the Decepticons in battle within a forest, they opted to leave the Requiem Blaster behind. Soon, the Decepticons arrived to fight them, as promised... or rather, Starscream engaged the group alone. When it dawned on the Decepticon that he was outnumbered, as Scavenger and the others surrounded him while his back-up was nowhere to be seen, he took off. Unfortunately, Megatron had noticed the absence of the Requiem Blaster on the battlefield, and shifted his strategy accordingly. Scavenger and the others warped back to their base when they learned the Decepticons were infiltrating it in their absence. They were too late to assist Smokescreen, who had been left behind to guard the Mini-Cons. Smokescreen nearly died while Megatron retreated, Requiem Blaster in hand. Sacrifice

When Starscream defected to the Autobots, Scavenger argued in favor of accepting him, over Hot Shot's objections. Hot Shot argued that they couldn't trust someone who had betrayed his previous commander, but Scavenger put the younger bot in his place by pointing out that he himself had done much the same thing. Smokescreen was rebuilt into a new body, and the Autobots used data provided by Starscream to open a warp gate to the Moon in order to storm the Decepticon camp. Regeneration The attack on the Decepticon moonbase begun with the Autobots besieging Megatron's throne room. During the conflict, Side Swipe utterly failed at taking on Tidal Wave, and Scavenger suggested the younger Autobot pick on someone more his size. The battle then spread throughout the Decepticons' base, until the Decepticon-held Mini-Cons were located. Scavenger helped cover the Mini-Cons' escape back to Autobot headquarters, and followed them shortly afterwards. Rescue

When the Autobots learned that a new Mini-Con had been detected on the planet Mars, Carlos became excited over the prospect of traveling off-world, and asked Scavenger to come along with him on the mission. Scavenger responded that he wasn't going on the mission at all; as the only two flight-capable Autobots, Jetfire and Starscream were the only two who could make the trip. Mars

Why...didn't...you...DOOOOODGE???

Scavenger helped his fellow Autobots in building a spaceship. Their labor was nearing its end when it was interrupted by a Decepticon attack on the Autobots' base. Unfortunately, as Scavengers and the others fought, Starscream snatched away both the Skyboom Shield and the Star Saber, and returned to the Decepticons. Crack Subsequently, the Autobots scrambled to come up with a plan to stop the Hydra Cannon. During their discussion, Hot Shot accused Optimus of being at fault for allowing Starscream into their ranks. Scavenger held Hot Shot back as Optimus walked off to think, telling the remorseful young 'bot to leave their leader be. Optimus and Jetfire then warped into orbit to ward off Earth's destruction. They succeeded, though it came at the cost of Optimus Prime's life. Crisis Due to his earlier outburst, Hot Shot took this particularly hard, and so Scavenger took him to an abandoned highway to knock some sense into him. Hot Shot fled, but was intercepted by the other Autobots, who gave him a long pep talk. Scavenger eventually caught up and aimed a massive punch at Hot Shot; when Hot Shot didn't flinch, Scavenger decided he was now mature and brave enough to lead the Autobots. Remorse Scavenger accompanied Hot Shot as he addressed the Mini-Cons, telling them they were allowed to choose for themselves whether or not they would return to Cybertron with the Autobots. When the Mini-Cons later protested Hot Shot's decision to disallow the children from coming with them into space, Scavenger was by his side again. Hot Shot relented after the Mini-Cons' mini-mutiny, and the Autobots, Mini-Cons, and children all journeyed into space inside the newly completed Axalon. Depart

The Axalon's path took the Autobots through an asteroid field. As they were about to emerge from this dangerous region, the Decepticons attacked them, having turned their own ship around to crush their pursuers. Scavenger grappled with Demolishor atop an asteroid, only to be blown back by a shot of the Requiem Blaster, wielded by Megatron. The Decepticon leader was about ot finish him off when Side Swipe came to his rescue. The Decepticons retreated when Optimus, revived by the Mini-Cons through the Matrix, pushed Megatron back with the power of his super mode. Miracle No sooner had the Autobots welcomed their leader back than their ship was pulled through a worm hole to a dead planet, where they were menaced by a twisted clone of Optimus named Nemesis Prime. While Scavenger stayed on the Axalon with most of the Autobots, Prime ended his dark doppelgänger's threat. Puppet

By the time the Autobots had repaired the Axalon and arrived over Cybertron, the Decepticons had managed to take over the planet. On their homeworld's surface, Scavenger and Hoist (formerly Smokescreen) fought through Decepticons tank troops and rallied the surviving Autobots to help in the resistance. Meanwhile, a black hole appeared in the sky. The Mini-Con continued to display their mysterious powers, and helped keep the black hole at bay. Uprising Scavenger and the rest of Optimus's crew were forced to remain in orbit on the Axalon while Jetfire scouted Cybertron's surface for a safe landing zone. When Scavenger learned that Hot Shot went off on his own to meet Galvatron face-to-face, he agreed with Blurr that going after the young Autobot would be counter-productive. He was still unconvinced that Hot Shot would be able to persuade Galvatron to join his forces to the Autobots. The Axalon then received a transmission from Jetfire, pointing them towards a region where they could set themselves down. Thanks to the Mini-Cons providing them cover with illusory copies of their ship, the Autobots managed to bypass the Decepticons' defenses and make planetfall. Dash Scavenger then helped Hoist spread the word to the Autobot masses that they were being evacuated from the planet. Though they met with resistance, informing the Autobot generals that the order came directly from Optimus helped convince them to clear out. Drift

The Autobots put in action a plan to force Galvatron into a situation where Optimus would have the opportunity to reason with him. Scavenger and the other Autobots forestalled the Decepticons while Optimus drew their leader away from the battleground. The Autobots' and Decepticons' firefight was interrupted by an energy discharge from Unicron, and soon thereafter Galvatron was swayed by Starscream's death to unite his forces with Optimus's. Cramp Scavenger attended a formal ceremony where Prime and Galvatron shook hands, uniting the Autobots and Decepticons into an armada that struck at Unicron together. Alliance All attempts to damage Unicron proved futile. Determining their best plan of attack laid in attacking Unicron from within, Optimus and Galvatron infiltrated their gargantuan foe's body. Meanwhile, Scavenger and the rest of the troops kept Unicron occupied with their ships, in the hopes of forestalling Cybertron's annihilation. Union

Thankfully, the team inside of Unicron succeeded in retrieving the Mini-Con weapons, de-powering the Chaos Bringer. Though Side Swipe was worried that Optimus wouldn't be able to extricate himself from the evil planet, Scavenger assured him their leader could take care of himself. The Transformers then scrambled to eliminate Unicron before he recovered, but this proved unnecessary; once Galvatron sacrificed himself, there was no longer enough hatred in the universe to sustain Unicron, and he vanished from existence. The Transformers' war now at an end, Scavenger and his fellow Cybertronians stood united as a race, and begun rebuilding their war-torn planet. Mortal Combat

Cloud

While looking through the South American jungle for a Mini-Con, Scavenger, Hot Shot, and Side Swipe came across Starscream, who was soon joined by Cyclonus and Demolishor. Return

Force of Habit

With the Unicron Singularity forcing the evacuation of Cybertron, Scavenger and a number of Autobot leaders were summoned to the Iron Hope, where Ultra Magnus dispatched them across the galaxy to locate the lost Autobot colony worlds. Scavenger was given command of the DieCast and sent to Zeta Persei. Force of Habit

Panini Armada comic

WHO FARTED?

Scavenger was stationed on Cybertron when the Decepticons were discovered on Earth's moon. Alongside Smokescreen, he was sent to the Moon via space bridge, a process which he did not enjoy. The two Autobots were greeted by Cyclonus and Starscream, who outpowered them thanks to their Mini-Cons. Scavenger was forced to retreat until an Autobot probe awakened Rollbar, who Powerlinxed with him and allowed him to drive the 'cons away. Between Two Worlds!

Scavenger and Smokescreen later returned to the Moon (or maybe they were there all along) to infiltrate the Decepticons' new base. They made their way to the space bridge control room and linked the Decepticons' space bridge to the Autobot one on Earth. This allowed the Autobots to teleport two Decepticon missiles straight back into their base, which exploded behind Scavenger and Smokescreen as they drove off. Earthshaker!

Games

Transformers: Battle Tactics

I'm essentially the only bot with First Strikes on all five of my numbers!

Armada Scavenger participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was an Epic character who was available as a reward to 20 leagues in the "Armada: Episode 3: Between Two Worlds" event. Transformers: Battle Tactics

Toys

Armada

Walk like a maaan...

• Scavenger with Rollbar (Max-Con Class, 2002)

• Takara name: Devastor
• Takara ID number: MC-07
• Takara release date: April 24, 2003
• Accessories: Missile
• Known designers: Aaron Archer (Hasbro), Takashi Kunihiro (Takara)

Released in the second wave of Armada Max-Cons, Scavenger transforms into a large green front-end loader equipped with a rear roller drum. Unusual for Transformers toys, Scavenger features fully-functional rubber caterpillar treads. In vehicle mode, pushing Scavenger forward will cause the large purple drum wheel at the back to rotate, making driving sounds, and as he rolls forward, his shovel blade will move up and down. He also has an opening driver's cabin designed mainly to accommodate his Mini-Con partner Rollbar in robot mode; pressing down on the Mini-Con activates engine start up and revving sounds.

In robot mode, Scavenger has no "useful" leg articulation whatsoever, as his legs are halves of the shovel blade pegged onto the purple drum wheel... but that doesn't matter. Pushing Scavenger forward in robot mode rotates the wheel, moving the leg-facades up and down in a simulation of walking. Each step is accompanied by a stomp sound effect. This is great. Twisting his waist activates a crashing metal sound effect. Powerlinxing a Mini-Con to the active Powerlinx plug on his right hip then pulling it back fires spring-loaded missile, as well as activating a laser firing sound.

In order to get him to stand upright when not activating the walking gimmick, one must lock one of his legs down using the flap on the armature; this brings it down far enough for the toe to touch the ground, keeping him upright instead of tilted forwards. In addition one can also unpeg the other leg from the drum and lock the flap on its armature allowing both feet to touch the ground, creating the illusion that he is standing in place. However, this results in one leg flopping around due to it not being connected.

The Takara Legend of the Microns release of "Devastor" has only one notable difference from the Hasbro release, having a "separated" Autobot symbol on his chest rather than a solid block of red.

This mold was also used to make Energon Treadbolt.

• More information on Scavenger at TFU.info

Merchandise

Super Collection Figure

He's really a big softie. No, literally.

• Devastor (Super Collection Figure, 2003)
  • Act: 10
  • Accessories: Stand

Super Collection Figure Devastor is small, non-transforming PVC figure released during Act 10 (the second Legends of the Microns wave) of the line. Like all figures in the line, he was blindpacked and was available in both normal colors and a metallic silver "pewter" version, at an equal ration of one each per case of twelve.

Act 10 is notable for using much softer plastic than the preceding nine Acts, which can lead to balance and peg-tearing issues. Devastor is thankfully safe from the former, having a very simple flat-feet pose and large stompers as a base. However, there is a potential peg problem pertaining to pewter parts, as the pegs may have been painted before pushed into place. And with the softer plastic of Act 10, this makes a stuck peg even easier to tear off. This is mostly only a potential issue with Devastor's arms, and a light shaving of the socket walls with a thin hobby knife should solve the issue.

Notes

• From a design standpoint, Scavenger is essentially an homage to the Generation 1 Constructicons. His coloring is the same distinctive green and purple of the Constructicons, his name, of course, is based off one of the Constructicons (while his Japanese name is the same as Devastator's), and his alternate form is that of a bulldozer, similar to another Constructicon. In addition, his Cybertronic robot mode, seen in the episode "Trust", uses a rifle drawn to resemble Devastator's. The biggest obvious difference is, well, he's an Autobot.
• Scavenger's motivations, particularly as explained in the episode "Trust", are one of the most significant changes made by the English dub of the Armada cartoon. As intended by the Japanese writers, and indeed supported by basically all of the preceding episodes, Scavenger was genuinely affiliated with the Decepticons, but disliked them, and only didn't switch sides sooner because he considered it cowardly to betray his allies on the battlefield—instead, he waited until a balanced point in the conflict to cut ties with the Decepticons.^[1][2] The English dub reinterpreted the character as having been working as an undercover spy for the Autobots all along, whose efficacy and enthusiasm as a Decepticon was only an act to gain Megatron's trust—which was closer to the original intention of Hasbro designer Aaron Archer. Archer and the Legends of the Microns Year Book 2003 concur that the more nuanced depiction in the anime was better-suited to the tastes of Japanese kids.^[3]
• Scavenger's design resembles concepts for a character of the same name from the aborted Transtech line. However, then-head designer Aaron Archer refutes the idea that the TransTech character influenced the Armada one.^[4]
• To compensate for his lack of any kind of firearm or built-in weapons (outside of his Powerlinx gimmick), the Armada cartoon ended up occasionally showing him spontaneously firing lasers from his fingers or random spots around them during firefights.
• Energon Treadbolt likely began life as a Powerlinx version of Armada Scavenger, alongside similar Energon releases Ultra Magnus and Rapid Run.
• When Hasbro designer Joe Kyde set out to include a construction vehicle in the Thrilling 30 line, he narrowed down the choices to Armada Scavenger and Generation 1 Scoop. Scavenger would've been harder to do justice as a Deluxe Class toy, and Kyde preferred the idea of an orange toy, so Scoop won out!^[5]
• Scavenger made cameo appearances in IDW Publishing's Lost Light #2 and Valentine's Day Special.
• According to Aaron Archer at a TFcon Toronto Panel, had the name “Scavenger” not been an available trademark, the second and third choice names they would have considered for the character were “Ironhide” and “Grimlock” respectively.^[6]

Foreign names

• Japanese: Devastor (デバスター Debasutā)^[7]
• Hungarian: Dögevő ("Scavenger", literally "Corpse-eater")
• Korean: Hyena (하이에나 Haiena)
• Polish: Grabarz ("Gravedigger")
• Russian: Musorshchik (Мусорщик, "Garbageman")

References