SCROUNGE by

ALLEGIANCE: Autobot
FUNCTION: Espionage
ALT MODE: Reconnaissance Hub

"I've always been a failure as an Autobot. Now I have the chance to change that... do something worthwhile."

PROFILE: Scrounge is a social misfit. Though he strives to be an integral cog of the Autobot resistance movement on Cybertron, the sad truth is that he is more than often left out of its affairs. This weighs heavily on him, but he is dauntless in his efforts to prove himself worthy. Unfortunately for Scrounge, he fails to see his own faults which lead to his exclusion. An incessant daydreamer, Scrounge mostly embellishes the urgency of the data he procures on his self-assigned missions, living in a fantasy world where he is more important than he is. He spends most of his free time lurking about the Dead End, trying to listen in and pick tidbits of information from the straggling denizens who dwell there. However, his espionage work in the past has more often than not led the Autobots on a wild goose chase, earning him the nickname "The Autobot Who Cried Weirdwolf". The fact that Scrounge fantasizes about his work's integrity is not lost on the other Autobots, who seem to view him as a hindrance to their pursuits. His only friend would seem to be Blaster, though even Blaster's normally stoic disposition constantly finds fault with Scrounge's daydreaming and overembellished information gathering, leaving his patience with the small Autobot hanging by the thinnest of threads.

STRENGTH: 1
INTELLIGENCE: 7
SPEED: 4
ENDURANCE: 4
RANK: 5
COURAGE: 8
FIREPOWER: 1
SKILL: 7

ABILITIES: Scrounge's left hand is possessed of two wire-guided fingers which he can launch forth on retractable cords that are wired up the interior of his arm into his shoulder. One fingertip utilizes an audio receptor, the other a video receiver. The cords are tensile, allowing him to maneuver his "fingers" expertly through ducts and around corners with uncanny precision for up to a total length of .75 km. Using these, Scrounge can record a near limitless amount of audio and visual information onto various interior and extractable data tracks. His transformation mode resembles that of a wheel, which despite it's unlikely attributes, is able to propel him up to speeds of 120 mph by shifting interior weights he houses in his chassis. Scrounge rarely uses any weaponry, though he is issued a standard laser pistol. His small size and unlikely transformation mode grant him the advantage of stealth, which he uses to his advantage as much as possible.

WEAKNESSES: Scrounge's aptitude for "jumping the gun" is his biggest drawback; the other Autobots usually ignoring the enthusiastic "briefings" on the information he may have newly acquired. His awkwardness in social situations has found him little if any friends, and he is easily forgotten during battle. Scrounge's fantasizing about his importance has led him to develop a characteristic conceitedness, thinking himself too sneaky or crafty to be captured. Scrounge has also attached a significant affection towards his "special arm", which he consistently refers to as being "one of a kind." Because of this, Scrounge is usually overconfident rather than sneaky or crafty, and usually results in clumsy implementation.

HISTORY: During a routine spy patrol, Scrounge procured data from the Decepticon Capitol building of Darkmount in Polyhex. The data was none other than Soundwave's call for Decepticon reinforcements (sent in US#10) from earth! Not only was this information vital to the Decepticons, letting them know that Megatron and Co. were still alive and well on earth, Soundwave also stated that Optimus Prime and his Autobots were still alive as well. This information was absolutely vital to the Autobots on Cybertron. Scrounge, overexcitedly recorded the information, and tried to beat a hasty retreat away from Darkmount, tripping an alarm. The Insecticon Shrapnel caught him and brought him before Straxus for questioning. To his credit, Scrounge would divulge no information, but Straxus grew weary with the tiny squirt and ripped off his "special arm," and sent him to the Smelting Pool. Blaster shows up later to rescue Scrounge, but the Smelting Pool has already eaten him half to death and Scrounge does his best to suck it up and give Blaster the data, holding on to his dream to finally be important to the Autobots and sinking beneath the liquid metal of the Smelting Pool. We say farewell to Scrounge in the same issue he was introduced in, though he does have a brief flashback cameo in US#29.

2 CENTS: I liked Scrounge. I liked him a lot, actually. While getting into the world of the TF comic during my youth, Scrounge was the first "obscure" Transformer that I ran into. The character of Scrounge made me realize that there was a whole world out there that embodied the TF universe outside of what was depicted in the cartoon and the standard offering of toy characters. The fact that there were characters WITHOUT toys that could exist opened up a whole new realm of possibilities for me and I began to revere these characters more than the standard fare of your Prowls and Thundercrackers, simply because they expanded upon more of what was already there. Without Obscure Characters, the saga of the Transformers takes on a more decided light, leaving us with the ho-hum of Optimus Prime vs. Megatron over and over again. Scrounge was a character who was used primariliy as a plot device to suture the rift between the Earthbound Transformers and those still on Cybertron. With that being said, Scrounge is probably one of the most important Transformers characters of all. Without him, the Autobots would never have learned of Optimus Prime's and the Autobot's existence on an alien world. Though Scrounge was a flawed character, he was portrayed in a way that made the reader of the comic feel empathy for him... he was just a lonely Transformer with no friends who made up stories of his exploits and embellished his accomplishments, all in a ploy to gain acceptance from his peers. In this, he exhibited characteristics that most Trans-nerds should be able to relate to. There is a sentimental attachment I hold with Scrounge, mainly because he was the first obscure TF that I had come into contact with when I was younger... but his existence in the saga of the Transformers is actually pivotal in retrospect and it proves that sometimes the characters in the background can show more life and mirth than those who we see everyday. Scrounge's death was a real tear-jerking tragedy, and though he was almost unlikeable when we first meet him, his death elicits feelings of empathy from the reader due to the noble and heroic sacrifice he made.

Makoto's artwork for this was pretty easy to get a grip on. There's plenty of comic pics of Scrounge to get a good feel for his character design so there were no alterations to the sketch he gave us. I decided to call his alt mode a "Reconaissance Hub" because it sounds a little cooler than saying the little fucker turns into a "wheel."

Scrounge artwork ©2006 - present, Rusting Carcass. No usage or reproduction of this artwork in part, or in whole is permitted. 'Scrounge' is owned by either Marvel Comics or Hasbro, I don't know which.