Confusing as multiple constructicon drones

[Autobot_Orion]

Dont know if it was asked here but what happened to Blackout from movie 1? In ROTF they have Grindor and he is the exact same helicopter.

[CyberMnky]

Well Blackout got blowed up real good... Maybe Scalpel scanned his remains when he was reviving megatron? I can't remember if Grindor showed up before or after that.

[Autobot_Orion]

So he was blown up in the first movie and dump in the ocean. Scalpel had to have done something offscreen thats a good explanation CyberMnky.

Unknown if Scalpel did anything. Grindor as now understand is a different character. I think he probably just step over his body.

[Aernaroth]

Grindor is the inevitable Thundercracker repaint to Blackout's Starscream.

Or whatever commonly repainted duo you prefer. I mean, there were identical copies of some characters in the movie together, so its more of the same I guess.

[Autobot_Orion]

I did a little research.

I guess they are both different choppers Grindor is a CH-53E Super Stallion and Blackout is a MH-53 Pave low. Both Models are made by the same company and both are variants of the CH 53 Sea Stallion manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft.

Hasbro just decided to repaint Blackouts mold to turn him into Grindor. In real life both are essentially the same Choppers but are based off of variant models to equipped the military forces in different ways.

Grindors model is supposed to have an extra third engine to handle heavy payloads demands of the Navy and Marines. (Maybe Longhaul can ask him to Haul stuff around now).

Blackouts model was for Combat search and rescue, infilitration by flying low for special operations and was used primarily by the US airforce.

Blackout's model is the MH-53 pave low that was retired by the US Air force in September 2008, but Grindors model is still active in the Navy and US Marine Corps. In Transformers Movie verse and real life they are completely different characters and choppers.

[Goaliebot]

I think that in the Movieverse, the TF factions share vehicle mode scans. TFs must have some sort of data/comm network, and vehicle scans are simply data. So arriving Decepticons had 4 options:

- Scan a vehicle
- Use a size-matching shared scan (with color variations, etc) from the "Deceptinet".
- Don't bother scanning anything (Fallen, some of the desert battle Decepticons)
- Use a previous alien scan/mode (Megatron's favorite approach)

I think too that mode conversion (adapting their bodies to transform into a different vehicle/alt mode uses a LOT of Energon, so they avoid doing it willy-nilly.