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Trecathlus — Hauler
Published: 2008-08-03 21:55:02 +0000 UTC; Views: 614; Favourites: 10; Downloads: 14
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Description
DESIGNATION / CLASSIFICATION
Hauler / Autobot
FUNCTION
Salvage
LIFESPAN
SEASON ONE
BEGINNINGS 2005
When dealing with someone like HAULER, whom we never saw in robot mode, I suppose I had adequate reason to leave him out of the original avatar run. You might ask: Was he a real character or just a drone-like utility mechanism? Years after I felt I had covered all the Transformers needing to be done, I decided to add him after all. Since he literally only appeared for a couple of seconds in the series pilot and never transformed, it had to be a vehicle-mode icon, which has too much inherent potential for being silly. But I gave it a try and discovered it was possible to make him sort of plausible-looking, at least in terms of his cartoon appearance.
SECOND WIND 2008 - 2009
I have always been intrigued by the similarity between HAULER and the properly proven Autobot GRAPPLE. In fact, I feel pretty sure that one was an early template for the other, like other first-season characters who were redesigned and introduced in the second season as new characters. For what this is and has the potential to be I think it works all right, but it will, by its very nature, be less than completely satisfying in the end. I might one day fall for the temptation to attempt a robot-mode avatar that persuasively depicts the same design removal that we saw between characters like SIDESWIPE and RED ALERT or TRAILBREAKER and HOIST.
CURRENT EDITION
Saturday, February 19, 2011
PREVIOUS REVISIONS
Logged iterations: 3
CHALLENGE LEVEL
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Comments: 5
I actually found a picture of him in robot mode today!! I was so happy
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Oh, did you? Where?
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It was on the Transformers Wiki site, if you look up "Transformers G1 Hauler" on Google. It's easy to get him confused with Long Haul, or maybe that's just me. He was in the green and purple Constructicon colors, but it said that he was an energon scouter and often changed his colors to fit in because he had to travel all around the world. I suppose that's why when we saw him in the show he was orange.
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Oh yeah, I wasn't aware of this one.
It's cool how they've taken many characters of his level of obscurity over the past decade or so and given them
a new lease on life. To be honest, I don't particularly take to the "Constructicon origin" that e-HOBBY chose for
his retroactive continuity, but it's admirable that they try.
I always imagined that Hauler would look similar to Grapple, but not have the exact same animation model. I
thought it would be along the same lines as first- and second-year toys whose molds were largely the same,
but with a few differences. You know, as in how Trailbreaker and Hoist were variations on the same basic toy,
but differentiated even further in the cartoon animation models. Same deal with Red Alert and Sideswipe and
others. That kind of thing always deepened the fun a bit for me.
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Oh, yeah, I totally agree!!
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