When a
Combiner combines and the upgrades on its components go onto it, does that count as putting it on a character in the same way that
Swap Parts does? For example: Torox has
Energon Slingshot before Predacon Enigma was played. When Predaking is combined into, will Slingshot count as being put on a melee character and have its ability to deal 1 damage activate?
[Source: WotC] 
No. Upgrades are not “put on” when Combining, they are “kept on”.
I have a Torox with
Tooth and Claw and
Mining Pick in his Armor Slot, as well as Divebomb with a
Field Communicator. If I combine them into Predaking via the Predacon Enigma, am I required to keep Tooth and Claw in order to carry the Mining Pick to Predaking's armor slot, or can I bring the Field Communicator instead?
[Source: WotC]
Once an Upgrade is legally put into a slot, it stays there, even if the ability that allowed it to be upgraded in the first place no longer applies. In your example, you could keep
Mining Pick in Predaking’s Armor slot. Upgrades that are on characters that combine into Combiners are considered to stay in their slots, even though those slots now belong to the Combiner.
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