Skalor

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Skalor
Transformers character
Skalor-boxart.jpg
Generation 1 Skalor box art
Created by

Hasbro
Release number

D-21
Information
Species Transformer
Abilities

Affiliation

Decepticon
Alternate mode

Coelacanth monster/twin-barreled corrosive slime-shooter (Generation 1), coelacanth monster/slimespray rifle (Timelines)
Function

Amphibious Assault
Motto

"I stink, therefore I am." (Generation 1), "Though doubt may be imperfect, my stench is not." (Timelines)
Partner

Nautilator, Overbite, Seawing, Snaptrap, and Tentakil
Series

Transformers: Generation 1
Beast Wars II
Transformers: Timelines
Transformers
Sub-group

Seacons, Targetmasters
Tech specs

ST07 IN05 SP03 EN08

RN04 CO07 FB06 SK06

Skalor is a fictional character from the Transformers series. He is an evil Seacon Targetmaster who turns into a coelacanth monster who was introduced in 1988. Skalor should not be confused with Gulf, an identical looking Seacon drone from the Masterforce series.

Transformers: Generation 1

Skalor is a Scramble City style combiner, able to form a limb of any Scramble City gestalt robot or combining with Metroplex or Metrotitan, but most commonly forming a limb of Piranacon or God Neptune. He forms the right arm of Piranacon on the toy instructions.[1] Like all the Targetmaster Seacon limbs he can also form a weapon.

Fictional biography

Generation 1: A merciless, polluting parasite. So foul even his fellow Seacons avoid him. Leaves a trail of grease and toxic chemicals wherever he goes. Able to absorb fuel through the hull of any ship. In robot mode, equipped with dual crustation rifles that encase and immobilize the enemy with hard, sticky scales. Serrated, razor-sharp jaws are able to cut through any substance. In weapons mode, transforms into twin-barreled corrosive slime-shooter. Combines with fellow Seacons to form Piranacon.

Timelines: You would have thought that an upgrade would have fixed many of the disgusting glitches and leaks that were Skalor's trademark. In fact, they only seem to have gotten worse. Many of his fellow Seacons would have been just as happy without their Targetmaster ability if it meant leaving Skalor offline permanently. Skalor's augmented Targetmaster slimespray rifle mode fires two deadly streams of ooze; the first is a corrosive that eats through armor while the second is a viscous cybertoxin that induces sensory failure and nightmarish halluscinations in mechanical lifeforms.

Transformers: Skalor surrounds himself with a miasma of malodorous fluid. What his fellow Seacons see as an easy repair job, Skalor sees as a mark of character. He's happy in his smelly cloud of pollution even if he occasionally needs rescuing from the seafloor when his fluid levels dip and he overheats. Needless to say, he tends to be something of a loner.

Animated series

Gulf from Transformers: Super-God Masterforce

Skalor did not appear in any Transformers animated series, although his look-alike Gulf drones appeared in the Transformers: Super-God Masterforce series. In one English dub of the series Gulf was called Skalor.

The Seacons did appear in animated form in a commercial for the Seacons, Sparkabots and Firecons which aired in 1988.[2]

Comics

Condor Verlag

In a story called "Memories of Bumblebee" from Transformers Comic-Magazin issue #15 by German comic publisher Condor Verlag Bumblebee views a recording of Optimus Prime where he identifies Autobots and Decepticons in battle using the Ark's computer. The Seacons are among those he displays.[3]

Devil's Due Publishing

The Seacons would return in the third Devil's Due crossover between G.I. Joe and the Transformers. Without Megatron or Shockwave's steadying influence the Decepticons had fallen apart in a series of internecine conflicts. One such was the Seacons taking on the Predacons. The Predacons seemingly had the upper hand, forcing Nautilator to flee into the water. The Seacons emerged as Piranacon and battled Predaking, until interrupted by a strange, tiny figure: Serpentor, a human military cyborg built with Megatron's memories. Using these memories to convince both combiners to join him, they then participate (along with the Stunticons) in the ambush that kills Bumblebee. They were then Serpentor's principal weapon, along with Predaking and Menasor, in the attack on Capital City, where the three of them defeated Omega Supreme. Several Predacons would die in the attack. Unfortunately Piranacon wouldn't have time to enjoy his victory, as he was deactivated by an out-of-control Sixshot smashing into his face. The Seacons would survive, but Nautilator was killed when the G.I. Joe ninja Snake Eyes uses his mental powers to convince the Stunticon Breakdown to shoot him.

Dreamwave Productions

Although Skalor did not appear in any of their fiction, each of the Seacons had a biography printed in issue #5 of the Dreamwave Productions Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye series.

Fun Publications

The Seacons appear in At Fight's End by Fun Publications. Under Megatron's orders the Seacons pretend to be loyal to Bludgeon the and frame the Terrorcons for betraying Bludgeon. Once Bludgeon is distracted the Seacons form Piranacon and attack Bludgeon himself, finishing off Bludgeon with Tentakil's mass-compression cannon weapon mode.[4]

Seawing, Snaptrap, Dirge, Megatron, Skalor and Overbite in Beast Wars Shattered Glass by Fun Publications

Skalor appears in Beast Wars Shattered Glass by Fun Publications. In this story Ultra Magnus and the Autobots aboard the Graviton battle Megatron and the Decepticons aboard the Talon. Both ships are pulled through a vortex into the past of Shattered Glass Earth. Crashing they discover that dangerous energon readings outside the ship will place them in stasis lock. The Autobots devise organic alternate modes to protect them from the energon. The Decepticons create energon-absorbing armor for protection. Skalors' armor give him new colors (based on the Beast Wars II Coelagon toy).[5] Ultra Magnus and his Autobots discover that their ship's high security storage rooms were damaged in the crash and the Autobot bodies in stasis pods were lost. They head out to recover the pods when they are attacked by Dirge and Seawing. They find the pods, but also discover that Megatron has gotten to them first. He's converted the three Autobots into Autojetter, Autolauncher and Scylla, who are loyal to him. The Decepticons attack the Autobots, who are only saved thanks to the intervention of Depth Charge. Ultra Magnus orders the retreat, as there is nothing left for them to recover. Depth Charge informs the Autobots of his mission to save the multiverse.[6]

Note: In Fub Publications fiction Skalor initially appeared in a form based on his Timelines toy, but once he was upgraded in the Beast Wars Shattered Glass stories his form was based in the Beast Wars II Coelogan toy.

IDW Publishing

In Infestation 2: Transformers Skalor was among the Decepticons awakened to serve the elder gods in the north Atlantic.[7]

Marvel Comics

Note: Stories exclusive to the Marvel UK Transformers comics appear in italics.

With the US Transformers animated series having come to a close the previous year, it fell to the comic book series from Marvel Comics to provided supporting fiction roles for the Seacons. However, their comic book debut came not in the pages of the US title, but in its sister across the Atlantic, the UK's official Transformers comic, which inter spliced its own stories with the US material.

The Seacons were brought to Earth by Shockwave to put their undersea adeptness to use fortifying the Decepticons’ sub-aquatic island headquarters. Outfitted with Earth modes by Shockwave, the Seacons were going about their task when they met with their first challenge, which also proved to be one of their greatest – they were ordered to defend the island against the insane, time-traveling future Decepticon, Galvatron. The Seacons gave a good account of themselves, merging into Piranacon (misspelled "Pirranacon" in the story) for extra power, but ultimately, the team was defeated by their stronger adversary, only for Galvatron to reveal that he had not planned an attack at all, merely wishing to talk. Now, however, he claimed that Shockwave had made an enemy of him – although it was all part of a plan to destabilize his leadership. Seeking a weapon that could truly combat Galvatron, Shockwave sought out the former Decepticon leader, Megatron, who had been missing in action for some time. When what was believed to be his body (but was, in actuality, a clone of him) was located in the Thames river by entrepreneur Richard Branson, Overbite (called Jawbreaker in his UK appearances) was dispatched with some of the Decepticon jets to bring the body to Shockwave. Snaptrap subsequently repaired the clone’s physical damage, and aided Shockwave in using the psycho-probe to brainwash it into his service.

Following this, the Seacons made their US title debut, having departed from Shockwave's service and now under the command of Ratbat, the leader of the primary Earth-based Decepticon force. Ratbat had relocated the Decepticons' island base to the Florida Keys, disguising it as a holiday resort named "Club Con" to allow the Seacons to search the seabed for a sunken pirate ship, the treasure chest of which contained two Autobot tapes, Grandslam and Raindance. The recovery mission was successful, but the tapes were then stolen by the Autobot Blaster, and the holiday makers on the island had their peace and quiet rudely interrupted as the Seacons erupted from the ocean and attacked, searching for Blaster. In the ensuing battle, Blaster sent the tapes back to the depths of the oceans, encouraging the Seacons to call off the attack and head after them.[8]

The tapes, it was revealed, were sent to Earth centuries ago to warn the Autobots there of the approaching threat posed by the Underbase, a massive space-born information storehouse that could convey infinite power. However, first Ratbat's forces had to deal with a rival group of Decepticons under Scorponok, who had been called to Earth by Starscream, and the Seacons' combined mode of Piranacon was put to use in an attempt to destroy his ship. Conflict soon broke out between the two groups. Unfortunately the whole thing had been a ruse by Starscream, who managed to attain the Underbase's power, turning on Autobot and Decepticon alike and attempting to conquer Earth. The Seacons joined in the attempted defense of New York, striking at Starscream from the East River, but were all deactivated by the cosmically-powered villain.

Toys

Submarauder fires Skalor in twin-barreled corrosive slime-shooter mode
  • Generation 1 Seacon Skalor (1988)
Skalor came with two guns which combine and a 3 piece stand for his Targetmaster mode. Skalor was sold in 1988 by itself, and later with the other Seacons as a gift set.
This toy is identical to Generation 1 Gulf. This toy was recolored as Beast Wars II Coelagon.
  • Beast Wars II D-21 God Neptune (1998)
Sold in a gift set with the other Seacon Space Pirates. Coelagon is a recolor of the Generation 1 Decepticon Skalor, but missing all the accessories. He was packaged together with his 4 fellow Seacon Space Pirates.
The toy for Coelagon is 8 centimeters tall and the character is supposed to stand 2.4 meters tall, meaning the toy is about 1:30 scale.
This toy was repurposed as Skalor. This toy was recolored into Timelines Skalor.
  • Timelines Piranacon (2008)
Skalor was sold in 2008 with the other Seacons as a gift set. A Transformers Collectors Club exclusive.
  • Transformers Decepticon Piranacon (2010)
A commemorative gift box of the Seacons.
  • Reprolabels Generation 1 Piranacon
A set of replacement labels for the Generation 1 Seacons.[9]
  • Reprolabels Upgrade Set X8
A set of labels to enhance the Generation 1 Seacons.[10]
  • Reprolabels TFCC Piranacon
A set of replacement labels for the Timelines Seacons.[11]

References

  1. http://www.botchthecrab.com/archive/instructions/decepticon/1988/instr_piranacon.jpg
  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nF4m8wtJwY
  3. Robert Mann (w). "Memories of Bumblebee" Transformers Comic-Magazin 15 (June 1991), Condor Verlag
  4. Pete Sinclair & Jesse Wittenrich (2009). At Fight's End. The Transformers Collector’s Club. 
  5. Benson Yee, Pete Sinclair & Matt Frank (w), Matt Frank (p), Matt Frank (i), Thomas Deer (col), Jesse Wittenrich (let), Pete Sinclair (ed). "Beast Wars Shattered Glass Chapter One: Shattered Time" The Transformers Collectors Club 49 (February/March 2013), Fun Publications
  6. Benson Yee, Pete Sinclair & Matt Frank (w), Matt Frank (p), Matt Frank (i), Thomas Deer (col), Jesse Wittenrich (let), Pete Sinclair (ed). "Beast Wars Shattered Glass Part 2" The Transformers Collectors Club (April/May 2013), Fun Publications
  7. Chuck Dixon (w), Guido Guidi (p), John Wycough (i), Joana Lafuente (col), Chris Mowry (let), Bobby Curnow (ed). Infestation 2: The Transformers 1 (February 2011), IDW Publishing
  8. "Transformers" #47 (December 1988)
  9. http://toyhax.com/for-g1-cons/1062-labels-for-piranacon.html?search_query=Seacons&results=3
  10. http://toyhax.com/upgrade-sets/1127-upgrade-for-seacons.html?search_query=Seacons&results=3
  11. http://toyhax.com/upgrade-sets/1147-upgrade-for-tfcc-piranacon.html?search_query=Seacons&results=3

External links