My canon is this
the drones were just vehicles laying around when i decepticon grabed them, merged with them, and animated to transform with 'PCC' tech ala allspark.

the con drones are mindless

the bot drones have human/micromaster pilots

this is just my spin on it

 

Yeah, that's more or less how I was looking at it.

 

I think of it more like the drones being random Earth vehicles, the core robots as the Transformers. They get into fights, and sometimes need more power or whatever, and they smash their limbs into passing cars and helicopters to fashion brute limbs for themselves. That's my take on it.

 

I think that Optimus give Huffer as Leader of a top secret project by the Autobot Scientist, Perceptior the give Huffer,Searchlight,Leadfoot,Steelshot,Skyburst,Double Clutch,Stakeout, & Grimstone a units of Energon/Transmetal body called Mini-Cons and Drones. Than Laserbeak come out of no were,and steal half of the Mini-Cons and Drones to Megatron give Smolder,Icepick,Sledge,Windburn,Darkstream,Mudslinger,Crackcase,& Streamhammer as part of this Decepticon Part of Power Core Combiners War.

 

On one of the recent Moonbase 2 podcast. David layed out a great storyline for PCC.

 

HARRY POTTER SPOILER ALERT! (highlight to read)

Maybe it's like Lord Voldemort with his horcruxes. The soul, or in this case, spark, is divided and the pieces placed into separate containers. That way, if the person (Transformer) is "killed," as long as there are horcruxes (drones) remaining, then the person (Transformer) can be reconstituted. Of course, Voldemort had to kill people to make horcruxes, and while I'm sure the Decepticons would be fine with that, the Autobots probably wouldn't.

Just an idea, but one that has me actually wanting to buy some of the two-packs now.

 

for me...
Drones are made by a PCC commander (with human assistance of corse!). yet i'm not sure whether will they have Scramble Power as well as Scramble City combiners? I don't think that fully sentient minicons/micromasters will gladly becomes a mindless slave to a bigger robot. eversince being drones USUALLY means his/her life will become forfeit.... because drones are USUALLY expendible, one can have an army of mindless drones and can pose a threat to other Seibertronians as long as these drones pack enough punches to kill any fully sentient Seibertronians.
Drones aren't neccessarily durable but each drones should have its usefulness to the point that an owner needs the assistances of those drones. (power ups? concepts for PCC and maybe several Supermodes)

but not every drones are expendables.
1. Roller (G1, G2 and fanmade Henkei Henkei!), Convoy feels pain should this drone gets hurt
2. Apex Armor/ God Bomber, Ginrai's best friend, and power ups
3. V-Star (TF-V), Star Saber's first super mode components.

CONCLUSION: Drones are #3
And should one day human found themself in an active roles amongs two warring factions. and has develop a crewed transformer mech (...Think of Irumina II), PCC Drones could becomes handy for any human participants.
didn't it

 

I would have liked to have heard that.

Okay so it looks like there is a symbiotic relationship between the commanders and the drones. So...drones do equal roller. I can go for the human assistance part mentioned about transitioning/facilitating the technology too. But I think the interaction is like the A/E/C types of interaction and I think the whole power rangers relationship aspect needs to stay out of PCC though.

However if you got a good theory about Human interaction, bring it on, I want to hear it.

I do think that Bombshock's betrayal is important but can we explore it further? I mean Bombshock is a decepticon, so did not betray the autobots by obtaining the technology. Hypothetical: Bombshock is a combaticon, the combaticons were in form of prison or spark stasis before Starscream released them, right. But in some Mythos I read somewhere weren't they a part of elite guard or something like that? This could be interesting.

Thanks for rediscovering this thread too.  

 

Bombshock's bio puts him as a traitor to the autobots. i like to think the cons got the PCC tech from him

This. all the way.

 

Bombshock betraed the combaticons....by taking onslaught's spark. a gestalt sparks has got to do something special, right?