I didn't realise Menasor was the smallest. I would've thought Devastator was, since he happened to be "early gestalt technology."
He has the smallest components of the G1 combiners, as both in the show and the toy itself he's the smallest. Not by alot, but he is, which plays into his inferiority complex, I can envision Motormaster holding it against the rest of them for them not being bigger than the other combiners haha. Bunch of runts...you're holding me back...Slag you motormaster. Motormaster is kind of like the Juggernaut of transformers , an unstoppable bully.
Sorry if I misunderstood you but where does it say that Superion is a "3" in speed????
I fudged it up when i was flipping thru the numbers between combiners on this page
http://tfu.info/alpha/index.htm , I looked at the intelligence(which Superion has outsmarted his foes plenty of times, and has enough skill use their scatter reform trick on foes.) not the speed. Still Menasor(2) and Predaking(3) are both terribly in the speed stats. I dont feel the stats fit the characters as this quote sums it up well.
http://transformers.wikia.com/wiki/Tech_specsThe current lineup of stats is: Strength, Intelligence, Speed, Endurance, Rank, Courage, Fireblast (previously Firepower, which actually means something), and Skill. This list has varied surprisingly little over the decades.
While these stats often correspond at least loosely to the described abilities of the characters, parity between characters is virtually nonexistent. Optimus Prime, for instance, has traditionally maxed out most or all of his stats, despite the existence of much stronger, faster, fireblastier characters. The only category with anything really close to a sense of scale between characters is "Rank," where faction leaders tend to be 10s, group leaders tend to be 9s and 8s, and most others are below that. There are of course many exceptions, but at least there's a solid trend.
If there was some context to said stats, then they d hold a bit more water. Like if Brawn is a 10 strength, but he's a ten for a bot his in size/weight class. (in same manner an Ant is extremely strong for it's size) But someone like Metroplex dwarves his strength due to fact he's 100 of times larger.
In general stats in fictional characters rarely mean much, Marvel has it's 1-7 stats as Captain America,spiderman and Wolverine have the Prime Syndrome of being really high stats for being popular/leader characters, despite guys like Galactus would horribly crush them both. The bios weren't much better as they rated some characters far below the feats they've done. (like sasquach has lifted a 200 ton jet effortlessly despite only being rated a 70 ton character.) Or DBZ with the scouter numbers over 9000!
It just feels like the stats got slapped together, as they don't always match the profiles given. Such as.
http://transformers.wikia.com/wiki/Sky_High_(Pretender)
Sky High's toy has one of the most contradictory Tech Spec/bio combos around. It describes him as a brick-dumb muscle-head, but then gives him an impressive Intelligence stat of 8 and a motto about "imagination unlocking the keys of reality." Dreamwave's MTMTE profile book did a fairly clever job of making that all actually work together by cooking up the expanded characterization above.
So I dont put much stock in them, as they might as well been fan voted. While there might be ones in later series where they scale them between bots better, but it usually falls into popularity of the character means better stats.
All that said, unless superion fighting some battlefield with alot of X factors, (like in middle of a city with people he will undoubtly try defend and buildings and hazards to trip him up.) He will have Menasor's number. As I've said he's got one of the best track records in the show as combiners go. If you tossed them both into an open plain with nothing around 300 yards from each other, and said lets go, Superion would take it. Once you start putting different X factors into the conflict it can be anyones game. Superion with only a foe to vanquish is totally focused, and really how to catch off guard.
"The question that once haunted my being has been answered. The future is not fixed, and my choices are my own. And yet, how ironic...for I now find that I have no choice at all! I am a warrior...let the battle be joined." —Dinobot