Faux Transformers: Daijim

If you lived in a city larger than 1,000 people in the 1980s, there was no shortage of Transformers product available.  If you found yourself in a town a bit smaller than that, you might need to settle for a “robot that transformed”.  My hometown had no toy store to speak of, but we did have one of those small-town drug stores that carried all kinds of cheap toys, coloring books, marbles and other things you might find at a dollar store now.  When the Transformers craze hit, I could usually count on finding product in nearby Sisseton or Britton, if a trip to Wapheton or Fargo wasn’t in the cards.  If I was stuck in town, the Veblen Drug store would have to do.  This is actually the store where I bought my “Shockwave” that was simply “alien robot” or something like it.  One allowance-fueled day, I went to the drug store hoping to find some baseball cards, but instead saw this “Guardian Robot” on the shelf.  The robot was huge, and the price was right, so I brought him home.  The biggest decision was whether he was going to be an Autobot or Decepticon.  I made him an Autobot, and then I had to figure out who he was and why he was suddenly there (joining my still growing Autobot forces, which included Brawn, Optimus Prime, and Sideswipe).  The box also had the name “Daijim” on it, so I went with that.  The manufacturer was something like “Oshamia”, so I took that as his home planet.  Over the years, he served the Autobot forces well, even proving to be (in size at least) a good matchup against Devastator.  One of my favorite things to do with my “robots that transform” was to think of what their entries in the Marvel Transformers Universe comics would be like, and for some reason I remember most of the entries I made.  So, here are a few pictures, and my own universe entry for Daijim.

Daijim in vehicle mode

Daijim in robot mode

Daijim close up

Profile/origin:  Daijim was one of the great warriors of the planet Oshamia.  The citizens of Oshamia were a proud robot race and considered Cybertron a “kindred spirit” and a “sister planet” in the cosmos.  Relations between the Oshamians and the Cybertronians were always cordial, until the great war.  The Oshamians refused to get involved in the battle for Cybertron, and their planet instead began to branch out and explore the cosmos.  Occasionally, they would make a trade deal with either the Autobots or Decepticons, but always for energon and never for military aid.  Daijim served on Oshamia’s ruling council, and his body was modified to resemble the other members (the ceremonial “guardian” armor and body was worn only by Oshamia’s most powerful warriors).  Daijim was the one member of the council who believed that aiding the Autobots militarily was in the planet’s best interest, but his voice was a lone one.  On a routine mission to the outskirts of Cyberton, Daijim was alerted by Autobot spies of a plot to destroy Oshamia.  Megatron had positioned several warships in a nearby nebula, and planned to harvest the energy of Oshamia’s destruction [a similar plan is how I explained the surviving Go-Bots in my TF continuity].  Daijim raced his ship back to Oshamia, in hopes of using this knowledge to sway the council, but it was too late.  His ship entered the system as Megatron’s planet-killer missle impacted Oshamia.  Furious, Daijim began a suicide attack against Megatron’s ships.  While futile, his efforts did keep Megatron from harvesting all the energy given off in Oshamia’s destruction.  Daijim’s ship was destroyed, and Daijim himself survived only to find himself hurtling through space.  Depressed and hopeless, Daijim allowed himself to lapse into stasis to let the universe decide his fate.  Daijim’s body floated for millions of years, before entering the atmosphere of Earth.  His body survived entering the atmosphere, and it impacted in what is now Northern California.  Gradually, his body was covered by mudslides and sediment.  Thousands of years later, an archaeological dig uncovered Daijim’s hand, and the call went out to the Autobots to investigate.  Optimus Prime, Brawn and Sideswipe unearthed Daijim, and revived him.  Optimus Prime caught Daijim up to speed on the great war, and Daijim told of Oshamia’s destruction.  As the lone surviving Oshamian, Daijim officially entered into a military partnership with the Autobots, vowing to serve Optimus Prime until the Decepticons were defeated.  Among the Autobots, Daijim is a proud, stoic warrior who they can count on to add muscle when needed.  Some Autobots are leery of him, as the Oshamians at times aided the Decepticons.  Optimus Prime trusts Daijim completely, and Daijim has yet to give him a reason to feel otherwise.

Powers: In monster-SUV mode, there is little terrain Daijim can’t drive through.  Plus, his vehicle mode is shockingly fast on highways (though not always street legal).  In robot mode, Daijim’s strength rivals that of Brawn’s.  His thick armor is resistant to most forms of physical or energy damage.  He wields a shoulder mounted fusion cannon, which is only a small step down from Megatron’s.  His hands can retract to launch small missiles stored in his forearms, and his “palms” contain small laser emitters. He has a rear mounted jet-pack that allows limited flight.

Weaknesses: Daijim’s hands are simply claws, which can pose problems at times.  While not as inefficient as some Autobots, Daijim requires more energon that most to operate at full capacity.  Daijim’s vehicle mode is too large for some roads, which hampers his ability to blend in with other Earth vehicles.  His stoicism is often misinterpreted as aloofness, which hasn’t helped him develop a good working relationship with other Autobots.  He spends most of his time pondering his existence as the sole surviving Oshamian, which at times can affect his performance in battle.

~ by Russ on June 7, 2009.