I got a real treat in today- the Superlink version of Constructicon Maximus! I had Steamhammer as a kid, and getting the whole team is really satisfying. I'd forgotten what a cool and unique toy Steamhammer was.
Also, as they had basically no personalities from Hasbro (even from AVP!) I wrote some myself, notably making the limbs into girls.
TLDR:
Steamhammer: Smart guy cursed with awkward arm.
Duststorm: Total perfectionist.
Wideload: Self-conscious about her chassis.
Sledge: Cute and clumsy gardener girl.
Buckethead/Bonecrusher: Sporty tomboy.
The Secondary Constructicons/Team Decimator: An auxiliary team to the main Constructicons, smaller and slightly weaker than the “main” team but also more energy-efficient and far more mentally stable in combined mode. They consist of:
Steamhammer: The leader of the team (also the only male), Steamhammer’s true passion was codebreaking and communications, but alas a freak accident with a faulty data jack destroyed his left arm, and the only available replacement part was an excavator shovel, so he got put into engineering instead. He’s rather upset about that, but has managed to avoid falling into the Decepticon trap of relieving his stress through violence. Transforms into an excavator and forms Decimator’s torso.
Duststorm: An absolute perfectionist when it comes to building, Duststorm has aggressively high standards for construction (especially her own). Equipped with an X-ray vision scanner, she can analyse any structure for weaknesses or flaws in an instant. Whilst intended to help her find weak points in enemy fortifications, she usually uses it to see if her own structures are properly built- she has been known to meticulously dismantle and reassemble entire buildings if a single nail is in wonky. Transforms into a crane and forms a limb for Decimator (usually an arm).
Wideload: Despite having a relatively lightly built chassis (identical to Duststorm’s in fact), Wideload is extremely self-conscious about her weight, for reasons only Primus knows, though presumably her name has something to do with it. As a result, she has a minor refuelling disorder, and has been known to stasis lock after overexerting herself on not enough energy. On full power she can lift many times her own weight (hence the name), but thanks to this unfortunate complex, she’s rarely able to utilize it. Transforms into a crane and forms a limb for Decimator (usually an arm).
Sledge: A bit slow off the mark and rather clumsy, Sledge makes up for her shortcomings with her immense strength. She’s easily able to demolish even the toughest structures, sometimes even on purpose! Ironically enough she’s a very gentle spark and doesn’t really enjoy breaking things- she’s just rather good at it. She originally wanted to be a gardener rather than a builder, and has converted her engine to be as eco-friendly as possible. Transforms into a front-end loader and can form a limb for Decimator (usually a leg).
Buckethead: Originally named “Bonecrusher” before she realized that name was taken, Buckethead is the polar opposite of her chassis-sister Sledge. Whereas Sledge is slow and mild-mannered, Buckethead is short-tempered and overexcitable. She’s much faster than her build and altmode would suggest- before she got drafted into construction she wanted to be an athlete, and is excellent at galactic baseball, track and field (in both modes) and the traditional Decepticon sport of “Kaon Cricket” (which consists of hitting someone very hard and running away before they can get back up and hit you back). Transforms into a front-end loader and can form a limb for Decimator (usually a leg).
Decimator: The combined form of the Secondary Constructicons, Decimator is considerably easier to direct and more intelligent than Devastator, in part due to essentially being a “super mode” for Steamhammer (with the name “Decimator” mainly being used for official purposes rather than a separate personality). Able to operate for long periods of time in gestalt mode, and remarkably strong for his small size, he’s still considered more of a regular soldier than the living super-weapon status of Devastator. He usually uses the cranes as arms and front-end loaders as legs, though he can adopt any configuration he chooses- the loaders make for very good brute force weapons as arms, whilst the cranes work better in arm mode where dexterity is needed.