Snaptrap

Snaptrap is the name of two fictional characters from the Transformers series. The first is a Seacon Targetmaster who turns into a turtle monster who was introduced in 1988 as part of Generation 1. The second Snaptrap is his heroic mirror-universe counterpart from the Shattered Glass story. Snaptrap should not be confused with Turtler, a similar character with an identical toy.

Transformers: Generation 1

Snaptrap
Transformers character
Generation 1 Piranacon box
Created by	Hasbro
Release number	D-21
Information
Species	Transformer
Abilities	Combining Shapeshifting Superhuman longevity Superhuman durability Superhuman strength
Affiliation	Decepticon
Alternate mode	Robotic turtle
Function	Seacon Leader
Motto	"Broken Autobots never mend." (Generation 1), "I lead with an iron fist." (Timelines)
Partner	Nautilator, Overbite, Seawing, Skalor and Tentakil
Series	Transformers: Generation 1 Beast Wars II Transformers: Timelines Transformers
Sub-group	Seacons, Targetmasters
Tech specs	ST09 IN07 SP02 EN09 RN08 CO08 FB08 SK08

Snaptrap is a Scramble City style combiner, able to form the body of a Scramble City gestalt robot, but most commonly å forming the body of Piranacon or God Neptune.

Fictional biography

Generation 1 Snaptrap box art

Generation 1: Nicknamed "Butcher of the Bogs" after he singlehandedly scrapped an entire regiment of Autobots in the Toxic Sludge Swamps of Cybertron. Creates havoc and chaos wherever he goes. Calculating and malicious. As cold-hearted and cruel as any machine ever made. His battle tactics are smooth, methodical, and extremely effective. Armed with two rapid-fire, retractable, sonic-shell cannons. Eight turreted photon beam ports, semi-automatic atom-smasher rifle, incendiary sword. Combines with fellow Seacons to form Piranacon.

Timelines: Once known as the "Butcher of the Bogs," Snaptrap seems to have mellowed some in recent years. Perhaps it was due to the temporary deactivation at the hands of an Underbase-powered Starscream, or maybe it was his own subsequent rise in the Decepticon ranks. Either way, Snaptrap now finds himself responsible for more than just his team of Seacons, and he must temper malice with the composure needed to be a high-ranking member of the Decepticon army. He and his team of Seacons have been called up for a mission like no other, and he will not fail the Decepticon cause that he follows! With an upgraded dual sonic-shell canon and his reliable semi-automatic atom smashing rifle by his side, Snaptrap is a proven leader, both in the hierarchy and on the battle field.

Transformers: Cold-blooded, cold-hearted, Decepticon Snap Trap functions on one setting - "Destroy!" He is never distracted by rage and only betrays agitation when he must circle back to finish off a survivor of his methodical brutality. His chilling indifference keeps the Seacons under his command terrified, and prompt to fulfill his orders.

Animated series

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

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

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.

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

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 him. Once Bludgeon is distracted the Seacons form Piranacon and attack Bludgeon, finishing him off with Tentakil's mass-compression cannon weapon mode.

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

Snaptrap 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. Snaptraps' armor give him new colors (based on the Beast Wars II Halfshell toy). 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.

IDW Publishing

In Infestation 2: Transformers Snaptrap was among the Decepticons awakened to serve the elder gods in the north Atlantic.

Marvel Comics

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 interspliced 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.

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.

Transformers: Mosaic

Snaptrap appeared in the Transformers: Mosaic story "Butcher of the Bogs" by Optimutt.

Toys

• Generation 1 Seacon Snaptrap (1988)

Snaptrap was sold in 1988 by itself, and later with the other Seacons as a gift set. This mold was also used to make Beast Wars II Halfshell.

• Beast Wars II D-21 God Neptune (1998)

Halfshell is a recolor of the Generation 1 Deception Snaptrap. He was packaged together with his 4 fellow Seacon Space Pirates.

The Halfshell toy stands 17 centimeters tall in robot mode and the character is supposed to stand 4 meters tall. This makes the toy about 1:24 scale.

This toy was later recolored into Universe Snaptrap. This toy was repurposed into Snaptrap.

• Timelines Piranacon (2008)

Snaptrap was sold in 2008 with the other Seacons as a gift set. A Transformers Collectors Club exclusive. This set was repurposed as the Shattered Glass toys.

• 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.

• Reprolabels Upgrade Set X8

A set of labels to enhance the Generation 1 Seacons.

• Reprolabels TFCC Piranacon

A set of replacement labels for the Timelines Seacons.

Gallery

• 

  Timelines Snaptrap in beast mode

• 

  Beast Wars II Halfshell toy in robot mode

Shattered Glass

Transformers character
The Seacons
Name	Snaptrap
Decepticon
First appearance	"Shattered Expectations" by Fun Publications
Information
Gender	Male
Sub-group	Mayhem Suppression Squad, Seacons

The second Snaptrap is the heroic mirror-universe counterpart to the original Snaptrap. Little is known about him besides him being a member of the Mayhem Suppression Squad.

Fun Publications

Snaptrap appears in the 2008 April Fool's comic "Shattered Expectations" by Fun Publications.

Toys

• Hasbro Transformers Timelines Piranacon (2008)

Snaptrap was sold in 2008 with the other Seacons as a gift set. A Transformers Collectors Club exclusive. This set was repurposed as the Shattered Glass Seacons.

• Reprolabels Heroic Decepticon Emblems (2009)

A set of Decepticon symbol labels in red. A Captured Prey exclusive.

Gallery

• 

  Timelines Snaptrap in beast mode

External links

• http://www.soundwavesoblivion.com/techs1988.html
• http://www.tfu.info/1988/Decepticon/Snaptrap/snaptrap.htm
• http://www.tfu.info/2008/Decepticon/TFCCSnaptrap/snaptrap.htm
• http://www.tfu.info/2010/Decepticon/BBTSSnapTrap/snaptrap.htm