Autobots Strike Oil



Autobots Strike Oil is the eighth in the Ladybird Books series of Transformers storybooks.

Written by: John Grant Illustrated by: Barry Rowell


 * Cast (in order of appearance): Kup, Hot Rod, Recoil, Chromedome, Hardhead, Stylor, Duros, Weirdwolf, Monzo, Brainstorm, Highbrow, Apeface, Cyclonus, Slugslinger, Misfire, Snapdragon, Scourge, Crosshairs

Summary
A dwindling supply of lubricants puts the Autobots on the trail of a legendary lake of oil which was lost beneath the surface of Nebulos in a geological upheaval. Hot Rod dispatches Chromedome and Hardhead to search, with Stylor and Duros employing geo-sensors to scan the surrounding territory. Eventually, Duros strikes it lucky and the Autobots unearth the subterranean lake. To hide their discovery from the Decepticons, the entrance to the lake is collapsed, and rather than transport the oil in tankers and drums, Brainstorm conceives a pipeline system to pump the oil direct to the Autobot base. Slowly but surely under cover of night, the Autobots successfully assemble the pipeline, and begin the flow of oil into their tanks.

The Decepticons, meanwhile, have been aware that something has been going on, but, unaware of precisely what, have waited until the completion of the project to strike. Discovering a small section of the pipeline lying exposed in a slender ravine, Cyclonus summons the Horrorcons, who shred the pipe.

Investigating the halted flow of oil, Kup and Highbrow quickly and easily repair the pipe, and Kup collapses a portion of the ravine to hide it from view. But the Decepticons have been lying in wait, and the two Autobots quickly seek cover to avoid their pursuers – unfortunately, the pair stumble into a magnetic desert, where the dust clings to their bodies and weighs them down, and Kup is trapped when he is held fast against a boulder. Heading back to base to get help, Highbrow encounters Crosswise, who takes the simple approaching, blowing up the boulder imprisoning Kup, but this delay allows the Decepticons to pick up their trail. The day is won when the Autobots lure the Decepticons back into the ravine with the pipeline, still coated with oil from when it was severed; the Decepticons lose control on the slippery surface and crash in a tangled heap, allowing the Autobots to escape.

Errors

 * Recoil is colored red, instead of black.
 * None of the Decepticons chasing Highbrow and Kup, it is said, are fliers. And yet, the only named member of the group is Scourge – a flier. One might assume that the writer was basing this on the fact that Scourge’s toy has wheels.

Items of note

 * Although the various Nebulans are referred to as being "partners" with the Autobots and Decepticons in both this book and the previous one, the concept of them being binary bonded together is never brought up. Indeed, the writer appears not to have been aware that this is how the "partnership" worked, perhaps believing that it just meant they worked together – for example, at one stage in this book, while Stylor and Duros are exploring on their own, Chromedome and Hardhead transform to robot mode and are said to look around. Hard to do that without a head, but the artist compensates by drawing the two robots without their noggins.
 * This book reveals that, in the Ladybird series, the Nebulans are not organic beings, but are a race of small robots.