Jacob Blackmon Blogs

Today's Transformers Contact build is based on a 'Bot who needs more recognition. In recent years, Cliffjumper has been the "Bot that dies" in every movie series he's appeared (Transformers: Prime, the Bumblebee Movie, etc.). In the new Image Energon Universe comic series, he's been featured heavily -- in place of Bumblebee -- as the character who interacts most with humans. Many folks may remember Cliffjumper's bravado and eagerness to blast Decepticons from the first episode of the G1 Transformers cartoon. Here, he had Megatron directly in the sights of his particle cannon... only to MISS! But honestly, this sort of thing is perfectly represented in Essence20 by the "Impulsive" Hang-Up Cliffjumper possesses. Another fun fact regarding Cliffjumper is that the Decepticons think of him like the boogyman! It's like that episode of "Burn Notice" when the Russian agents heard "Michael Westen" was coming after them. They though...

You knew it was coming! It was only a matter of time before I got to the Bot of Bots... Everybody's favorite little VW bug: Bumblebee ! I've always found it interesting that Bee came to be known as the "friendly buddy character" especially since he's a frickin' SPY! Bumblebee is an espionage agent working under Prowl during the 1980s. Only after Prowl is killed in 2005 ( insert rant : Prowl should NOT have been on that transport ship! They were going to gather energon! You don't send the head of your espionage/intelligence division on a milk run! Brawn for heavy lifting? Yes! Ironhide for security? Absolutely! Rachet or medical purposes? It's always good to have a doctor around in case of emergencies. But why was Prowl there!? ), does Bumblebee -- as Goldbug -- get promoted to become the new Head of Espionage under Rodimus Prime. But, I guess as a spy, those personality skill really got their workout with all those human integrations. And it allowed Be...

The next Transformers Contact is another NPC from my Transformers: MASK '88 campaign: the Autobot scientist Brainstorm . Brainstorm volunteered to join the MASK team and function as the land bridge operator and help catalog any recovered Cybertronian technology discovered by the team on their missions. He is secretly making notes regarding the interactions between Transformers and humans in what will eventually become his creation for the Binary Bonding Headmaster process. This article is unofficial, fan-made content that uses material from the Transformers Essence20 rpg by Renegade Games Studios. BRAINSTORM “ The strongest tyrant cannot crush freedom of thought .” Brainstorm was an engineer and teacher with a fearsome reputation and a sharp temper. He was always quick to remember his peers' failings instead of their names. However, when asked to mentor children or students, he took on a more kindly and indulgent nature, welcoming the opportunity to introduce young minds to eng...

Having finished with the Dinobots (for now), I am moving on to some general Autobot Contacts. I plan to start on several builds based on NPCs currently established in my Transformers: MASK '88 campaign. In this setting, the MASK team has a support staff at their headquarters which includes: Brainstorm - who volunteered to serve as the team's scientist and land bridge portal operator. He is secretly observing the interactions between the Transformers and the human GIJoe agents in a thesis he is developing about cross-species companionship and potential for binary bonding. Yeah, he's developing what will eventually evolve into the Bonded Master technology. Brawn - serving as the team's armory quartermaster. He is starting to develop a close and personal relationship with... Cover Girl - GIJoe agent and motor pool engineer and quartermaster. Having studied the MASK vehicles created by Matthew Trakker, she is learning to modify and upgrade both Earth military vehicles as w...

Today's Dinobot Contact is the newest inductee into the Dinobot ranks: Jawbreaker Malto of the Transformers: Earthspark series! This article is unofficial, fan-made material using the Transformers Essence20 rpg by Renegade Games Studios. Jawbreaker “ Laugh and the world laughs with you; howl and you howl alone .” Jawbreaker Malto lives up to his name in both senses of the word: although he's the strongest of all the Terrans, he's a soft-spoken, big-hearted 'bot who's as sweet as the candy he's named after. Despite his raw physical power, Jawbreaker sometimes struggles with his own self-confidence — he worries easily, gets flustered under pressure, and sometimes has trouble standing up for himself. It took Jawbreaker longer than all of his other siblings to settle on a suitable alternate mode. His Stygimoloch form might be the most unusual shape of the bunch, but mastering this hard-headed shape has given Jawbreaker the confidence boost he needs to become a trul...

Today we finish off the original five Dinobots by presenting the Contact build for the high-flying Swoop! This is unofficial, fan-produced content using the Transformers Essence20 rpg by Renegade Games Studios. Swoop “ Fear can hit targets unreachable to bullets .” Swoop is the friendliest and most outgoing of the Dinobots. He's surprisingly good natured, kind, and upbeat. Few of his comrades realize this however, as his team's reputation and his alt-form, considered (for some reason) particularly "horrifying" to Transformer aesthetics, makes others wary of getting close enough to learn about the bot himself. Swoop is an excellent aerial combatant and bombardier, and has become skilled at using the fear his alt mode creates in battle. He considers it his greatest weapon. Like all the Dinobots, Swoop tends to be arrogant, disobedient, and generally disagreeing with Optimus Prime's leadership style. He's also a bit of a show-off. Influences Cybertronian Military...