TRANSFORMERS: Revisiting The Characters Of Generation 1 - GNAW

 TRANSFORMERS:  Revisiting the Characters of Generation 1

    "I live for the taste of an Autobot's fuel line!" - A random Sharkticon, 1986.

QUINTESSON (or whoever feeds him)

Name - GNAW

Function - Assault Sentry

Series Debut - 1986 / Wave 3

Sub-Group - Sharkticon

BACKGROUND...

    The Sharkticons are basically the foot soldiers of the evil Quintessons.  Their loyalty will only exist as long as the Quintessons keep them well-fed.  They are extremely dangerous with their giant voracious mouths full of razor-sharp teeth and their vicious claws.  That danger is easily multiplied as these guys travel in large packs!  Unfortunately for them, they aren't very bright and often need someone to direct them.

    Their "shark" mode is frightening enough, but they can be dangerous in robot mode as well.  In robot mode they carry Maceration Laser Guns.  These weapons fire a "salt-based corrosive liquid".  The tail from their beast mode becomes a barbed mace they can use in battle.

    In 2005, the Quintessons kept a large group of Sharkticons in a watery pit beneath their "courtroom".  As the Quintessons judged those to be guilty or innocent, they would then dump the poor fellow into the pit to be eaten by the Sharkticons.

    After crash landing on the planet Quintessa, Hot Rod and Kup were captured and stood trial.  Though they were deemed innocent, they were dumped into the pit anyways.  Hot Rod and Kup put up a great fight, smashing multiple Sharkticons in the process, but they were eventually overcome by the sheer numbers of the evil beasts.

    The two Autobots were saved when the Dinobots plowed into the room!  The massive Dinobots proceeded to give the Sharkticons a good thrashing.  Seeing the battle was almost lost, the Quintesson judge demanded the Sharkticons execute all of the interlopers.  In a show of dominance, Grimlock slammed his foot and re-ordered the Sharkticons to execute the Quintessons instead.  This seemed like a better idea, so the Sharkticons quickly took chase on their leaders.  This rebellion was short lived though as they eventually fell back in line with the Quintessons.

MY THOUGHTS...

    Before the Movie came out, I didn't get it.  Why was this guy a one-man sub-team???  He looks nothing like a shark, let alone any kind of fish.  He was boxed and shipped with the Predacons, but didn't belong with them either.  Just weird!  Then the Movie came out and it all came together.

    Well, sort of... the Tech Spec still comes off that he is an individual and works for the Decepticons.  Whatever the case, I never picked him up back in the day.  He had such a goofy look as a beast, and an awkward mode as a robot.  Plus, since he's an army builder, you technically need a few more.  Back then, I would rather spend my money on other, cooler Transformers or G.I. Joe stuff.

    Nowadays, I have a better appreciation of him.  This alien shark is actually kind of cool in my eyes now and his place in the Movie is great!  I do think it would have been better to call them Pirhanacons.  I think their style is more "pirhana-ish" (yep, I just made up a word).  They look nothing like sharks in exception for the shark fin.

    Standing in for the original Gnaw, is the Studio Series 86 Sharkticon.  This is a great figure!  A very nice update.  I wish he had the vac-metalized teeth though.  While on vacation, I was lucky enough to find this figure at Target for a great price.  It was the last one they had too, can't beat that! 

Gnaw from the Series 3 catalog!!

    (Information on the character's lore was taken from the Sunbow Transformers cartoon series, including the Movie and the figure's original Tech-Spec.)