Snarl (Transformers)

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Snarl is the name of several different fictional characters in the various Transformers universes.

[edit] Transformers: Generation 1

Snarl
Transformers character
Snarl Dreamwave Art
Affiliation	Autobot
Sub-Group	Dinobots Action Masters Targetmasters Lightning Strike Coalition
Function	Desert Warrior
Partner	Tyrannitron (Action Master version only) Sludge (Dinobots line)
Motto	"Only in war is there happiness."
Alternate Modes	Mechanical Stegosaurus Cybertronian Tank Stegosaurus
Series	Transformers: Generation 1 Transformers: Generation 2 Transformers: Dinobots
Voiced by	Hal Rayle (English)

Snarl is one of the members of the Autobot sub-group called the Dinobots lead by Grimlock. He turns into a robotic Stegosaurus.

The toy that became Snarl was original part of the Diaclone toy from Takara.

According to his bio, Snarl is an Autobot of few words and fewer opinions, Snarl grudgingly follows the orders of Dinobot leader Grimlock and leaves the thinking to others. He's generally unhappy and a loner, and his uncommunicative nature only adds to his feelings of isolation. Only the thrill of battle can elevate his spirits. In fact, few of his comrades experience the joyous heights that Snarl attains while locked in mortal combat. But for him war is an all too brief respite from the twin devils that haunt his miserable existence: the ungainly dinosaur form the Ark has bestowed upon him and the knowledge he may never see his beloved Cybertron again.

His unique design makes Snarl particularly useful in sunny, arid environments. The large golden plates protruding from his spinal assembly are solar collectors. Although he can operate without sunlight, solar energy can increase his strength tenfold and his endurance to a virtually limitless degree. A swipe of his tail can shatter a 20-foot concrete cube. His heavily armored hide makes him resistant to most missile fire.

Snarl's dependency on sunlight makes him extremely vulnerable to attack at night. Although he can use the same fuel the other Autobots use, he operates at only a fraction of his strength when he does. He is also very slow and his uncooperative behavior patterns sometimes hinder his effectivess in dangerous situations.

Snarl is unique among the dinobots in that his head is not located near the head of his dinosaur mode. He is also the only Dinobot without wings created from body panels. Instead his tail splits to form "wings" that are more like horns. In the animated series Snarl uses a sword instead of ranged weapons, although the toy comes with an Energo Sword, Electron Cannon rifle and a rocket pod.

[edit] Animated series

In the original Transformers cartoon series, Snarl was a Stegosaurus Dinobot created by Wheeljack and Ratchet on Earth in 1984. He was created along with Swoop to be the two new Dinobots to go along with the already-created Grimlock, Slag, and Sludge. While Snarl and Swoop were being created, Megatron convinced Grimlock, Slag, and Sludge that Optimus and the Autobots were their enemies and the three original Dinobots kidnapped Optimus Prime. After Wheeljack and Ratchet, with the help of Chip Chase, created Swoop and Snarl, the two new Dinobots were used to rescue Prime from Grimlock, Slag, and Sludge. During that battle, Optimus saved the original Dinobots' lives before the meteorite near them exploded and they then realized that the Autobots were really their friends. Snarl was the only member of the Dinobots to wield an energo sword in robot mode rather than a hand-held gun. It has not been explained why he or the other dinobots were able to be fitted with personalities which can only be found on Cybertron from Vector Sigma. Apparently there is a difference between the brain and personalities in Transformers. Their brains are simple, yet still it is the personalities that make them sentient. It is evident that addition of personalities or "sparks" and its origin was after the fact, and was hoped that this inconsistency would be overlooked.

In 1985, an island with real dinosaurs was found by Powerglide and Bumblebee. Optimus decided that Dinobot Island would be a good place for the Dinobots to train and practice their fighting skills, because the Ark was too small for the giant Dinobots. Megatron and the Decepticons found out about the island and wanted to harvest it for all the energy it produced. The Dinobots were thrown in a pit of tar, but were later rescued and, with the help of a group of real dinosaurs, attacked Megatron.

Later, the Cybertronian Autobots and Decepticons began to malfunction because they ran out of Cybertonium, a crystalline substance only found on Cybertron. The Dinobots were made on Earth, so they were the only Transformers not affected and were sent to Cybertron to get some. When they got to Cybertron, they disappeared. Spike and Carly went to Cybertron to find them and found Swoop, who led them to the other Dinobots that were captured and working for Shockwave. Eventually they were freed and brought the Cybertonium back so that the Autobot's bodies could be restored.

Snarl enjoys the view in the Transformers movie

In 2005, Grimlock and all the Dinobots except Snarl took part in the Battle of Autobot City and against Unicron as seen in The Transformers: The Movie. Although Snarl was seen among the Autobots in non-combat scenes in the city, he seemingly disappeared during combat. This is mostly attributed to the lack of synchronization between the Korean animators and the writers, but the subject of what happened to Snarl during the events that unfolded in that battle and the ensuing battle against Unicron is usually regarded with a certain taboo among fans.

In the events following the destruction of Unicron and the second Golden Age of Cybertron, Snarl is mostly unseen with the exception of a few minor appearances.

Snarl was among the primitive Transformers called by Primacron's assistant to battle Tornadron.

[edit] Marvel Comics

Snarl was among the Autobots who came to Earth with on board the Ark under the leadership of Optimus Prime. When the Ark crash landed on Earth it reformatted Snarl in the form of one of the Earth's native creatures, a stegosaurus.

Eventually, Snarl was deactivated, along with the rest of the Dinobots, while facing Starscream who had been empowered by the Underbase. He lay in a life support pod in the Ark for quite some time before Grimlock used the untested energy source known as Nucleon to revive him and his Dinobot comrades.

Snarl was among the united Autobot and Decepticon forces who opposed Unicron's assault on the planet Cybertron in 1991 (Transformers #75).

He subsuquently stayed with the Autobots and appeared in Marvel's Generation 2 comic.

[edit] Fun Publications

Ultra Magnus, Grimlock and Springer watch Elita One as Snarl looks on.

Based on the Transformers Classics toy line, the Timelines 2007 story is set 15 years after the end of the Marvel Comics story (ignoring all events of the Marvel U.K. and Generation 2 comics).

In Transformers: Timelines volume 2 #2, "Games of Deception" Ultra Magnus lead a force including Elita One, Springer, Huffer, Snarl, Strongarm and Tyrannitron after the Decepticon Bugbite and his forces to Earth.

[edit] Devil's Due Publishing

In 2004, Snarl was among the Autobots under the leadership Optimus Prime who attempted to take back the planet Cybertron from the Decepticon tyrant Shockwave. After an accident with the teleportational systems of the supercomputer Teletran-3, Snarl found himself sent back in time and on the planet Earth. He was reformatted in the form of an Earth dinosaur with several other Autobots. A group of humans were able to bring the new Dinobots back to Cybertron and they helped overcome Shockwave (G.I. Joe vs. The Transformers II #4).

[edit] IDW Publishing

The Dynobots attack Shockwave in Transformers Spotlight #1.

In the Transformers Spotlight issue on Shockwave, Grimlock and the 'Dynobots' (sporting Cybertronian designs much like their War Within designs) appear in a story that partially homages their Marvel G1 origin. Seeking payback for a humiliating defeat by Shockwave, Grimlock pursued him to prehistoric Earth (which Shockwave was seeding with Energon). In order to protect themselves against Energon surges, the Dynobots required alternate modes covered by a layer of synthetic flesh; Grimlock refused to transform into Ice Age mammals and made the decision to go with dinosaurian forms instead as he thought them more impressive. The Dynobots got the initial jump on Shockwave, as their attack was too illogical for him to understand, but he quickly recovered and blasted the entire team into stasis lock with their synthetic skins destroyed. Grimlock got the final laugh, as the Dynobot ship fired a pre-programmed blast into the surrounding volcanoes to unleash a flow of lava that engulfs all six Transformers until they were uncovered by human paleontologists in 2006.

[edit] Toys

Generation 1 Dinobot Snarl (1985)

Based on a Diaclone toy.

Tyrannitron

Action Master Snarl (1990)

Snarl was one of two original Dinobots to receive the Action Master treatment. His partner is called Tyrannitron.

Generation 2 Snarl (1993)

A red repaint of the original, Snarl returns minus his missile launcher. He was also available in a green variant. Despite his recolor as a toy Snarl appeared in his original colors in the Marvel Generation 2 comic.

Snarl appeared in his red Generation 2 form in the short lived U.K. Generation 2 comic series.

Transformers: Dinobots Snarl (2003)

In 2003, a set of Walmart exclusive toys sold simply as Transformers: Dinobots featured repaints of Beast Wars molds as six Dinobots in sets of two. Snarl (a recolor of Beast Wars Neo Saberback and Beast Machines Striker) was packaged with Sludge (a recolor of Beast Wars Sling).

How the Transformers: Dinobots toy line fits in with the other Transformers lines is still a bit of a mystery. The previous Robots in Disguise and Armada lines contained many non-show recolor toys, but the toys don't mention either line on the boxes. The Dinobots toys came out just before the Transformers: Universe series, which was almost entirely recolors of old toys - so some fans consider it a precursor to that series.

Smallest Dinorobots Desert Warrior (2006)

In 2006, an unlicensed, scaled-down version of the original Generation 1 figure was released. Exclusive to this line was a limited-production red version.

[edit] Beast Wars

Snarl
Transformers character
Beast Wars Snarl toy
Affiliation	Maximal
Sub-Group	Basic Beasts
Function	Surprise Attack
Alternate Modes	Tasmanian Devil
Series	Beast Wars

In the Beast Wars toyline, Snarl was the name of a Maximal who transformed into a Tasmanian Devil. This character did not appear in the original Beast Wars cartoon.

In Japan, this toy was released as a different character named Tasmania Kid as part of the Beast Wars II series, and appeared in its cartoon.