Grandslam, Raindance, (Slamdance) and Flipsides
These three Autobot Cassettes are probably the oldest of the Cassettebot family, mythology-wise, having been created on Cybertron either before or during the Autobot-Decepticon wars. Who their creators or guardians were originally is unknown.
Grandslam and Raindance (and their combined form Slamdance) were featured once in the Marvel comics of the 80s, and made a reappearance in Dreamwave's War Within: Dark Ages. There's also a listing suggesting that they may have also starred in the Japanese Masterforce Transformers series. Unlike their 'cousins' their root mode is vehicular, and only take on mechanoid form when combined.
Flipsides on the other hand is a toy-only character and the only female Autobot Cassette. She was released with the re-issue E-hobby Twincast (blue repaint of Blaster), and has yet to feature in either cartoon or comics.
See below for more on each character...
Grandslam
Strength: 06
Intelligence: 08
Speed: 03
Endurance: 08
Rank: 04
Courage: 09
Firepower: 03
Skill: 07
A war-veteran in experience if not to much in age, Grandslam has witnessed hundreds of conflicts both on Cybertron and off it, and has dedicated his existence to audio-recording every bit of the Autobot-Decepticon war that he can. He hopes that one day he can play back these recordings to a Cyberton at peace so that the inhabitants remember not to take such an existence for granted.
As an audio journalist/correspondent, he is completely serious about presenting a balanced, objective story to the masses. Because of his strict code of ethics, he was, for a while, highly sought after by the Decepticons, who offered him unlimited access to their information in return for spreading their propaganda so that others would see them in a more sympathetic light. When Grandslam said he would tell the story objectively, he was imprisoned by the Decepticons until rescued by an Autobot special ops squad.
His root mode is a Cybertronian-styled tank whose weaponry is mostly defensive, consisting of a pair of repulsors that can repel everything from missiles to another Transformer, as well as the ability to discharge a smokescreen that can enable him to escape any hostile situation. His cassette form also enables him to record upto 20 years' worth of information. However, he is extremely stubborn and often resorts to putting himself in the middle of danger in order to get the story.
Image Here
+++++
Raindance
Strength: 04
Intelligence: 08
Speed: 06
Endurance: 05
Rank: 04
Courage: 09
Firepower: 05
Skill: 08
Raindance is a something of a daredevil and maybe just a bit of an egoist. Because he's often behind the camera (so to speak) busy recording images to complement Grandslam's audio feeds, he sometimes wishes that could be in front of it instead, as the star. Not as objective as his partner, he has no qualms about interfering in a battle or a story - whether to be a hero, or truly help someone in need, is unknown - a trait that tends to irritate Grandslam to no end.
He's quite popular amongst the other Autobots and his Cassettebot 'cousins' however, because of his willingness and eagerness to share stories with them of all that he's seen and experience over the years. With his witty and exciting language, he never fails to keep his audience entertained, though Grandslam wishes he'd take the war a little more seriously.
His abilities include an exceptional skill at photography and cinematography, as well as possessing a slightly above-average intelligence. His root mode is that of a Cybertronian jet and he also has a pair of air-to-air proton missiles that are used purely for self defense. He can record upto 20 years' worth of video and photographic footage, and like Grandslam, he is also willing to put himself in dangerous situations to capture the best shots.
Image Here
+++++
Slamdance
The combined form of Grandslam and Raindance, Slamdance is also a combination of part of their personality traits. He has the former's stuffy professionalism, as well as the latter's vanity which means that oftentimes he presents his stories with a great deal of self-importance, as if he is the only one who can do the job best, and therefore makes sure he delivers his information in person.
Despite this however, he is an expert at gathering and sorting out news and data. He is also very loyal to the Autobot cause and works to make sure their information is correct and unbiased. In addition, he knows when information has been doctored or is inaccurate. In battle, he has the use of both of his components' weaponry, which is mostly used again for defense.
He is, however, not the strongest mech around, and can sometimes find himself in situations where he's in over his head.
Image Here
+++++
Flipsides
Strength: 05
Intelligence: 08
Speed: 02
Endurance: 07
Rank: 06
Courage: 06
Firepower: 05
Skill: 08
Flipsides was once a teacher in one of the smaller Autobot held cities during the war, teaching young Autobots about military history and tactical theories - skills she applies outside the classroom as well, for instance when she used to take remote control of the weaponry used by the combat droids in battle.
But despite her seemingly no-nonsense attitude, she is one of the warmest, kindest and friendliest bots among her peers and is well-liked by the rest of the Autobots for her caring and compassionate nature.
Unknown to them, she is in fact a Decepticon sleeper agent. During her creation, a timer was placed within her which, once it reaches its end, will revert her to her Decepticon persona. Flipsides herself is unaware of such a device and not even the Decepticons themselves know when the timer will go off.
In combat, she wields a pair of sonic beam rifles that can cause serious circuitry malfunctions and psychological damage. While she has no known weaknesses, she does have a fear of multipedal mechanoids and organisms, and if surprised by one, tends to go into systems lock. It's not known if this fear includes her 4-legged 'cousins' like Steeljaw, Ramhorn and Zauru, and some of the Dinobots, or if it only applies to insects and arachnids.
Image Here
