With some of these characters (e.g. Thundercracker, Ravage, Swindle etc.), the characterisations were always there from the original toy tech spec bios. It's just that more recent writers have finally exploited the source material. Especially Thundercracker. Ravage did speak and have more of a personality in the G1 comics though. It was Ravage who snapped Shockwave out of his mindless stupor during the Time Wars.