We have dozens upon dozens of topics about the main characters in Transformers but really no topics about the often unnamed characters who some times show in the background of the cartoons but don't really get any focus in the show.

A lot of these characters have since become cannon characters getting names years after the shows they appeared in ended. So if they can be popular enough to do that then why not make a thread dedicated to this guys.

This isn't the Original Three Seekers or even the Cone Heads. This is for the Rainmakers and whatever other similar type background characters you like.

For me personally while Wreck-Gar being the main face of the Junkions and the only one to ever be named on screen I really like Junkyard and Scrap Iron. (I prefer these names over their alternate names Junkheap and Scrapheap cause it's very easy to get them confused.) While there are many others the Heaps actually have toys.

I like these guys because I really like the idea of motorcycle transformers that can ride each other. That's one of my favorite scenes in the movie. Plus I use to be addicted to TV so the fact that they speak TV made them some of my favorite characters as a kid.

I also have plans to hopefully at some point make my own custom Junkion I'm calling Salvage. I really like the character in Rescue Bots so once I can get the Planet of Junk set I'll be using the extra Junkion mold, because I already have a Wreck-Gar to put together my version of a G1 Style Salvage. It's not going to look exactly like him because it's essentially going to be a different interpretation of the character but I want to put an Autobot insignia on one side of his chest and the Recycle logo on the other side as kind of a loose homage to the RB character.

Anyway moving on I'm including them because their names were never mentioned on screen and only appeared for one scene in one episode of Beast Wars but the Tripredacus Council. These guys are kind of unique in that their toys were actually made first and their names were technically known but as a kid I didn't know how the heck I was suppose to pronounce "Tripredacus" and thus never made the connection between the characters in the show and the toy that looks nothing like them. Even since I realized who they were they have been three of my favorite background characters. Cicadacon, Ram Horn, and Seaclamp, you never combined in the show but I still had your toy.

By the way Transmutate doesn't count because the whole episode is dedicated to her. She's too much of a main focus in the episode to be considered a background character.

Armada Rhinox. He appears in the cartoon for a about a second and is never seen again. I've already really liked the design and it was never used in Beast Wars so I'm glad it got used so where... even if it was a terrible series I hated and only for the quickest cameo ever. Seriously that was literally a blink and you'll miss it moment.

Oh, I'm not really a big of him but I know a lot of people really like Signal Lancer from Transformers Cybertron. I think he actually was named in the cartoon but considering he only appeared in the cartoon ONCE and never had any toys made of him. He still counts so if you happen to like this dude and you want to talk about him go ahead.

For Transformers Animated I'm making a special exception on the rules because many of the background characters in the series were characters we all know and recognize because they're homages to characters from other Transformers media. However I am going to say no characters who actually had speaking roles. A lot of characters had minimal involvement with the main cast which stayed to only Five main Autobots for most of the series. So technically in a way everyone else is a background character.

With that being said... Dia Atlas... I don't really know much about the character but he has kind of a cool design that's homaged in Animated.

For the movies I'm going to say Garbage Disposal Bot from RotF cause it kind of resembles a G1 Sharkticon. And that being said and the fact that he doesn't have an official name, in my head cannon that is Movie Gnaw.

There's also Garbage Truck Decepticon/Junkheap which isn't named on TF Wiki for Dark of the Moon but it seems like a toy of this guy was made for AoE which they don't list as being the same character but in my mind they are. I don't remember ever seeing a garbage truck in AoE but I do remember the one in DotM.

And finally... ALL OF THE VEHICONS IN PRIME AND RID2! There actually is one named character in RID2 who really doesn't count but most of these dudes are just unnamed background characters. Some people call them names like Steve or Bob but I really don't like doing that. I have named mine Jetstorm (Takara Jet Vehicon mold), Thrust (Hasbro PRID mold), and Tankor (Hasbro FE Mold) They're unnamed Vehicons and I'm a Beast Era fan of course I'm going to name them after the original three Vehicons.

Also while never actually made into a toy and never officially seen to transform I like to think that the Decepticon Minors are Drill Tank Vehicons and one of them is called Strika. Maybe with a little retooling the Jet version could replace the wings with twin rotors, also get the double visor looking head like the Minors and be called Obsidian.

I'm sure someone's going to mention something I forgot about or maybe never even noticed before.

 

Armada from the 86 movie

Chuffer/Steamer from City of Fear

The Decepticons in the Cliffjumper Spotlight

Turmoil's crew

 

The Junkions (Ashtray, Scrapheap, Trashbin, etc.)

 

Devcon from both G1 and DOTM. G1 is a really cool character and DOTM is a really cool design.

 

Animated Blurr. Yes, I consider him a background character because we didn't have him for long in animated.

 

I clearly mentioned in the first post that for Animated only Transformers with non-speaking roles actually count. I made that perfectly clear for exactly this reason. He's not really part of the main cast but he's not really a background character either.

 

Devcon, Junkions (Greasestain, Ashtray, Re-Cycle, etc.) & various Seekers (Welcoming Committee, Rainmakers, Sunstorm, etc.)

 

Is Re-Cycle actually an official Junkion name or did you make that up? Either way it's a great name. It works on multiple different levels. First just being a direct reference to junk and second the way it's spelled so cycle is singled out cause they're all motorcycles.

 

The guys in Cliff's Spotlight. Also, the various animation errors throughout S3 of G1.

 

Yep, its an official Junkion name...here is a list of the names: Category:Junkions - Transformers Wiki ...the one name I've come up with is Odds'n'Ends as a name for the unnamed "Short Junkion" which I repurposed CW Wreck-Gar as...

 

Relflector, he never said much in the cartoon. Do they count?

 

Honestly most of the background characters I like were the ones who ended p becoming main characters in More Than Meets The Eye.

 

Roadbuster is exactly that kind of guy who never does anything important, except to wreck shit up and look cool in the bakground.

 

Yeah, especially his badass one liner in RG1