What do you think are the worst reuses of a TF’s name?

Though they seem to have gotten better in recent times, it seemed for a few years Hasbro would arbitrarily use any old name they had copyright for for any new toy they made. What do you think are some of the worst ways they enacted this?


Note: I’m discounting Beast Wars as there were many characters who had G1 names but were intended to be completely different characters – not reimaginings of old ones. Examples: Rampage, Scorponok, Inferno, Megatron etc. I’m also discounting Mini-Cons as they seemed to randomly use any old name for those little fellas (Swindle, Ironhide etc) so weren’t really reimaginings of old characters or particularly significant arbitrary use of an existing name.


I’ve listed 5 examples that come to mind:
(trying to reference different toylines and where there is still some similarity)


RID(2001) Grimlock
An Autobot with a shovel with teeth (kinda) and part of the command structure, but a big departure from the Dinobot commander. Colour scheme has been revived for the new RID Grimlock.

Armada Smokescreen
Still a ground based Autobot but Smokescreen is suddenly an orange crane-truck now? Weird!

Energon Ironhide
He’s got a bit of red, turns into a ground-based vehicle and he’s an Autobot. Besides that he bares no resemblance – a young, inexperienced and rather annoying rookie rather than a grizzly old veteran.

Cybertron Scattorshot
Gone from the Leader of the Technobots and a big outer-space jet to a little tank dude. Lots of guns in alt-mode but that’s the only similarity.

Movieverse Scorponok
Yeah he is a Decepticon and he is a Scorpion. That’s where the similarities end. Instead of a gigantic Con who makes plays for leadership he’s a little dirt digger.



So what else has been a horrible use of a name that already belonged to an existing character?