Transformers Legacy: Perceptor

PERCEPTOR
Function: Orbital Interdiction
Alternate Mode: Satellite Telescope

_{Strength: 1
Intelligence: 10
Speed: 5
Endurance: 2
Rank: 6
Courage: 3
Firepower: 8
Skill: 9}

Following their continued lack of success in neutralizing the Decepticon threat, and having lost all their long-range communications equipment in the Ark’s crash to Earth, the Autobots are forced to make their most desperate play yet. While the others (including a newly-reprogrammed, less violent Grimlock) create a diversion outside, stealthy Mirage infiltrates the Decepticon base and sends out a general distress beacon in hopes of reaching any wayward Autobots in the cosmic neighborhood. Unfortunately, this move also has the unintended side effect of attracting potential Decepticon allies, bringing even more war to the already-besieged planet...

The first to respond to the signal is Autobot Perceptor, already present in Earth’s orbit as part of a decades-long deep field study and completely unaware of the war raging below him. Centuries before, he served as Astrogation Officer aboard the exploratory starship Axalon, and as such is an old acquaintance of Arcee’s. Perceptor is one of Cybertron’s greatest scientific minds, which he frequently demonstrates in his rapid, uncompromisingly technical speech, often to the frustration of its recipient. However, unlike many in his field, he is also a capable soldier, having served a full tour of duty during the Great War. This experience has made Perceptor far more pragmatic than the majority of his Autobot allies - he is not afraid to resort to violence if he feels it is the quickest and most efficient method of dealing with a situation, causing him to frequently butt heads with the far more idealistic Optimus Prime. However, in spite of his often detached demeanor, Perceptor does not completely lack compassion, and is not above making personal sacrifices for the benefit of his compatriots.

While he isn’t afraid of combat, Perceptor is not exactly courageous and quite frail, so he prefers to strike at foes from a long distance. This is reflected in his weapon of choice, a shoulder-mounted Orbital Laser cannon, which is accurate enough to hit a target from low orbit with a margin of error of only a few millimeters. This weapon is incredibly powerful - able to punch a sizeable hole straight through an enemy combatant - but is extremely energon-costly, forcing its use to be relegated to only the most crucial moments. As the only spaceborne Autobot, Perceptor is most at home in Earth’s orbit, keeping a watchful eye on the stars for a sign of impending visitors...

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<sub>Hi. Been a while. This is perhaps not the most auspicious character to kick off Legacy Series 2, but definitely the most appropriate story-wise. It's Perceptor, who's ironically the last Autobot I locked in for the Season 2 Autobot roster (although that's years ago now... the Decepticon roster has been far more fluid, but more on that when appropriate...)

Perceptor's head is based primarily on that of his Animated counterpart, what with the "glasses" and third eye. The rest involves utilizing fortuitously placed parts of the altmode to form iconic bits of G1 Perceptor's anatomy. Considering the difference in altmode, he honestly isn't wildly different from his previous incarnations save for the solar panel "skirt".

I'm not sure what possessed me to make Perceptor a satellite, but when I later made him into, specifically, a space telescope (based heavily on a truncated Hubble), it dawned on me that it's essentially the same as his G1 altmode, just, you know, the exact opposite. A giant telescope makes more real-world sense than a giant microscope, anyhow. I know the fact that it's bright red is unrealistic, but the alternative was to have his robot mode be mostly silver, so I erred on the side of visual interest over realisticity. Not to mention that there's no way the telescope could be functional when it's crammed full of robot parts. Cut me some slack, fellas.

His transformation is perhaps the most complex I've ever designed, and there's admittedly a bit of cheating going on (specifically the feet and arms becoming narrower in robot mode than they appear in satellite mode). I cribbed the leg transformation wholesale from Unique Toys' "Mania King" third-party Galvatron toy, and the remainder involves sliding the entire chest assembly down a post to meet the hips. The cannon sits lengthwise in a channel in on the ventral side of the altmode, by the way. I was considering getting myself ahead of the game and producing instructions alongside the entries for Series 2, but I figure you guys would rather see the art now than wait another three years for me to do that.

The challenge in Perceptor's characterization was somehow distinguishing him from the existing "scientist" characters in Legacy (Red Alert and Soundwave). In doing so I essentially based him on Mordin Solus from the Mass Effect series (in fact, I think Mordin may contribute to his relatively lithe, tall appearance as well). He's more military-minded and amoral than Red Alert, but not utterly emotionless like Soundwave (or Perceptor's Animated version, for that matter). If anything, he's closest to Shockwave in being more of a pragmatist, although focusing more on science than military intelligence.

Whoops, forgot to mention that textures for the new background come from FantasyStock and TammySue</sub>

Next up: Nope, not doing that this time around. You'll find out who's next when I post them. Suffice to say, this group of characters will be a much more eclectic mix than the previous one, and I think it's best not to spoil the surprise ahead of time.