Cog (G1)

Cog is an Autobot from the Generation 1 continuity family.

Clockwise from top: Cog, Gasket, and Grommet.
Not pictured: Widget, Doodad, and Thingamajigger.

Cog is the combined robotic form of Fortress Maximus's vehicular drones, Gasket and Grommet. Cog has no independent will of his (its?) own and is completely under Maximus's control. Functioning as both mechanic and warrior, he allows Fortress Maximus to be at other places while in city mode, as well as to interact with more normally-sized beings.^[1]

When Cog is feeling at his most sentient, he's quick to express skepticism in his leaders' actions, even directly to Optimus Prime. Someone's got to be the wet blanket, because sometimes the wet blanket's correct.

Fiction

Marvel The Transformers comics

 

Dammit, Max, stop doing your ventriloquist act and fight!

Cog was among Fortress Maximus's troops that ambushed a prisoner-of-war death march led by Scorponok. He stood at Fortress Maximus's side as he held the troops, waiting for the perfect moment to strike, then split into his component vehicles Gasket and Grommet for the attack. Cog returned to robot mode by the time the Decepticons' battle line broke, and he counseled Fortress Maximus to finish off the fleeing Decepticons. Maximus refused, instead calling for a mutual retreat. Both Cog's vehicle modes were seen returning to the Manganese Mountains with the rescued prisoners.

Much later, after a disastrous military confrontation with the natives on planet Nebulos, Cog was one of the Autobots that gathered around Kup to talk smack about Fortress Maximus's pacifist-aggressive leadership style. Ring of Hate!

The Transformers cartoon

Gasket and Grommet acted as turrets for Fortress Maximus's third mode during the giant Autobot's barrage on Scorponok and the Decepticons. The Rebirth, Part 3

Beast Wars: Uprising

Cog, Gasket, and Grommet were identified as some of the names or aspects of Fortress Maximus in the Builders' era when Survive led a unit to eliminate the robot/base. Head Games

Legends comic

Weaponizer Fortress Maximus

In 2038, Cog became a butler and attendant to Fortress of Master. In the past, Fortress had risked his health whenever he combined with his Battleship Maximus transtector to become the massive and powerful Fortress Maximus. Cog helped circumvent Fortress's problems by combining with the battleship too, serving as Fortress's life support system. Together, they formed "Weaponizer Fortress Maximus" and joined many Autobot Supreme Commanders in defending Cybertron from Unicron Neo. Big Powered Prologue, Part 1

War for Cybertron Trilogy continuity

War for Cybertron Trilogy marketing material

On Cybertron, Cog was a Ground Command Artillery Sergeant, whose function was a mechanic. Siege webpage^[2] During the war for Cybertron, Cog was deployed to the Manganese Mountains, whose rough terrain provided cover for him and other Autobots. This advantage protected them from detection as Seekers made patrols in the area. Siege Teletraan-1 Data Files^[2]

Cog arrived on a flame-wreathed battlefield to give Sideswipe a firepower boost against Skytread. After Cog combined with Sideswipe, they gained the upper hand until Megatron arrived on the scene. He hit Sideswipe so hard that Cog was reduced to a pile of his own parts lying on the ground. Autobots vs. Decepticons stop motion

War for Cybertron Trilogy cartoon

Voice actor: Brian Robert Burns (English), Yūki Shin (Japanese), Yann Sundberg (French), Johann Fohl (German), Alan Bravo (Latin-American Spanish)

I'm here to finally show up in a cartoon and support Optimus Prime, and I'm all out of supporting Optimus Prime!

When Optimus Prime reported to the Autobots camped within the Ark that Ultra Magnus had surrendered to Megatron, Cog warned that them Ultra Magnus knew the location of their base and all their secrets. Therefore, his actions had put them all in danger. After Optimus explained to everyone that Ultra Magnus had sent a message claiming Megatron was hunting for the AllSpark, Cog countered that A) the AllSpark was a myth and B) any action the Autobots could take to counter this plan could be a trap. Cog was among the Autobots who checked out the coordinates in Ultra Magnus' message before being surrounded by hostile Decepticons, as he had predicted. Cog was shot through his midsection by Impactor and had to be dragged off the battlefield. Once back at the Ark, Cog was repaired by Red Alert. Siege episode 2

After Cog returned to duty, Optimus used the Alpha Trion Protocols to locate the AllSpark within the Sea of Rust. Cog warned Optimus that no Autobot who entered the region had ever returned. While Optimus led a team into the Sea of Rust despite his warnings, Cog joined Bumblebee and Arcee in grifting Energon from the elusive Mercenary Soundblaster. Thanks to Buzzsaw, however, Soundblaster found the trio out. Cog transformed and weaponized Arcee to aid in their escape. Siege episode 5 Returning to the Ark with enough Energon to power its launch, Cog helped defense the ship from a Decepticon siege as it flew towards a space bridge. Ultimately, Cog and the rest of the Ark crew disappeared through the space bridge to a location unknown. Siege episode 6

I make other people awesome!

Cog was on the bridge of the Ark as it mistakenly journeyed through the Dead Universe. Earthrise episode 5 After exiting the Dead Universe, the Ark, Nemesis, and Fool's Fortune locked in a dogfight over Earth. Coming upon Optimus locked in battle with Megatron, Cog arrived just in time to see Optimus violently threaten Megatron's life. When the Fool's Fortune fired on the Ark, Cog was sucked into space through a hole in the ship. Infiltrating the Mercenary ship, Cog knocked both Bug Bite and Exhaust overboard, before making his way to the ship's bridge. Finding that Deseeus was controlling the ship in an attempt to destroy the Autobots and Decepticons, Cog pulled a gun on the Quintesson and shot off one of his tentacles. After being knocked into Doubledealer's chair by a blast from the Nemesis, Cog was stabbed by Deseeus as he made his escape. The mortally wounded Cog sent a message to both the Ark and the Nemesis that he had taken the Fool's Fortune and asked them to stop firing. Unfortunately, the Fool's Fortune exploded, killing Cog and sending the other ships crashing down to Earth in the process. Earthrise episode 6

While the Autobots and Maximals searched for the Allspark in a forest on Earth, the object produced an illusion of Cog to Arcee, as part of its defense mechanism. Arcee admitted that Cog couldn't be real. Kingdom episode 3 After the Allspark was returned to Cybertron, revitalizing it, the Autobots, Maximals, Decepticons, and Predacons resolved their ongoing war and built a statue depicting an Autobot Cog-model soldier and a Decepticon Refraktor-model soldier standing together, back-to-back. Kingdom episode 6

Toys

The Transformers

"Sit on my face and tell me that you love me."

• Fortress Maximus (Headmaster Base, 1987)
  • Takara ID number: C-114
  • Accessories: "Laser" rifle

• Known designers: Kōjin Ōno (TakaraTomy)

Cog was only available as part of the Fortress Maximus set. He is formed by combining the two armored cars, Gasket and Grommet (Gromme in Japan); the process involves little more than removing Gasket's arms and re-pegging them on his sides and then pegging the two vehicles together. The top of Gasket's vehicle mode is sculpted to securely fit Spike (Cerebros in Japan) or any other large Headmaster figure.

Cog, Gasket, and Grommet were redecoed into Grand Maximus's Cog, Onomisu, and Koka, and Cybertron City's Gadep, Guardia, and Protect.

• More information on Cog at TFU.info

Encore

• Fortress Maximus (Reissue, March 2013)
  • ID number: #23
  • Accessories: "Laser" rifle

The first re-release of Fortress Maximus in Encore comes with Cog once again. There are no significant differences between the re-release Cog and the original.

War for Cybertron: Siege

He's back, in Cog form!

• Cog (Deluxe Weaponizer, 2019)
  • Hasbro ID number: WFC-S8
  • TakaraTomy ID number: SG-05
  • TakaraTomy release date: February 23, 2019
  • Hidden message code: FORTRESSMAXIMUS
  • Accessories: 2 "RT-5 Circuit Welder" pistols

• Known designers: AJ Piejko-Brown (packaging)

Part of the first wave of Siege Deluxe Class figures, Cog transforms from robot into armored vehicle and back. Cog also retains his ability to split into Gasket and Grommet, a trait proudly demonstrated by the packaging artwork. His official alternate mode is a combined half-track vehicle consisting of the two individual vehicles plugged together. However, the flat rectangular tab that holds them together doesn't have a particularly tight fit and has a tendency to come undone during handling. With multiple 5 mm ports and 3 mm posts, he can also accommodate "Fire Blast" effect pieces from the Battle Masters assortment to simulate blaster fire, or taking blaster fire. His forearms also have minor hints of battle damage. Cog's transformation is also the simplest of the Siege "Weaponizer" molds, as it only requires the detachment of three parts.

As a Weaponizer, he can also be disassembled into an arsenal of weapons, armor, and other upgrades compatible with various other Siege figures as part of the interchangeable/connectable-weapon C.O.M.B.A.T. System... or, really, any figures with 5 mm post attachment points. He splits into a "C-40 Neutron Synthesis Shield" (torso), "C-LR Thermal Booster" (hips and waist), two "C-HV Electro-Scramblers" (arms), and two "C-M3 HF Spectrum Disruptors" (legs), with a pair of "RT-5 Circuit Welders" (his handguns) left over.

Cog's instructions show two suggested combinations with Siege Deluxe Class Sideswipe. The "Defensive Loadout" turns his torso into a shoulder-mounted shield, his legs into a pair of platform shoes, and combines his arms with his hips and waist to form a backpack with over-the-shoulder anti-aircraft guns. The "Offensive Loadout" creates a huge artillery backpack from Cog's lower half, attaching his arms (with his handguns mounted on his wrists) to the bottoms of his feet to create bigger cannons. The sides of Cog's torso are then folded inwards to create a handheld shield.

"The Road to Legends' Revival Chapter 4: LG-EX Big Powered Prologue Part One" of the Legends comic includes a configuration with Legends Fortress Maximus (and of course, any of his redecoes). This configuration, known as "Weaponizer Fortress Maximus", turns Cog into four pieces of weaponry to attach to Fortress. To replicate it, attach Cog's handguns to each of his legs. Also, fold out his torso into a shield as is done for the "Offensive Loadout", attach his arms to the sides of the shield and rotate his wrist guns to face upwards. Attach Cog's legs to Fortress' left shoulder and right wrist, the shield formed with his torso and arms to Fortress' left wrist, and the waist with the hips pointing forward on top of the gun on the side of Fortress' left leg.

Cog's "G1" toy and character model both have his front portion as a six-wheeled vehicle, with the middle pair of wheels being coloured gray (as they're molded into the torso). The Siege toy reinterprets this central pair as simply being circular detail for the shoulder joints. Meanwhile, the treads of the back portion of the vehicle have been flipped upside-down, perhaps to better hide the wheels the toy rolls on. The treads are actually removable, each tightly attached with three small pegs, and can be swapped, but sculpting on the inside stops them from sitting flush in anything other than the default position; the connecting holes are hexagonal, with the rest being circular, probably just an artefact of the injection molding process.

The 5 mm pegs on his guns are trimmed on the side, and consequently don't fit securely into his hands or the 5 mm ports on other figures; the optimal position for them is on Cog's forearms, as is demonstrated in the above image. Additionally, most of the pegholes featured on Cog's body are in fact hexagonal as opposed to circular, which combined with the trimmed circles leaves them unable to stay positioned properly. A running change solved this problem by slightly altering the shape of the handles to make them rounder; this change was retained in later versions of the mold.

Though designated for release in the first quarter of 2019, Cog's wave reached U.S. store shelves in late 2018.

This mold serves as the basis for the Comms Officer, Security Officer, and other assorted generic Autobots from the Netflix cartoon and was retooled with a new head to make Siege Aragon. A redeco of Cog (with additional accessories) was later released, based on the Netflix Security Officer.

• Official conversion video at the TRANSFORMERS OFFICIAL YouTube channel

Games

Transformers Trading Card Game

Having a new toy does wonders for an old obscure bot's exposure.

• Sergeant Cog, Artillery-Mechanic/Heavy Force Defensebreaker Cannon (2019)
  • Wave 3: War for Cybertron: Siege I
  • Rarity: SRT
  • Card Number: T42/T48
  • Stars: 10

Sergeant Cog, Artillery-Mechanic is one of forty-eight double-sided character cards available in Wave 3 of the Transformers Trading Card Game, War for Cybertron: Siege I. As a Weaponizer, Sergeant Cog, Artillery-Mechanic begins the game in Bot Mode. Instead of being sent to the KO Area once his Health drops to zero, the card is flipped to the Upgrade side, becoming the Heavy Force Defensebreaker Cannon, and equipped in the Weapons slot of another character on the player's side of the battlefield.

Transformers Roleplaying Game

In her lecture at Autobot City, Termagax identified Cog as a smaller-than-average combiner. The Enigma of Combination

Notes

You're not helping, England.

• Cog and his components were variously miscolored in almost every appearance in the Headmasters book. Such art errors were common in the miniseries. The one time any of his components was colored right was when Grommet was shown fighting alongside the Decepticons.
• Cog's appearance in the Headmasters comic is a possible art error: he's colored like Hardhead, and his advice to Fortress Maximus suits Hardhead's aggressive nature. So a possible explanation is that Hardhead was incorrectly drawn as Cog, and the colorist was actually using the correct color scheme from the scripted character. This is supported by the fact that Fortress Maximus is also colored correctly—but is drawn like Hardhead!
• In the UK printing, someone noticed the errors and decided that the colors and script were wrong, not the line-art. So the dialogue was changed to have Cog addressing Hardhead, not Fortress Maximus. Unfortunately, not only does this negate the possibility that what appears to be Cog is actually Hardhead himself, but it also attributes the followup line ("There's been enough destruction!") to Hardhead, which does not suit his personality at all.
• Cog's comic book appearance uses Cerebros's cartoon head design. In turn, Siege Cog homages Cerebros's distinct mouthplate as opposed to the traditional mouthplate on his original toy, and Cog's handguns are also similar to the gun that G1 Cerebros came with.
• Gasket and Grommet's "appearance" in "The Rebirth" is due to their toys having the gimmick of being able to be stored in Fortress Maximus's feet. This was likely the case in photos of the toy given to the animation studio, which led to the character model for Fortress Maximus's third mode including the cannons in the feet.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Cog (コグ Kogu), Gasket (ガスケット Gasuketto), Gromme (グロメ Gurome)
• Hungarian: Tengely ("Axis")

Gallery

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  War for Cybertron: Siege art

References