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Hoist Goes Hollywood (episode)

2010-12-03T19:29:54Z

166.82.103.142: /* Continuity errors */

{{episode
|image=Hoist goes hollywood1.jpg
|caption=Unfortunately, none of these guys made it past Michael Bay.
|series=G1toon
|ep=55
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=45
|prev2=Sea Change
|next2=Aerial Assault
|title="Hoist Goes Hollywood"
|written by=[[Earl Kress]]
|production code=700-54
|airdate=[[November 21]], 1985
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''Hoist gets cast in a big Hollywood movie! Hi-jinks ensue.'''

:''Japanese title:'' ホイストハリウッドへ行く (''Hoist Hollywood e Iku'', "Hoist Goes Hollywood")
:''German title:'' "'''Hoist geht zum Film'''" ("Hoist goes to the Movie")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:HoistGoesHollywood Hoist rescue.jpg|left|200px|thumb|]]

[[Carly]] and [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] are on a drive through the countryside inside [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] when they are overtaken by two speeding vehicles. They pursue and see one of the cars make an improbable crash off a cliff and land on top of the other. Before they can investigate, a man on the top of the cliff yells at them for ruining the shot. It turns out they’ve driven into the middle of a movie set. Hoist saves the imperiled drivers of the crashed cars, and the director is so impressed, he hires Hoist on the spot for his next movie. The director invites Spike and Carly along to visit the movie studio.

In the skies, [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] is having trouble transporting a mysterious, heavy load. He crashes into the swamp set on the lot of [[Major Pictures]]. [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] orders him to shut down, yells at [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] for no good reason, then sends [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] and [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] to go after Dirge and retrieve the mysterious cargo.

Hoist arrives at Major Pictures for his big-screen debut, but gets the brush-off from the director. Before filming begins, [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]], [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]], [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] and [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] horn in on the set and ham it up for the director’s attention. Strangely, the director is impressed by their hi-jinks and decides to hire them all for the action picture.

[[Image:Hoisthollywoodmegsseesfilm.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Eh...it's a film.]]

Movie work doesn’t prove to be as glamorous as they had hoped. The bots wind up crashing into buildings and playing second fiddle to the human actors, [[Karen Fishook]] and [[Harold Edsel (G1)|Harold Edsel]], while Hoist pulls them out of the smoldering wreckage after each take.

Disgruntled at their bit parts, the Autobots ask Hoist to lobby the director for better roles, but the director tells Hoist to get a bagel and sit tight. The Autobots take off just as Astrotrain and the other [[Conehead]]s show up to pull Dirge and the cargo out of the swamp set, all as the cameras roll.

Back at Decepticon headquarters, Megatron looks over the strange device. He isn’t sure what it does; he only knows that Wheeljack built it, but he’s sure that it is some kind of potent, deadly weapon. (He doesn’t know [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] very well, does he?) When switched on by Thrust, the device sparks and smokes, but does nothing else. Enraged, Megatron bashes Starscream. Astrotrain then reveals that he and the others were filmed by the humans when they retrieved the device. Megatron orders everyone to the studio to steal or destroy the footage so the device remains a secret.

At the studio, the director is viewing the robot footage and decides to revamp the script into a science fiction epic blockbuster called ''[[Attack of the Alien Robots]]'', to the dismay of the human cast. He calls the Autobots to return with the promise of better parts. Once back, the director has the Autobots don googly-eyed, buck-toothed alien masks and stomp around after the female lead. For some reason, the Autobots still don’t like their parts as monsters from space.

[[Image:Hoisthollywoodevilaliens.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Attack of the the Autobots]]

Making their rounds, Spike and Carly find the room where the film negatives are stored and discover that someone has stolen scenes from the movie. That someone was Starscream, but [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] reports to Megatron that the original negative still exists. Megatron pounds on Starscream again, this time ripping wires out of his chest! He then orders the others to get the negative.

Meanwhile, the Autobots are filming another scene with pyrotechnics, which have been switched for actual explosives by [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]]. Spike and Carly are in a screening room watching a new print of the stolen footage of the Decepticons and the device. Midway through the screening, [[:Image:HoistGoesHollywood Soundwave movie rip.JPG|Soundwave rips through the screen]] and destroys the projector. Spike and Carly rush to the film vault to get the original before the Decepticons do, but are interrupted by Megatron. Carly fools him by giving him an empty film canister, and they race around the studio lot with the Decepticons close on their heels. They finally meet up with Hoist, who has a plan.

[[Image:Hoisthollywoodflesheatinglava.jpg|right|200px|thumb|It's loaded with wasabi!]]

Megatron and the others finally catch up and find the Autobots on a movie set. Hoist threatens to drop the humans and the film into a vat of flesh-eating lava if the ‘Cons don’t withdraw. Megatron says he won’t do it, but Hoist drops them in. Content that the film is gone, the Decepticons retreat. Hoist then lifts Spike and Carly from the “lava”, which is just bubbly, muddy water mixed with special effects.

The Autobots show the film to Wheeljack in the screening room. The Autobot scientist laughs at Megatron because the device Megatron wanted so much is actually worthless. Impressed with Hoist's performance at the lava pit, the director offers him the leading part in a new film, but Hoist declines, saying that his duty as an Autobot comes first, no matter how unglamorous it is.

{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] (1)
*[[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] (14)
*[[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] (15)
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] (16)
*[[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] (17)
*[[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (21)

|c2=
*[[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] (8)
*[[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (9)
*[[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (10)
*[[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] (11)
*[[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] (12)
*[[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] (13)
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] (18)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (20)

|c3=
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] (2)
*[[Carly]] (3)
*[[Director#Assistant_director|Assistant director]] (4)
*[[Director]] (5)
*[[Karen Fishook]] (6)
*[[Harold Edsel (G1)|Harold Edsel]] (7)
*[[Director#Production_assistant|Production assistant]] (19)
}}

==Quotes==
"Ready for my big scene, Mr. Director." 
"Huh? Oh, yeah, the robot. Er...okay, Moist, er...pick up a donut from the catering truck and relax until I call for ya." 
"Donut?"
:—'''Hoist''' gets the brush-off from the Major Pictures '''director'''.

"The star has arrived!"
:—'''Sunstreaker''', humble as ever

"Oh, no. The Autobots have gone movie-mad.”
:—'''Spike'''

"Who would want to steal scenes from ''this'' picture?"
:—'''Spike Witwicky''', movie critic

"I feel like a fool!" 
"Do you wanna quit?" 
"No, but I still feel like a fool!"
:—'''Tracks''' and '''Sunstreaker''' aren't enjoying their movie careers.

"He is...no match for the alien robots...I-I mean, the ''evil'' alien robots."
:—'''Warpath''' shows his acting chops.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical glitches===
[[Image:HoistGoesHollywood No Faceplate Error.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Guess they mouthed off once too often.]]

* Warpath and Powerglide are missing their face plates after the explosion scene.

* Spike's hair is briefly coloured orange at the beginning of the episode.

* The "CLOSED" sign on the studio the Decepticons are in reads "CLLOSE".

* In the swamp, when Ramjet transforms and takes off, he is given Thrust's colors. He's also standing where Thrust had been a moment earlier.

* Karen Fishook's attempt to console her co-star is cut off in mid-sentence by the scene edit.

* When Megatron grabs Starscream after he learns the negative is still in exsistence, Starscream's hips turn white, but they immediately turn back to their normal red when he gets picked up.

* After Megatron rips Starscream a new one, Soundwave is colored like [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]].

* When Spike and Carly view the footage, Wheeljack's invention is yellow instead of gray.

* When Soundwave tells Carly and Spike to "Surrender the negative," he appears as if he's sliding forward in the next scene, even though he's walking towards them, as evidenced by the sound of his footsteps.

* As Megatron jumps out of the cave, his head is about a third the size it should be, but returns to normal size once he lands.

* Near the end of the episode, Warpath says "You tell him Hoist, yeah," but Hoist's mouthplate is moving in sync with the words, and his body language reflects the dialogue. Whoops.

===Continuity errors===
* Not an error ''per se'', but we never do find out exactly why Megatron blames Starscream for Dirge's crash.
* Nor is it clear why Dirge struggles to carry the device, while Ramjet seems to have no trouble with it.
* Why would Hoist's threat to drop Spike, Carly, and the film negative into the lava have given the Decepticons pause when they'd been trying to destroy the three of them for pretty much the whole episode?
* What the hell kind of a film director gets a chance to use real giant transformering alien robots in a movie then just uses them as menial labor.

===Real-world references===
* The characters of Harold Edsel and Karen Fishook are obvious parodies of Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher from the ''[[Star Wars]]'' films. Karen Fishook is voiced by Susan Blu, who would later voice another Princess Leia parody: Arcee.

* Upon Powerglide's entrance, he references the [[Wikipedia:Academy Awards|Academy Awards]], saying "I'll show you some real Oscar-winning material." No Transformers movie has won an Oscar, though [[Transformers (2007)|the 2007 film]] was nominated for three awards and [[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|its 2009 sequel]] was nominated for one.

*The role of "Dash Jordon" is an obvious reference to the character Flash Gordon.

===Trivia===
[[Image:HoistGoesHollywood Starscream offline.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Feel better? No? GOOD.]]
* This is the third and final pre-movie episode which doesn't feature [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]].
*Megatron is ''incredibly'' abusive toward Starscream in this episode...well, more than usual. Starscream is absent for the next few episodes after his wires are pulled out; Megatron must have done some ''real'' damage.
*We never find out what Wheeljack's device is supposed to do.
*Spike yells, "DUCK!" when Soundwave bursts through the theater screen, but he and Carly run away instead.
*When the Autobots are role-playing the aliens chasing the actress, Sunstreaker looks like he's...goose-stepping?
*When the Autobots are sitting in director's chairs with their names written on the backs, Tracks’s chair is spelled "Trucks". This ''could'' be an extension of the gag where the director constantly gets Hoist's name wrong. Then again, considering how common [[Engrish|mangled English]] lettering is in the cartoon's backgrounds, it may be an outright error (presumably stemming from a misunderstanding on the part of Japanese animators, as the English short "a" and short "u" sounds are identical to the Japanese ear). The world may never know.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1995 — ''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' — Megatron Set ([[TakaraTomy|Takara]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1999 — ''The Transformers'' — Decepticon Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2001 — ''The Transformers'' — DVD Box 2 (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 2 ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 2: Vol. 7 (Rhino Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 2 ([[Metrodome]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Collection 3: Series 2.2 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2006 — ''Transformers'' — The Complete Generation One Collection (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2007 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of Italy.png|20px|Italy]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Volume 06: Stagione Due Parte Quarta ([[Medianetwork Communication]]) — English and Italian audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Season Two: Part Two (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Season Two, Volume Two: 25th Anniversary Edition (Shout! Factory)

==External links==
*[http://cybertronchronicle.freewebspace.com/cartoon-dossier/synopses/hoist_goes_hollywood.html Dossier at the Cybertron Chronicle]

[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]

Child's Play (episode)

2010-12-03T19:10:17Z

166.82.103.142: /* Continuity errors */

{{disambig2|the episode of the Generation 1 cartoon|issue #35 of the Marvel US comic|Child's Play (issue)}}
{{episode
|image=Child's Play Aron Autobots telescope.jpg
|caption=Aron soon realised he was addicted to collecting Robot Heroes.
|series=G1toon
|ep=44
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=40
|prev2=Triple Takeover
|next2=The Search for Alpha Trion
|title="Child's Play"
|written by=[[Beth Bornstein]]
|production code=700-43
|airdate=[[November 7]], 1985
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''The Transformers find themselves on an alien planet where they're no bigger than toys to the inhabitants!'''

:''Japanese title:'' チルドレン・プレイ (''Children Play'')

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Child's Play Decepticons catch.JPG|left|200px|thumb|There's nothing in the rule book that says a Decepticon can't pitch!]]

At a baseball stadium on [[Earth]], the [[Decepticon]]s are setting up a [[space bridge]], over the objections of the [[human]]s. [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] decides to let his troops have some fun: [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] fires baseballs at people from his cannons, [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] and [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] play catch (using a human), [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] chases a player around the field, and [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] starts grabbing people in [[Alternate mode|jet mode]]. The unwholesome family fun is ended when the [[Autobot]]s arrive. As [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] and the Autobots attack, [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] tries to run a scan on the space bridge, but Megatron shoots the controls. However, Optimus Prime, Perceptor, [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]], [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]], [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]], Soundwave, Ravage, Thrust, and Starscream are within the space bridge's confines at the time, and they are sucked into a portal along with the [[energon cube]]s. As Megatron laments the loss of the energon (and fails to notice the bright side of Optimus and Starscream probably being dead), the space bridge self-destructs. [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] leads the remaining Autobots back to the [[Ark (G1)|base]], hoping that [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]] can figure out where the others were sent.

Meanwhile, the lost Transformers awaken to find themselves somewhere else. All of a sudden, a large sphere lands atop Starscream. Then a monster attacks, chasing Soundwave. Thrust tries to fly away, but lands in a body of water. Also, Ravage is caught by some plant life. Convinced the Decepticons are no longer a threat, Optimus has the Autobots load the energon into his trailer, and they roll out. They find a building made of relatively poor materials, only to discover something quite shocking: They're in the bedroom of a gargantuan alien child.

[[Image:Child's Play Aron Decepticons bowl.JPG|right|200px|thumb|"If you let us out, we'll give you free candy! Decepticon promise!"]]

The boy, [[Aron]], places Starscream, Soundwave, Ravage, and Thrust in a small bowl, while [[Nitro]] (his pet and the creature that was chasing Soundwave) smells the Autobots. As Aron tells him to stop, the Decepticons escape. Thrust is tied down with a piece of string, Ravage is chased down like a mouse and locked in a small cage with a rodent-like pet to run on a wheel (how embarrassing), and Soundwave is locked in a toy box. Starscream manages to hide in the small toy building and sees the Autobots. Naturally, Screamer fires his [[null-ray]] at the [[Energon (fuel)|energon]], causing a fire. Starscream is quickly recaptured, and Inferno douses the fire. Optimus introduces the Autobots to Aron, when the boy's parents arrive. Hiding the Autobots in a desk drawer, Aron shows the Decepticons to his parents. However, Aron is also compelled to show the Autobots.

The Transformers are taken to a lab, where scientists intend to dissect them (starting with the Decepticons). However, Aron steals the Autobots away, with the authorities in pursuit. Aron hides behind a trash can, dodging his pursuers, but a local bully named [[Marty]] comes along. The Autobots hide within a trashcan, and Marty wanders off. Meanwhile, Ravage has picked his locks and frees the other Decepticons. Aron is still being chased by the authorities, so he intends to hide the Autobots at his house. However, Optimus tells Aron that they have to return to Earth, a planet far from this one. Aron wonders if he could see it through his telescope, and Perceptor happens upon an idea. However, Soundwave has overheard them.

[[Image:Child's Play Autobots sewer ride.JPG|left|200px|thumb|''Mr. Toad's Wildrider''—er, ''Wild Ride'']]

The authorities spot Aron, so the Autobots decide to escape by traveling to Aron's house through the sewers. The Decepticons see the Autobots and follow them below. As the two groups fight it out within the sewer, a wave comes along. (Let's not ponder what the wave is made of.) The Decepticons hightail it out, while the Autobots ride the wave in a teacup. Escaping out through a drainage pipe, the Autobots head to Aron's house.

[[Image:Child's Play Starscream alligators.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Crikey! They're REALLY mad now!]]

Using Nitro as a way into Aron's room, Perceptor explains that they can use the energon, along with modifications to his [[light cannon]], to propel them to Earth through the telescope. Once he's ready, however, the Decepticons arrive and grab Bumblebee. Starscream orders Optimus to let them pass, and just as the [[Prime (rank)|Autobot leader]] is prepared to let them go, Nitro pounces, freeing Bumblebee but allowing the Decepticons to escape back to Earth...and land right in a lake filled with alligators.
Back on...whatever Aron's planet is called, Aron suggests using his toy rocket ship to go home. Perceptor is able to modify it for interstellar transport, and the Autobots depart, with Optimus telling Aron that whenever he looks into the sky, he'll be seeing them.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (9)
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (10)
*[[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] (11)
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (12)
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (13)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (14)
*[[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] (15)
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] (16)
*[[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (18)
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (21)
*[[Gears (G1)|Gears]] (22)
*[[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (23)
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (24)

|c2=
*[[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (3)
*[[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (4)
*[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (5)
*[[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] (6)
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] (7)
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (8)

|c3=
*Spectators (1)
*Baseball players (2)
*[[Chip Chase]] (25)
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (26)
|c4=
*[[Nitro]] (17)
*[[Aron]] (19)
*Aron's parents (20)
*Alien authorities (27)
*[[Marty]] (28)
}}

==Quotes==
"Skywarp, think fast!"
:—'''Soundwave''' playing catch with Skywarp...using a human.

"Strike three, Megatron. You're out."
:—'''Optimus Prime''', umpire.

''[The Decepticons return to Earth, landing in a lake]'' 
'''Thrust''': This isn't the type of welcome I had in mind. 
'''Starscream''': Who cares, as long as there aren't any green monsters around. 
''[Alligators converge and attack the Decepticons]'' 
'''Starscream''': AHHH! GET THESE THINGS OFF OF ME! AHHHH! 
:—Starscream just can't win.

'''Smokescreen''': A rocket ship! 
'''Inferno''': A ''toy'' rocket ship. 
'''Perceptor''' Well, anything's worth a try. With some modifications to the propulsion core— 
'''Optimus''': Perceptor, just do it. 
:—Perceptor exhausts Optimus Prime's patience.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical glitches===
* Megatron's opening lines ("Since the humans are so eager to play, this stadium will make a perfect space bridge. Why don't you accommodate them?") don't quite flow together, as if something got cut after the first part of the first sentence, or as if the first two clauses should be switched around.
* Thrust gets Optimus Prime's laser sound effect when he's firing baseballs from his arm guns.
* When Skywarp flies up to catch the human Soundwave just threw, he is colored like Starscream.
* Though both of the people Starscream picks up at the baseball game are male, one of the voices screaming for help is distinctly female.
* As Starscream is flying around, the stands keep switching back and forth from being completely full to completely empty.
* As Optimus arrives at the stadium and transforms, his trailer simply vanishes into thin air, with Inferno appearing in its place.
* Starscream's face is the same dark gray as his helmet after he's crushed by the giant ball, rather than its usual light gray.
* Thrust makes no transformation noise after he's swatted out of the air by the cat creature.
* The Autobots driving across Aron's floor are moving ''incredibly'' slowly.
* The Autobots make the "wrong" transformation noise (descending pitch) as they arrive at the "building" and convert to robot mode.
* As Inferno knocks on the "building"'s walls, the intended comedic effect of the wall falling and hitting him and Perceptor is animated as if it were a tidal wave bursting through the wall. After about 1/2 of the "metallic clang" sound effect, the scene instantly cuts to the Autobots walking along as if nothing happened.
* Starscream has Skywarp's colors when Aron drops him in the glass jar. And again when Soundwave joins him. And ''again'' as he and Soundwave break out.
* Starscream swats Ravage aside after Aron drops him in the jar, but Ravage just hangs in mid-air, unmoving.
* As Soundwave is being dropped into the cylinder, some parts of his head are white when they should be dark blue.
* As the Decepticons fly over the city, Starscream's face is obscured by his left arm blaster. But since the view is from the right, the blaster should be ''behind'' his head. The layers are corrected when the shot is re-used a few scenes later, as the Decepticons hunt for Aron's house.
* Like Thrust before him, Starscream gets Prime's laser sound effect when he fires on the Autobots inside the building set.
* In fact, ''nobody'' gets the right sound effects. Ravage has the same 1950s-sounding blast effect used all over the place in "[[The Search for Alpha Trion]]" (when he, uh, fires lasers out of his missiles.) So does Prime when he blasts the sewer rat. Inferno gets a Decepticon sound effect when he blasts Starscream in the sewer.
* The spinning animation of the razor the aliens try to dissect Ravage with is screwed up. While there are clear spinning effects on the side of the blade, the teeth around the edge remain motionless.
[[Image:ChildsPlay Starscream's magic leg.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]
* As Optimus reaches the sewer and finds Starscream standing atop the pipe he's coming out of, a number of odd things happen: He grabs at Starscream, who stands motionless, and his hands disappear as though they're meant to be blocked by something. Then he starts falling spontaneously, and a moment later a giant half-drawn leg kicks him. It seems as though this shot was meant to be animated with a different background.
* As Perceptor is knocked down by Soundwave, the rim of his chest is grey instead of white.
* As Inferno rushes to save Bumblebee, the water has not been animated around the characters, thus making them look like half-robots floating in midair.
* ''Flying Autobots:'' The Autobots emit a rocket sound effect as they leap from the tea cup, as if they had flight capabilities.
* As the Decepticons fly to Aron's house, Starscream is colored like Thundercracker.
* The Autobots are supposed to be running toward Nitro, but they aren't actually shown to be moving forward.
* Smokescreen's head crest is colored blue instead of yellow as Bumblebee asks about the cubes.
* When Aron removes the energon cubes from his drawer, his head and left arm disappear.
* As Inferno blasts the energon cubes, his energy beam isn't given a proper glow effect; it's colored black instead.
* Bumblebee vanishes from the shot as the Decepticons flee from Nitro.
* Starscream is colored like Thundercracker (''again'') as they fly up to the light beam.
* As the alligators approach the Decepticons, the back of Starscream's head is the same light gray as his body, instead of its usual dark gray.
* The alligators of the lake the Decepticons landed in are unnaturally huge. They seem as big as Starscream, who is over twenty feet tall, mind you.
* As the Autobots board the rocket from Aron's hands, the cell layering is ''completely'' screwed up. The Autobots just appear out of nowhere in Aron's hands. Bumblebee appears to be growing right out of Aron's skin. Prime walks ''past'' the rocket rather than into it, then phases through its skin to enter it (there's no actual hatchway shown.) Nitro ''also'' phases through the rocket to lick Bumblebee, and both of them sit there, half-submerged in the rocket. Wow!
* The audio seems to slow down for a second as the rocket lifts off.

===Continuity errors===
* Although continuity sets this directly before "[[The Gambler]]", the next episode broadcast was "[[Quest for Survival]]". Strange, that is.
* Nobody thinks to ''flee in a panic'' when the stadium is taken over by giant evil alien robots?
* Thrust confidently declares that "one of my missiles can stop anything!", while firing his... lasers.
* Awful convenient that the Transformers landed on a distant alien planet where the locals speak English. There's not the slightest attempt to explain how the two races can instantly communicate. Then again why were the Autobots able to instantly speak english themselves?
* Why doesn't Soundwave shrink when he transforms inside Aron's cylindrical box? He'd have been undetectable!
*The Aliens recognize the Autobots' alt-modes; strange that they have the same vehicles as we do.
* A representative of Aron's seemingly modestly-advanced civilization decides that, to figure out ''where'' the Transformers came from, they'll have to ''cut them open''? They thought of this before, say... ''asking them''?
* The physics of Perceptor's improvised space bridge seem a little dodgy. For one thing, shooting energon cubes usually causes them to ''blow up''; in fact, that's exactly what happens earlier in the episode. Second, there doesn't seem to be any mechanism for channeling their energy into the telescope, or for controlling when the beam launches. Third, could that dinky little telescope really be reliably sighted ''exactly'' on Earth, a small (and moving!) planet that's a minimum of several light years away?

===Continuity notes===
* [[Enter the Nightbird|<<]] '''Brawn vs. Soundwave''': Round 4 goes to Brawn. Tally: Brawn 3, Soundwave 1. Final winner: Brawn!
* Perceptor demonstrates his rarely-used ability to roll along as a giant vehicular microscope.
* When the Decepticons are flying through the air, Ravage is shown to be "running" next to them. So cute.

===Other notes===
* Somebody ''must'' have been killed when Thrust knocks the huge and explosive scoreboard into the stands.
* Right before Brawn throws him, Soundwave appears to be... stomping on one of the bases?
* Optimus forgets to name Smokescreen when he introduces the Autobots to Aron. Smokescreen doesn't seem to mind. In fact, Smokescreen barely speaks in this episode and disappears at times. Perhaps the writers held him back in light of his upcoming starring role in "[[The Gambler]]"?

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2000 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Volume 12: Size Matters ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]])
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1995 — ''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' — Megatron Set ([[TakaraTomy|Takara]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1999 — ''The Transformers'' — Decepticon Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2001 — ''The Transformers'' — DVD Box 2 (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 2 ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 2: Vol. 5 (Rhino Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 2 ([[Metrodome]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Collection 3: Series 2.2 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2006 — ''Transformers'' — The Complete Generation One Collection (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2007 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of Italy.png|20px|Italy]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Volume 05: Stagione Due Parte Terza ([[Medianetwork Communication]]) — English and Italian audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Season Two: Part Two (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Season Two, Volume One: 25th Anniversary Edition ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection (Shout! Factory)

==External links==
*[http://cybertronchronicle.freewebspace.com/cartoon-dossier/synopses/child's_play.html Dossier at the Cybertron Chronicle]

[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]

Octopunch (G1)

2010-12-02T19:04:54Z

166.82.103.142: /* Notes */

{{factions|decepticon|decepticong2}}
:''Octopunch is a [[Decepticon]] [[Pretender]] from the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Octopunch.jpg|right|250px|thumb|I shot [[Primus|God]], right in the FACE!]]
Not a single doubloon of sunken treasure is safe from '''Octopunch's''' slimy tentacles. A greedy scavenger, Octopunch spends most of his free time dredging the murky ocean depths for the riches that lie hidden there. (What he does with these riches is none of your business.) Unlike other robots with [[Scavenger (G1)|similar]] [[Nautilator|functions]], Octopunch is also... well, not completely incompetent. He is a fearsome warrior above or beneath the waves, and is not afraid of [[Primal Scream (issue)|a little heresy]] to get the job done.

:''French-Canadian name'': '''Octocoup'''

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Generation 1====
{{noteukonly}}
[[Image:HuntingParty-Mayhem Attack Squad small.JPG|left|thumb|250px|I'm with fashionable --->]]
''Looking to recruit a new [[Mayhem Attack Squad]] to go after the traitorous former members, [[Carnivac (G1)|Carnivac]] and [[Catilla]], Snarler hired Octopunch and his comrades [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] and [[Stranglehold]] for the squad. For training purposes with their fellow recruits [[Needlenose]] and [[Spinister (G1)|Spinister]], they engaged in a solid light simulated combat session set in [[Slaughter City]], and Octopunch managed to destroy the sim versions of [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] AND [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] in the first few minutes (mmmmaybe it was still set on 'Easy' mode). {{storylink|The Hunting Party}} On Earth, the Mayhems caught up with Carnivac on the outskirts of [[Dallas]], [[Texas]], and their fight soon carried across the border into the [[Mexico]] deserts. After Carnivac caught Needlenose flat-footed, Octopunch forced him to disengage and leave his [[Pretender]] shell by threatening some nearby humans. Infuriated at seeing a fellow Decepticon surrender simply because of some fleshlings, Octopunch prepared to deliver the death-blow to Carnivac. {{storylink|Survival Run}} However, those self-samed fleshlings came to the rescue of their savior, driving a transport truck at full-speed into the Mayhems' backside, giving Carnivac a chance to scramble clear. The resulting explosion took Octopunch out of the rest of the fight. His fellow Mayhems eventually dragged him clear when the rest of the [[Survivors]] arrived and they retreated, but not before Bludgeon managed to execute the traitor Catilla with his blade. {{storylink|A Savage Place!}}''

[[Image:Bludgeonstrangleholdoctopunchmodelsheet.jpg|right|300px|thumb|If you ever wanted to see his [[character model]], this is probably it.]]

Octopunch was part of the Mayhem Attack Squad (alongside Bludgeon and Stranglehold) sent by [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]] to assassinate the [[Autobot]] Pretenders [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]], Grimlock, and [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]], after their revival on Cybertron stirred the spirits of the Autobot rebellion and threatened Decepticon supremacy. After a [[Trans-Time Dimensional Portal]] accident cut short their first assassination attempt, Octopunch and the rest of the Squad followed the Autobots into the core of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Surprisingly, Cybertron's core contained none other than [[Primus]] himself! {{storylink|Yesterday's Heroes!}} [[Image:PrimalScream-Octopunchshootsgodintheface.jpg|left|thumb|200px|The most important thing Octopunch ever did was sadly also the stupidest.]] The Mayhems made a second attempt to destroy the Autobot Pretenders, but Octopunch found out that Grimlock is much harder to kill in real life than in a simulation. After the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]] commander headbutted Octopunch, shattering his faceplate, the [[Micromaster|Micromasters]] [[Stakeout (G1)|Stakeout]] and [[Red Hot]] tripped him over the edge of a railing, sending him crashing to the floor below. Blacking out, Octopunch made a final attempt to fire at Grimlock, which ended up ricocheting off the Dinobot's armor-plating and striking Primus right between the eyes. Upon being shot, Primus awoke and unleashed a [[Primus#War_of_the_balance|scream]] that eventually drew [[Unicron]] to the Transformers' homeworld. {{storylink|Primal Scream (issue)|Primal Scream}}

Thanks a LOT, Octopunch.

Octopunch and the other Squad members ended up on Earth, and joined forces with [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]. They worked for him until the war against Unicron was successfully won, and Scorponok killed. At this point, Octopunch's comrade Bludgeon assumed command of the Decepticons, and arranged to leave the Autobots stranded on the dying planet of Cybertron while he and the Decepticons began conquering anew. They basically levelled the planet [[Klo]] before the Autobots managed to catch a ride and track them down. Wiping out nearly all the Autobots in the battle that followed, Octopunch led a squad consisting of [[Quake (G1)|Quake]], [[Fangry]], and [[Weirdwolf]] to pick off the stragglers. Grimlock and his surviving warriors fought back and, with the arrival of [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and the [[Last Autobot]], the fight turned against the Decepticons, and Bludgeon and his crew were forced to slink away. {{storylink|End of the Road! (US)|End of the Road!}}

=====Earthforce=====
{{earthforcefiction}}
''Although their last target, Carnivac, was still at large, the Mayhem Attack Squad reasoned that he would inevitably come to them, seeking revenge for the death of his comrade, Catilla. Therefore, they set up a heavily defended island base in the Bahamas to wait out the traitor's arrival. Sure enough, Carnivac did arrive, and took out Needlenose before anyone even knew he was there. {{storylink|Cry Wolf!}} Things got more complicated after that, but while he lost his Pretender shell, Carnivac also killed Spinister and Snarler. Octopunch and his colleagues were planning to go down fighting against Carnivac's back-up, the combined Autobot Earthforce and Survivors, but instead Carnivac insisted they let them live, denied a warrior's death. {{storylink|Where Wolf?}}''

''Sometime later, Octopunch, Bludgeon and Stranglehold managed to escape captivity at the Earthbase. {{storylink|Shut Up!}} They hooked up with the deposed Decepticon leaders, [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] and [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]], taking an assassination contract for the usurpers, [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] and [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]. {{storylink|External Forces!}} Problem was, the Autobots needed Starscream alive for their own reasons, and so Grimlock sent [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] and [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] in to fight against the Mayhems. It was surely a brutal battle, but Octopunch and the others were defeated, their contract unfulfilled. {{storylink|The Lesser Evil}}''

=====Marvel UK future timelines=====
''In 1990, Octopunch was working for [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] on Cybertron along with Bludgeon, Stranglehold, and [[Warmonger]]. After some Autobot captives temporarily escaped, Megatron determined there was a traitor in their midst, and singled out Bludgeon. When the Pretender demanded a trial by combat, Megatron set him loose to face his fellow Decepticons on the field of battle. In the fight, Bludgeon scored first blood against Octopunch, but the salvage expert caught his "once friend" off-guard by popping out of his shell with a flying punch. The punch did little against Bludgeon's armored shell, though, and he knocked Octopunch out. Bludgeon was eventually proven innocent when Warmonger caught him napping but couldn't pull the trigger, thus proving to Megatron that HE was the weak-willed Autobot in disguise. {{storylink|Aspects of Evil!}}''

{{note|The above story is the earliest known account from the Marvel UK alternate "Movie" timeline. The split between the main comic and the future stories almost certainly took place in 1989, either due to the Time Wars, the events of [[Primal Scream (issue)|Primal Scream]] where Primus alerted Unicron to his location 15 years early, or both.}}

=====''Another Time and Place''=====
After the war on Klo, Octopunch and the Decepticons lay in wait for [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] to do something stupid, and so he did. Tracking the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]] commander and his troops to [[Hydrus Four]], Octopunch and his fellows caught Grimlock off-guard and managed to take control of the medical facility where Nucleon was being produced. Bludgeon had plans to use the super-energy to bring [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] himself back to life. Octopunch was later seen worshipping at the altar of Megatron's corpse alongside Stranglehold and Bludgeon. When the Autobots attacked, Octopunch charged into battle with his electro trident like the others, but was ultimately defeated. {{storylink|Another Time and Place}}

====Generation 2====
[[Image:Octopunchtalesofearth.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Wasn't he on ''Scooby-Doo''?]]
Octopunch was one of countless Decepticons under Bludgeon's command when they fought the Autobots over ownership of a cache of weapons on an unnamed barren world. The Decepticons were easily overpowering the Autobots; Octopunch, in particular, was strangling [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] with his tentacles. Bludgeon ordered a retreat when a gigantic, monstrous creature who guarded their quarry warned them away. {{storylink|Ghosts}}

Later, Octopunch and the other Decepticons were ordered to rampage across Earth in order to get Optimus Prime's attention. {{storylink|Tales of Earth Part One}} Their "work" was interrupted when [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] returned in a powerful new body with [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] in tow. Megatron challenged Bludgeon for leadership of the Decepticons, and when Bludgeon lost, Octopunch and the other Decepticons switched their allegiance to the victor. {{storylink|Tales of Earth Part Two}}

Soon after, Megatron's forces clashed with [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]]'s [[Cybertronian Empire]]. Megatron declared war against them as Octopunch and the other Decepticons cheered him on. Their feelings changed, however, when the Warworld was attacked. Octopunch and the others fought the Cybertronians on the surface of the Warworld, but they were getting massacred. Octopunch was shot in the chest, presumably killed. {{storylink|New Dawn}}

====Classics====
{{note|Classics follows the original Marvel G1 continuity, ignoring the events of Generation 2 and Marvel UK}}
[[Ruckus (G1)|A complete idiot]] and his [[Needlenose|dumb surfer friend]] hired Octopunch and Stranglehold as part of a new Mayhem Attack Squad. They took a [[Phyrion|hostage]] as bait to capture [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] and [[Siren]]. When Nightbeat's crew showed up, Octopunch took one look at [[Slag (G1)|Slag]] and [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] and promptly said that his price went up. Slag beat him up badly, and Octopunch beat himself up worse when he saw that Ruckus brought the hostage ''with'' him. Needless to say, Octopunch left saying that he will contact Ruckus about payment. {{storylink|Cheap Shots}}

How'd he get talked into being employed by '''''Ruckus!?!'''''

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
[[Image:G1Octopunch toy.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Yo, where the [[Kiss Player|Japanese schoolgirls]] at?]]
*'''Octopunch''' (Pretender, 1989)
**''Accessories:'' Gun, small gun, helmet, 2 crab legs (left & right)

:Octopunch's inner robot transforms into a crab, with the help of two sets of legs that attach to his sides. His Pretender shell is a cross between a deep sea diver and a Japanese delicacy. It has four additional octopus-like tentacles extending from his shoulders, and a detachable helmet. Though, if you don't want to have nightmares, don't detach it. (There's a reason he was drawn in the comics with only his teeth visible under the helmet...) Unfortunately, Octopunch does NOT come with the wicked trident he uses in the comics. Pity.

:The shell's arms, head and helmet are all made from a softer plastic than the rest of the shell.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1989/Decepticon/Octopunch/octopunch.htm More information on Octopunch at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

==Notes==
* The Pretender shells of Octopunch and [[Longtooth]] both possess human skull belt buckles. The significance of this shared detail, if any, has never been revealed.
* It was bad enough when Octopunch's ricocheted shot alerted [[Unicron]] to [[Primus]]'s location, resulting in countless deaths and the persisting threat of the Planet Eater. It was later [[Retcon|retconned]] that Octopunch's ricocheted shot not only doomed his own universe to Unicron, but every single Transformers universe in the entire multiverse as well. Better hope there's no [[wikipedia:karma|karma]] in ''Transformers'', or he's got some serious comeuppance due. {{storylink|Vector Prime: In the Beginning}} Maybe that's what the whole shot in the chest thing was for.
* At [[BotCon 2008]], it was revealed that the ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Transformers Animated]]'' crew originally planned to use a human villain patterned after Octopunch (with the addition of boxing gloves on his tentacles) in the opening scenes of "[[Home Is Where the Spark Is]]". He was eventually replaced with the [[Angry Archer]]. [[Derrick J. Wyatt]] also stated in an interview that he and [[Matt Youngberg]] had been trying to make him a character for a long time.
* He only used the toy's blasters once. And it was when ''Ruckus'' employed him.

[[Category:Generation 1 Decepticons]]
[[Category:Generation 2 Decepticons]]
[[Category:Mayhem Attack Squad]]
[[Category:Pretenders]]
[[Category:Undersea specialists]]

Master Blaster

2010-12-02T14:06:58Z

166.82.103.142: /* Continuity errors */

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=49
|image=BW MasterBlaster title.jpg
|caption=Tarantulas suddenly realizes how all those bugs eaten by geckos feel.
|title= "Master Blaster"
|production company= [[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate= [[March 1]], 1999
|written by= [[Eric Torin]]
|directed by= [[Steve Sacks]]
|animation studio= [[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity= [[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}

'''The Predacons gain control over the body of Optimus Primal, and capture the Ark.'''

:''French-Canadian title:'' '''Maître du Feu''' ("Fire's Master")
:''Japanese title:'' もえてドラゴン (''Moete Dragon'', "Blaze, Dragon")
:''Latin-American title:'' '''La Furia del Dragón'''
:''Italian title:'' '''Uniti per sempre''' ("United forever")
:''Brazilian name:'' '''Mestre Destruidor''' ("Master Destroyer")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:BW MasterBlaster PrimalflattenWaspy.jpg|left|150px|thumb|A bug in the hand is worth...uh, washing up afterward.]]
Silverbolt dutifully patrols the Maximals' fortified entrance to [[Mount St. Hilary]]. Megatron, trying another attack on the Maximals' base, sends sub-commander Waspinator with a large explosive (from…somewhere) to destroy the patrolling Fuzor. Waspinator delivers the missile and destroys Silverbolt's gunning turret, and when Primal, Cheetor, and Rattrap rush outside to defend their home, Waspinator commands a full attack. But without support from additional troops, Waspinator is quickly crushed by Primal.

Hiding out of Primal's sight, Tarantulas blows a dart that burrows itself into Primal's foot, crawls through the Maximal leader's interior machinery, and accesses Primal's own spark. Primal disregards the infection, tells Cheetor to "take a rest" with a suspiciously Western drawl, and punches out the young Maximal.

[[Image:BW MasterBlaster Primalsparkhijack.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Once these things dig in, only a special shampoo can get them out.]]
Blackarachnia returns to the Maximal base, surprised by the open doors. She finds the entire interior dark. Primal sneaks up on the arachnid, and when she reveals that Depth Charge isn't with her, he grabs her as if she were a toy. With the widow restrained, Megatron and his crones step out of the darkness. Quickstrike is revealed to be controlling Optimus by piloting a large, mechanical suit of similar form to Primal's body. The other Maximals are being kept deactivated in a hanging cage.

[[Image:BW MasterBlaster Megs spark.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Ye haw, ride 'em, cowboy!]]
Meanwhile, Quickstrike uses Primal's body to give Megatron access to the Ark's interior. Megatron walks through the halls of the ship to find what he's looking for: his namesake [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]. The Predacon leader opens his own chest, and a tentacle reaches out of it to access the [[spark]] of his predecessor. After a bit of struggle, Megatron takes both sparks into his body. While Megatron convulses from the pain of containing two sparks, Quickstrike, who is secretly working for Tarantulas, dumps his leader into one of the lava pits outside.

[[Image:BW MasterBlaster Megshand.jpg|right|150px|thumb|[[Wikia:c:terminator:Terminator 2: Judgment Day|I'll be back.]]]]
Blackarachnia is left in the care of [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]], who delights in causing her pain, but she overpowers the massive Transmetal crab by using her telekinesis to knock him down with a steel girder. She sneaks through the base, then leads Inferno away from the Maximals he's supposed to be protecting and locks him outside so she can free her team.

Quickstrike gives Tarantulas access to [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]]. Tarantulas then sends Quickstrike away to destroy the Maximals while he rigs the Ark to explode, which will kill all Autobots and Decepticons within it. As Tarantulas leaves the Ark, Megatron emerges from the lava, now reconfigured into a dragon form by his plunge into the molten rock and the additional spark within him. Megatron burns the spider who betrayed him and tosses Tarantulas into a distant lava pool as punishment for failing.

Quickstrike, still piloting his armor, finds Blackarachnia and double-teams her using Optimus's body, which is still under his control. But with a well-placed blast, she causes the two giants to fall over each other. The fall frees Optimus, who remembers what he did under Quickstrike's control, and he and Blackarachnia head back into the Ark to prevent the devastation.

[[Image:BW MasterBlaster Megsflame.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Oh, this is really bold! So bold, it's not fit for human consumption!]]
Megatron finds Optimus, and the two enhanced transformers battle. While Blackarachnia tries to save the Ark, Megatron shows off his new abilities against his most hated enemy. Blackarachnia saves the Ark with just a single second to spare. Optimus is then saved from Megatron by the combined firepower of the other Maximals, who force Megatron to retreat. But with the spark of the original Megatron still in his possession, Megatron has gained a new advantage in the Beast Wars.
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] (1)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (8)
*[[Rattrap]] (9)
*[[Optimus Primal]] (10)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (11)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (13)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
*[[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] (2)
*[[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] (3)
*[[Tarantulas]] (4)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (5)
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (6)
*[[Dinobot II]] (7)
*[[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]] (12)

|h4=[[Decepticons]]|c4=
*[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (14)
}}

==Quotes==
"Ah, sometimes deception is the better part of valor."
:—'''Megatron''', observing Waspinator's unwitting decoy attack on the Maximal base

"You'll live to regret this, crab legs." 
"I regret everything, my sweet. Struggle as much as you like, I enjoy it."
:—'''Blackarachnia''' as she struggles against '''Rampage'''

"Time to open me up a can of kick-keister!"
:—'''Quickstrike''', after being told to finish the other Maximals

"By the Pit, you live!" 
"I am not so easily destroyed. And thanks to your treachery, my power is greater than ever! Let me... ''thank'' you."
:—'''Tarantulas''' and '''Megatron'''

"I can suffer your treachery, lieutenant, but not your incompetence!" 
[''throws Tarantulas into the lava''] 
"Treachery requires ''no'' mistakes."
:—'''Megatron''' reborn deals with '''Tarantulas'''

"Enter the dragon!"
:—'''Megatron''' introduces the new him to Optimus Primal and Blackarachnia; as you can tell, he's proud of it

"Megatron does not yield... he ''conquers''!"
:—'''Megatron''''s response to Optimus Primal's demand for his surrender

"Eight clicks to core implosion.... five.. four... three... two... one... core implosion aborted... all systems normal... have a nice day."
:—<strike>Spaceball</strike>'''Teletraan I'''

"Did you think you could stand against the fury of ''both'' Megatrons?"
:—'''Megatron''' gloating to Optimus Primal

"Talk about a makeover." 
"It's no joke, Rattrap. What Megatron's done has just made it more important than ever for us to win this war… and win it soon."
:—'''Rattrap''' and '''Optimus Primal'''

==Notes==
* Although the toy is a [[Transmetal 2]] and has detailing consistent with the other Transmetal 2 figures, within the context of the story, Megatron's upgrade is not related to the [[Transmetal driver]] and is never called a Transmetal 2 in the series.
* When Primal finally gains control of himself and tells Blackarachnia that Megatron gained control of Teletraan I, he actually says "Teletraan" instead of "Teletron". Every other time it's said in this episode, it's pronounced "Teletron".

===Continuity errors===
* It is unclear why Tarantulas and Quickstrike expected Megatron to expire in the lava, since Tarantulas suffers the same fate, only to pull himself free in a few moments. Perhaps Tarantulas remembered how [[Terrorsaur]] and [[Scorponok]] died and just expected it to work.
* The return of Generation 1 Megatron's spark to his body would never be explicitly resolved within this series. ''Beast Wars'' Megatron was said to still hold it as of "[[Other Victories]]", and we never see or are told that he gave it back. There is only Primal's statement that "all is as it should be" (made after Megatron's capture in "[[Nemesis Part 2]]") to go on. The spark's replacement was written into the "Nemesis" script and even animated—it was simply cut for time from the final episode. A clip of this animation can be seen on BWTF.com's [http://bwtf.com/bw/tvshow/episodes/seasonthree/nem2/ page for this episode] and was included as an extra in Kid Rhino's DVD release of ''Beast Wars'' season 3.
* The computer that Blackarachnia and Tarantulas use seems to have been designed for human-size figures, rather then the larger Autobot occupants. Of course the controls could have been built when the Ark was constructed for the roughly human-sized Transformers, such as the ones with cassette alternate modes.

===Technical and animation errors===
*When Megatron says he has "almost collected the whole set", his head has the wrong colors. Instead of his Transmetal head, the colors match that of his dragon form. Earlier shots in this scene have the correct color scheme.

===Transformers references===
* Well, there ''is'' [[Megatron (G1)|the original Megatron]], but he's only in [[stasis lock]].
* Blackarachnia (after saying "I can play your game too") saves the day by uploading "datatrax Viron" into Teletraan-1, which is the same datatrax Tarantulas used against the [[Metal Hunter]].
* Megatron's tampering with Generation 1 Megatron's spark will have bizarre results several million years later when the original Megatron battles [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] in "[[Decepticon Leader Megatron Black Ver.]]"

===Real-world references===
* While revealing himself in his new form, Megatron cries out "Enter the dragon!", which is also the title of a [[Wikipedia:Enter the Dragon|Bruce Lee movie]].

* The title of the episode, "Master Blaster", is also the title of an old computer game, and a song by Stevie Wonder. However, it's clear from context that it primarily refers to the dwarf/giant duo from the film ''[[Wikipedia:Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome|Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome]]''.

* At the last second, Teletraan I aborts its self-destruct sequence with the line, "Core implosion aborted, all systems normal. Have a nice day." This is similar to a self-destruct sequence in the sci-fi parody ''[[Wikipedia:Spaceballs|Spaceballs]]''.

===Trivia===
* The power-suit frame used by Quickstrike in this episode is later used by the [[Vok]] to create [[Primal Prime]] in "Primeval Dawn Part 1".

* This episode establishes that there are other equally powerful sparks; Prime's not being the only one.

* In an early version of episode's plot, Megatron decided to steal and absorb the original Megatron's spark only after failing at another attempt to kill [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]].<ref>''[[Beast Wars Universe]]'' [ISBN 978-4766938005]</ref>

* A techno-''blowgun?'' Well, whatever works, works, we suppose.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers: Metals'' — Sssshiny! ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Volume 3 ([[Universal]])
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers: Metals'' — DVD Box 2 (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2004 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete Third Season ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 3 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]

Deathsaurus (G1)

2010-11-23T19:27:39Z

166.82.103.142: /* Notes */

{{factions|decepticon}}
{{featured}}
{{disambig2|the evil Decepticon [[Emperor of Destruction]]|the heroic Decepticon Colonel|Deathsaurus (SG)}}

:''Deathsaurus is a [[Decepticon]] from the [[Victory (franchise)|Victory]] portion of the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Deathsaurus1.jpg|right|325px|thumb|Spell it right or you're kickbanned, buster.]]

'''Deathsaurus''' began terrorizing the galaxy long before ascending to the position of Decepticon [[Emperor of Destruction]]. For thousands of years, this savage and cruel dictator has spread terror throughout the universe, and has now set his sights upon the Earth as a source of energy to power his terrifying superweapon, the [[Planet-Destroying Fortress]]. And if [[Star Saber (Victory)|Star Saber]] should get in his way, so much the better: Deathsaurus bears the Autobot [[Supreme Commander]] a bitter grudge, and relishes any opportunity to destroy him that presents itself.

Deathsaurus is a [[Breastforce]] warrior, partnered with two transforming chestplates that become the [[Breast Animal]]s [[Tigerbreast]] and [[Eaglebreast]]. He wields a deadly spiked flail, and the [[Living-Metal-Destroying Cannon]], which erodes the living metallic cells of super-robot lifeforms. The bladed wings of his creature mode absorb sunlight, converting it into dark energy, and he can then launch these energized blades at his opponents in an attack known as his "Death Wing". Despite all of these terrifying powers, however, Deathsaurus is a surprisingly "hands off" leader, who is perfectly happy to allow his subordinates to formulate their own plans and schemes to gather energy for him—but if they should fail, he'll always be there to berate and brutalize them. Even when the plans are his own, Deathsaurus is content to watch and command from a distance, rather than dirty his own hands—but he'll rarely waste a chance to engage Star Saber on the battlefield, and if that occurs, woe betide anyone who gets in Deathsaurus's way.

Curiously, Deathsaurus permits himself one distinctive, unusual foible: although he despises most humans, he has a surprising soft spot for children.

{{quote|I will not forgive this, Star Saber! I swear! I swear I will crush you with my bare hands! I swear, you worm! With my bare hands!|Deathsaurus tells you all you'll ever need to know about him|"[[Resurrection!? The Decepticon Fortress]]"}}

:''Japanese name'': '''Deszaras''' (デスザラス ''Desuzarasu'')
:''[[Omni Productions]] dub name'': '''Deathsanras'''
:''Latin American dub name'': '''Zan Rás'''
:''Arabic dub name'': '''Deathsandar''' (دثساندر ''Dithsāndar'')

==Fiction==
===Cartoon continuity===

====''Super-God Masterforce cartoon====
Clips of Deathsaurus were seen when [[Shūta Gō |Shūta]] and [[Grand Maximus]] were talking about the new [[Supreme Commander]] [[Star Saber (Victory)|Star Saber]] {{storylink |Shūta and Grand's Masterforce Super-Secrets!}}

====''Victory'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Takeshi Aono]] (Japanese)

[[Image:Deathsaurus_fortress.jpg|left|thumb|225px|By the power of Grayskull!]]

500,000 years ago, striving to become the Decepticons' new Emperor of Destruction, Deathsaurus created a gigantic battle fortress capable of destroying planets, but an attack by the young Autobot commander Star Saber saw the fortress de-powered and trapped in a gravity cell at the heart of the region of space known as [[Dark Nebula]]. This began the enmity between Star Saber and Deathsaurus, and as both combatants rose through the ranks of their respective armies, Deathsaurus vowed to eventually liberate his fortress and use it to destroy Star Saber. {{storylink|Resurrection!? The Decepticon Fortress}}

Some years prior to 2025, after the conclusion of the [[Masterforce War]] on Earth, Deathsaurus succeeded [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] as Decepticon leader and achieved his dream of becoming Emperor of Destruction. <ref>Overlord's on-package [[bio]]</ref> Under his command, the Decepticons began seeking a planet that they could call their own and invaded worlds all across the galaxy. To counteract Deathsaurus's campaign of terror, the Autobots—now with Star Saber serving as their Supreme Commander—and many other sentient races formed the [[Galactic Peace Alliance]], and struck back at the Decepticons with their [[Galactic Defense Force]]. As time passed and this conflict continued, Deathsaurus began focusing his attacks on "Sector One" of the galaxy, containing the planet Earth, until 2025, when the severity and frequency of the attacks forced Star Saber to take command of the Defense Force unit in that area himself. {{storylink|The Brave Hero of the Universe - Star Saber}}

[[Image:Deathsaurus starsaber moonbattle.jpg|right|thumb|225px|Parry on regardless.]]

When Deathsaurus's [[Dinoforce]] attacked the [[Lunar Base (Victory)|Lunar Base]] on Earth's [[Moon (moon)|moon]], Star Saber raced to aid his fellow [[Brainmaster]]s in battle there, only to find his way barred by Deathsaurus. Hoping to distract Star Saber long enough for the Dinoforce to finish their job, Deathsaurus engaged his old foe in battle, but Star Saber broke off the fight as quickly as he could and headed on toward the moon with Deathsaurus hot on his heels. After Star Saber defeated the Dinoforce, Deathsaurus caught up to him and unleashed his Breast Animals upon the Autobot in both beast and weapon forms. Star Saber eventually won out, defeating both the creatures and besting Deathsaurus in a swordfight, forcing the Decepticon leader to summon up his craft, the ''[[Thunder Arrow]],'' and flee aboard it. {{storylink|The Brave Hero of the Universe - Star Saber}}

[[Image:Deathsaurus_throne.jpg|left|thumb|225px|THRONE'D!]]

Recognizing the Earth as a rich source of energy that he could use to power up his Planet-Destroying Fortress, Deathsaurus centered most of his subsequent attacks on the planet, summoning the Breastforce to aid in the campaign. {{storylink|Sneak Attack! Dinoking}} {{storylink|Attack! Leozack}} {{storylink|Unite!! Multiforce}} Deathsaurus was entirely aware of the fact that the Breastforce's leader [[Leozack]] had designs on leadership of the Decepticons for himself, {{storylink|Move Out! Rescue Team}} but he was amused enough by it to let him slide by, allowing Leozack to believe that he was oblivious to his schemes. Residing on the Thunder Arrow as it hopscotched around the planet and solar system, Deathsaurus was content to watch as his troops staged numerous attacks on Earth. {{storylink|Infiltration... The Uranium Mine}} {{storylink|Explosion!! The Energy Base}}

[[Image:Deathsaurus_beastmode.jpg|right|thumb|225px|Not to be confused with the Adult Swim show.]]

Deathsaurus finally decided to join his troops on a mission when the Decepticon began draining electrical energy from an American subway system. While the Breastforce snuck through the subway tunnels, Deathsaurus himself targeted the power distribution center, where he was confronted by Star Saber. The true cunning of Deathsaurus's scheme was revealed when he let loose his Breast Animals, and Star Saber proved no match for the creatures in the small confines of the underground complex. Unfortunately for Deathsaurus, he had overlooked the fact that with both Breast Animals deployed, his own chest was left unprotected, leaving it open to an attack from Star Saber's Saber Blade. Wounded, Deathsaurus recalled his Breast Animals and fled, but not without successfully taking the energy he had managed to steal beforehand. {{storylink|Big City - Underground Terror}}

When the Breastforce were joined by [[Hellbat]], the newcomer also adopted designs on the Decepticon throne. {{storylink|The New Warrior - Hellbat}} Deathsaurus was even less concerned with Hellbet's ambitions than he was with Leozack's, though, since the two would-be traitors were always too busy fighting with each other to pose a serious threat to him. In their constant games of one-upmanship, Leozack and Hellbat crafted numerous failed schemes of their own, eventually forcing Deathsaurus to step in and give his minions a mission of his own devising. Deathsaurus had the Decepticons hide in the asteroid belt and capture human shuttlecraft in order to use drain their energy and use them to create an energy alloy. Star Saber soon got wise to the villains' evildoings and arrived to put a stop to them, but again, Deathsaurus successfully escaped with his amassed energy. {{storylink|A Fierce Battle!! The Asteroid}}

[[Image:Starsaber living metal destroying cannon.jpg|left|thumb|Say hello to my little friend...]]

While the Breastforce were busy on planet [[Micro]], Deathsaurus and the Dinoforce took the Thunder Arrow into the Dark Nebula, where Deathsaurus emptied his stockpile of energy into his inactive fortress. The giant structure briefly flared back to life, but soon shut down once more; Deathsaurus was unfazed, having only sought to confirm whether or not the fortress could even be reactivated. On the trip back to Earth, the Decepticons crossed paths with Star Saber and the [[Rescue Patrol Team]], and Deathsaurus engaged Star Saber in battle with his Living-Metal-Destroying Cannon. Although Deathsaurus was actually able to pull the trigger on what would have been a fatal blast, he discovered that he had expended too much of his energy supply reactivating his fortress, and his weapons systems shut down before he could end Star Saber's life, necessitating his tactical withdrawal. {{storylink|Resurrection!? The Decepticon Fortress}}

[[Image:Deathsaurus vs leozack.jpg|right|thumb|Tell me, what was the color of Napoleon's White horse?]]

Deathsaurus next clashed with Star Saber in Antarctica, only stepping onto the battlefield after the Breastforce, combined as [[Liokaiser]], had severely weakened Star Saber. Deathsaurus took over the fight, intent on being the one to deliver the final blow, but Star Saber was able to turn the battle around, and forced Deathsaurus into retreat. {{storylink|Fight to the Death!! Antarctic Battle}} In a later battle atop the Thunder Arrow, deep in the desert, Star Saber again humbled Deathsaurus, this time with the aid of [[Greatshot]], but the fight left both the Supreme Commander and [[Blacker]] badly wounded. {{storylink|Crisis! Ambush in the Desert}} Capitalizing on the Autobots' reduced manpower, Deathsaurus stepped up the Decepticons' attacks across the planet, and removed another annoyance by finally calling Leozack out on his treachery. Easily besting the traitorous Breastforcer in combat, Deathsaurus forced him to swear total loyalty to him, or face death. Leozack made the logical choice, and then, combined with his fellow Breastforcers as Liokaiser, joined with his leader in staging an ambush for Star Saber in a subterranean cave in Asia. Disguising himself as a Terracotta Army-esque statue, Deathsaurus was able to get the drop on Star Saber when Liokaiser lured him into the cave, and again unleashed the Living-Metal-Destroying Cannon on his enemy. Once more, Deathsaurus stood poised to kill Star Saber with the weapon, until the last-minute arrival of [[Ginrai|God Ginrai]], who took the fatal shot. Liokaiser had to persuade the incensed Deathsaurus to retreat as more Autobots arrived, {{storylink|A Deadly Battle}} but the Decepticon leader soon clashed with Star Saber once more in a later battle at a solar power station. Deathsaurus emerged victorious in that fight when Star Saber was forced to flee upon receiving news of Ginrai's deteriorating condition. {{storylink|Ginrai Dies!!}} Ginrai's life was saved, however, when he was rebuilt into the powerful new warror, [[Victory Leo]]. {{storylink|Fight!! Victory Leo}}

Next, Deathsaurus began bombarding the Earth with missiles from an orbital weapons platform, as a means of staying the Autobots' hands while his forces gathered energy across the planet. Star Saber and Victory Leo were able to thwart his plan by combining into the mighty Victory Saber; Deathsaurus's missile launch system had been programmed based on Star Saber's speed, but with the added power of Victory Leo, the Autobot hero was able to outrace the missiles, destroy the launcher and defeat Deathsaurus in an outer space battle. {{storylink|The Tide is Turned! The Ultimate Weapon, the Victory Unification}}

[[Image:Victory37 finalblow.jpg|left|thumb|Who says robots don't bleed?]]

Following an attempt to destroy the Autobots with the metal-eating [[Dorya]] insects, {{storylink|The Death-Bringing Space Insects!!}} Deathsaurus was informed by Hellbat that he had discovered the location of the sunken continent of [[Atlantis]], which could provide the raw energy to reactivate his fortress. Deathsaurus risked all or nothing to obtain Atlantis's energy, using up the Thunder Arrow's entire energy stockpile to raise the continent, but the plan proved a success, as the Autobots were too busy dealing with the devastating tidal waves caused by the rise of Atlantis to stop him from absconding with enough energy to bring his fortress back online. {{storylink|The Terror of the Giant Tidal Waves}} Having no further use for the bumbling Dinoforce, Deathsaurus abandoned them on Earth and headed back to the Dark Nebula with the Breastforce, where he successfully re-energized his fortress and began moving it towards Earth. {{storylink|The Wrath of the Resurrected Giant Fortress!}}

[[Image:Victory37_deadsaurus.jpg|right|thumb]]

Intent on learning from the failures of all past Decepticon leaders, Deathsaurus chose not to conquer Earth, but to utterly destroy the planet, eradicting from Decepticon history the humiliating stain of defeat the planet represented. As the fortress rained destruction down upon Earth with meteor bombs, even Victory Saber could not stand up to its power. Soon, however, a resentful Dinoforce supplied information on the fortress's weak spot to Star Saber's adopted human son, [[Jean Minakaze|Jean]], who then used his own [[Illumina II|personal mech]] to enter the fortress and strike at this vulnerability. As he did so, Deathsaurus and Star Saber engaged in a vicious final battle, during which Deathsaurus lost an eye, and was eventually stopped when Star Saber broke his sword off in the villain's chest. Gushing fuel and fluid, Deathsaurus vowed to have the last laugh as he set the crippled fortress on a collision course with Earth and blew himself out an airlock, vowing to return again and again. But, as his body drifted off into space, no sign of life was visible from the conquered emperor. Victory Saber was able to subsequently destroy the fortress before it collided with Earth, but Deathsaurus was not heard from again. {{storylink|Showdown! The Fortress vs the Victory Unification}}
{{-}}

====''Zone'' catalog====
[[Image:DarkEmperorDeathsaurusZone01.jpg|right|thumb|150px|]]

Through means unknown, Deathsaurus was resurrected as the "[[Emperor of Destruction|Dark Emperor]]" and once again lead the Decepticons in an attack on the Autobots. This time, it was a full-on assault on planet [[Zone (planet)|Zone]] in an attempt to seize the Micro Zone's [[Energon Z]]. The [[Micromaster]]s repeled his attack and sent Deathsaurus into retreat. What became of him afterward is unknown. {{storylink|Zone (story page)#Catalogue story page 1|Zone Project Story}}

{{-}}

===''Victory'' comic===
[[Image:MangaYoungDeathyStarSaber.jpg|left|thumb|225px|"Come back here and help me put some sense in this image!"]]
Deathsaurus and Star Saber's rivalry began 500,000 years ago when they were both children, and according to Star Saber, "argued all the time". {{storylink|The Star of Friendship, Jean and Star Saber!}} In his "adult" years, Deathsaurus took [[Esmeral (Victory)|Esmeral]] as his wife, and in order to keep both her and the families of his fellow Decepticons safe aboard his "Space Stronghold", Deathsaurus began attacking Earth, in order to obtain the planet's energy and use it to keep the stronghold fully powered-up. {{storylink|Heroic! The Victory War}}

During one of his early attacks on Earth, Deathsaurus took pity on an infant human named [[Solon Kitakaze (Victory)|Solon Kitakaze]], whose parents had died in the assault. Deathsaurus "adopted" Solon and turned him into a cyborg, raising him as his own son, just as Star Saber did with the human child Jean Minakaze. As Star Saber and Deathsaurus had been rivals in their youth, so too would Solon and Jean become rivals when, in 2025, Deathsaurus's campaign against Earth intensified.

Deathsaurus and Star Saber's first major battle in this campaign was a brief one, with Deathsaurus being felled by a single swipe of Star Saber's Saber Blade, {{storylink|Magnificent! Our Friend, Star Saber!}} but the Emperor of Destruction had a better showing in their next clash, during which he absorbed enough energy from a forest fire to best Star Saber, Road Caesar and Landcross all together. Deathsaurus's unusual compassion for children proved to be his downfall in this battle when he was distracted by the sight of Solon, gripping Jean in a hold that threatened the boy's life. While Deathsaurus's attention was occupied with striking Solon as punishment, Star Saber blindsided and defeated him with a Super Saber Meteor Spin. {{storylink|Great Turn-Around! Star Saber}}

Deathsaurus later sent Solon to study in school on Earth, in order to learn more about humans, thereby making it easier to conquer them. {{storylink|Leozack Rumbles Violently!}} While Solon was on Earth, he and Jean were approached by former Autobot human allies [[Shūta Gō]] and [[Cab]], {{storylink|Warrior of Love, Star Saber!}} and with Jean, they formed the "Autobot Boy Team" known as the [[Victories]]. Seeking to counter this group with a team of his own, Deathsaurus had [[Yokuryū]] capture Jean and bring him to the ''Thunder Arrow'', where he attempted to bribe the boy into joining the Decepticons' group with toys, Famicom, candy and cash. When an enraged Star Saber soon came tearing into the ''Thunder Arrow'', Deathsaurus crossed swords with the Autobot leader, but was then distracted by Jean distracting who exploited the Decepticon's bizarre fear of caterpillars by dangling one in his face. The cowering Deathsaurus was promptly bested in dramatically explosive fashion by Star Saber's "Planetary Impulse Sword" technique, and realised with hindsight that Solon was the only kid he needed. {{storylink|Watch Out, Jean! Hurry, Star Saber!}} Deathsaurus was apparently left so badly injured by this clash that he couldn't participate in the next battle, given that he was only seen lying in bed, coughing, with Solon resting a giant ice-pack on his head. {{storylink|The Star of Friendship, Jean and Star Saber!}}

[[Image:Kingsaurus.jpg|right|thumb|250px|The mighty King Zaras. Mighty.]]

Rested and healthy again, Deathsaururs joined with [[Dinoking]] and Liokaiser in going up against Star Saber together, and perhaps not entirely surprisingly, the badly outnumbered Autobot was defeated by the three Decepticons. Before they could deliver the killing stroke, however, Star Saber was saved by the sudden arrival of Victory Leo, with whom he combined to form Victory Saber. The merged pair defeated the trio of Decepticons in one blast of their "Flash Victory" attack. {{storylink|The Strongest Partners, the Combination of Victory!}} Deathsaurus immediately sought out away to combat Star Saber's new power, and developed a Transformer-sized mech for Solon named "King Solon," with which he could combine to form "King Zaras". In this new form, Deathsaurus battled Victory Saber on the planet [[Guard]], with neither combatant getting the upper hand in other three hours of fighting. When [[Patty Minakaze]]'s mentioned the word "mother", however, something of Solon's past was stirred in the boy's mind, and he was distracted long enough for Victory Saber to destroy the King Solon mech components with his Victory. The burning Solon tumbled to the ground, where Patty tended his wounds despite his protestations. Perhaps wary of Solon's confused emotional state, Deathsaurus reminded him that while he was a human child, he was a Decepticon's son by fate. {{storylink|Mighty! Victory Saber}}

[[Image:Starsaber deathsaurus truce.jpg|left|225px|thumb|"So, we both agree that the childhood friendship thingie made no sense at all?" "Yes! Oh, what a glorious day!"]]

As it turned out, Deathsaurus was right to be wary—in the midst of a later battle with Star Saber and Road Caesar, Solon turned against Deathsaurus and sided with the Victories, opening fire on his "father" and declaring that he would fight to protect the Earth, instead of destroy it. Now with Solon on their side, the Victories were able to channel their power into the Autobots, and the Decepticons were sent fleeing by the "Five Stars of Victory" attack. {{storylink|Shine! The Five Stars of Victory}} Deathsaurus led the Decepticons back to the Space Stronghold and began bombarding the Earth with meteor bombs, prompting the Autobots to attack it. Deathsaurus left the Breastforce to man the fortress while he engaged Star Saber in a final battle in the void of space, but had not reckoned with the treachery of Leozack, who fired on his emperor with the fortress's main cannon. To save himself, Deathsaurus was forced to return fire on the fortress, and Star Saber followed suite, smashing into the fortress's control chamber and taking Leozack down. As Leozack begged the Autobots not to destroy the fortress, the wounded Deathsaurus arrived and revealed to the Autobots the presence of the Decepticons' families aboard the vessel. Realizing that the Decepticons' had only done what they had in the name of their families' safety, Star Saber decided that it was time for the two leaders to follow the example set by their sons and lay down their arms. Deathsaurus and Star Saber shook hands, and the war came to an end, bringing peace to everyone—the truest victory of all! {{storylink|Heroic! The Victory War}}
{{-}}
===''Transformers PD Type'' comic===
[[Image:PDType Deathsaurus blackball.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]
Out of ammo, the Autobots started throwing things at Deathsaurus, including a [[Blackball]]! Gloating, Deathsaurus began to plan his conquest of the galaxy, only to become so annoyed at the rocks bouncing off his head that in frustration he threw the Blackball at the Autobots. {{storylink|Transformer PD Type##4 "Good Job! Deathsaurus!!"|Good Job! Deathsaurus!!}} Right when Star Saber was ready to finish him, Deathsaurus brought in Liokaiser. The two Decepticons were soon hunting for their enemy as he frantically tried to contact Victory Leo. {{storylink|Transformer PD Type##5 "Don't Lose! Star Saber!!"|Don't Lose! Star Saber!!}}

Deathsaurus and [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] were pounced on by Victory Leo until Megatron was able to distract the lion with a huge ball of yarn, allowing the Decepticons to escape. {{storylink|Transformer PD Type##6 "Tough as Nails! Victory Leo!"|Tough as Nails! Victory Leo!}} After a lengthy mid-air battle with Star Saber, Deathsaurus fell from the sky and ended up with [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] chewing on his head. {{storylink|Transformer PD Type##8 "Me Strongest! Me Grimlock!"|Me Strongest! Me Grimlock!}}
{{--}}

===Dreamwave comics continuity===
[[Image:Deathsaurus_dreamwave.jpg|left|thumb|125px|Polish Me!]]
Deathsaurus was an ancient Transformer from Cybertron's lost past. While searching for clues about the planet's history, Megatron stumbled across a hidden chamber beneath the planet's surface containing two massive statues of Deathsaurus and [[Dai Atlas (Zone)|Dai Atlas]], holding a [[Golden Disk (ancient)|golden disk]] between them. This chamber apparently told of a vast Cybertronian Empire that ended prior to recorded history. {{storylink|The Route of All Evil}}
{{-}}

===Descent into Evil===
[[Image:Deathsaurustimelines.jpg|right|thumb|Deathsaurus orchestrates the rise of a New Decepticon Empire, or NAMBLA.]]

Using a clone lab on [[Ceti Alpha Seven]], Deathsaurus wished to revive the fading [[Decepticon Empire]] with a vast [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]] army. After the first batch of [[Virulent Clone|clones]] was completed, his operation was interrupted by a team of [[Autobot]] commandos under the command of [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]]. Deathsaurus overpowered and captured the first wave himself, and soon faced Ironhide one-on-one, while [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] attempted to rescue the fallen Autobots. Due to the assistance of Tripredacus Agent [[Flamewar]], these two were defeated and captured as well.

They woke up bound inside Deathsaurus's clone lab. The Emperor of Destruction appeared on a television screen, declaring that his use for the lab was completed and was prepared to detonate it remotely with the Autobots inside. Unfortunately for Deathsaurus, the Autobot espionage agent [[Ricochet (Descent into Evil)|Ricochet]] not only freed the Autobots before the explosion occurred, but also seeded the remaining clones with a virus, leaving Deathsaurus with nothing to show for his work. {{storylink|Descent into Evil}}

Years later, towards the end of the Great War, the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] [[Cryotek (RID)|Cryotek]] worked under Deathsaurus as a supply manager. When the final defeat of the Decepticons at last came, Cryotek led his fellow Predacon workers in a rebellion against Deathsaurus, and used the materials he stole from his depot to begin his own criminal empire.<ref>Cryotek's [[Transformers Collectors' Club]] exclusive profile.</ref>

===Timelines: ''Wings of Honor''===
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 34|Deathsaurus's Wings of Honor profile}}
{{storylink|Flames of Yesterday}}
{{storylink|The Coming Storm: Part 4}}
{{--}}

==Toys==
===Victory===
[[Image:Deathsaurus_g1toy.jpg|right|thumb|300px|"Aaawrk! Deathy shouldn't be!"]]
* '''Deszaras''' (Large Breastforce, 1989)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''D-336'''
**''Accessories'': Tail/shield, rifle, Tigerbreast & Eaglebreast "Breast Animals"
:Deszaras transforms into a blue and grey monster styled after traditional Japanese "kaijū", looking like nothing quite so much as a giant mutant space chicken. Unusual for late Generation 1 toys, he has [[die-cast]]-metal feet in beast mode.

:Deszaras comes packaged with his Breast Animal partners, Tigerbreast and Eaglebreast, which transform from creatures into hand-held weapons for Deszaras, and a pair of breastplates which lock into a spring-loaded socket on the toy's body to form elaborate torso armor for the Deszaras's robot mode. Eaglebreast is inserted first, then Tigerbreast fits on top, concealing it; the figures can also be attached while Deszaras is in beast mode, which leaves them on his creature-mode's back. Deszaras comes with armament in addition to his Breast Animals, including a light blue laser rifle—which, despite what the boxart and cartoon would have you believe, does not have a removable flail—that can be wielded by both an ordinary handle, and a second peg on its butt that allows it to be brandished like a staff or blade of some kind, and his "Death Tailer" shield, which mounts on either of his biceps, and transforms into his beast mode tail.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1989/Destron/Deathsaurus/deathsaurus.htm More information on Deszaras at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Timelines===
[[Image:Deathsaurusbotcontoy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|If you squint, he could still be [[Megatron (RID)|Megatron]].]]
* '''Descent into Evil''' (multi-pack, 2005)
**''Accessories'': 2 hilts, 2 sword-blade/missiles

: Part of the [[BotCon 2005]] "Descent into Evil" boxset, Deathsaurus is a blue and black [[retool]] of ''[[Robots in Disguise (toyline)|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[Megatron (RID)|Megatron/Galvatron]]. He comes with a pair of swords that can launch their blade-missiles through a pressure-launch mechanism, as well as combine at their bottom ends to form a large double-blade weapon. The blade-missiles are rounded off [[for safety reasons]] like the other [[Hasbro]] uses of the mold.

: His head is a new sculpt based on Deathsaurus's appearance in the ''Victory'' anime (though Deathsaurus's face seems to be copied from Megatron's). Deathsaurus's mold was originally a ten-changer, though the "gargoyle"/bat mode was neutered for this release due to the dropping of the bat snout piece, required to give his new head enough space inside his chest cavity for other modes. He still retains the other nine modes (robot, dragster, jet, two-headed dragon, hand, mammoth, hydrofoil, one-headed dragon, and winged griffin). His tail-piece was removed for in-box storage, but easily popped back on since it's on a ball-and-socket joint.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2005/Decepticon/BCDeathsaurus/deathsaurus.htm More information on BotCon Deathsaurus at TFU.info]''
{{--}}

==Merchandise==

===Transformers Gum===

[[Image:Tfgum deszaras.jpg|right|thumb|250px|]]
* '''Deszaras''' (1989)
** ''Accessories:'' Tail/shield, rifle

:Part of the twelfth wave of [[Kabaya]]'s ''[[Transformers Gum]]'' series of [[candy toy]]s, this Deathsaurus figure is a snap-together model kit cast in blue, red and grey plastic. Although lacking in any paint applications, the figure feature stickers for detail, and retains most of the accessories and features of the actual Deathsaurus toy, though not his Breast Animal partners. It comes with a stick of something that might be gum.
{{-}}

===Parody Deformed===
[[Image:Deathsaurus pd model.jpg|right|thumb|150px]]
* '''Deszaras''' (1990)

:A small, blue, white and red, non-transforming [[super deformed]] model kit of Deszaras was available as part of [[Kabaya]]'s "[[Parody Deformed]]" line of candy toys. The fourth figure in the series, he came with a "[[Transformer PD Type]]" comic about himself, "Good Job! Deszaras!!", and more of that alleged "gum".
{{-}}

===Super Figure Collection===
[[Image:Deathsaurus scfs.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Take it all off!]]
* '''Deszaras''' (2002)
:A PVC figurine of Deathsaurus was released in the seventh Victory-centric "act" of Takara's ''[[Super Collection Figure]].'' Deathsaururs was available in both standard full-color version and metallic silver "pewter" versions; the pewter version came packaged with the wings of Victory Saber, one of several extra pieces packed with the various figures from the wave which could combine with the act's Star Saber figure to turn it into Victory Saber. The wings were available in both standard full color (at a rate of eight out of every ten cases) and rare pewter (only two in every ten).

* '''Deszaras with Eaglebreast''' (2002)
:Also available in the seventh wave was a rare "chase" version of the Deathsaurus PVC, available at a rate of one in every ten cases, featuring the character with his inner Breast Animal partner, Eaglebreast, on display, rather than the normal version's Tigerbreast.
{{-}}
===Timelines===
[[Image:Deathsauruspin.jpg|thumb|75px|Deathstickus]]

* '''Deathsaurus pin''' (2005)

: The first 100 BotCon 2005 Primus-package preregistrants received an exclusive Deathsaurus pin as part of their registration package.
{{--}}
===Robot Heroes===
[[Image:Robot Heroes Victory Saber Dessaras.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
*'''Victory Saber''' / '''Dessaras''' (unreleased)

:A surprise entry in the ''[[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]]'' series, this [[super deformed]] figurine of Deathsaurus also sports a name variant that hearkens back to his original Japanese moniker, only missing the spelling by one letter. Originally discovered amongst [[Wal-Mart]] store computer listings in mid-2008, he would have come packaged with an equally-adorable Victory Saber, but alas, the two-pack failed to materialize before the ''Robot Heroes'' line was canceled.
{{canceledtoy}}

==Notes==

[[Image:DeathsaurusAndRedGeist.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Definitely not toy-accurate, but definitely awesome.]]

* Deathsaurus's name is the source of a long-lasting argument. The phonetic Japanese reading of the name is: "De-su-za-ra-su". This is represented in English on his toy packaging and tech specs as "Deszaras." English-speaking fans would long debate the "proper" [[romanization]] of the name, interpreting it as Deszaras, Deathzaras, Deathsaurus, Death Czarus, Def Zarce, Deaths 'Я' Us, Debt Source, Darth Sass, Death's Arse and god knows what else. "Deathsaurus" had a tendency to be the most popular and well-known (on account of it actually ''meaning'' something), which led to it being used on the character's first official Western toy, making it his official American name. However, it is unlikely that this was supposed to be the actual name for the character—were his name intended to be read as "saurus", then it would be rendered as "sa-u-ru-su" or "za-u-ru-su" in Japanese (as had already been done with [[Trypticon (G1)|Dinosaurer]] and [[Saur]]), rather than "za-ra-su". As such, it appears that his name was genuinely intended to be the nonsense word, "Deszaras" (which resembles the pattern for naming of [[Wikipedia:Kaiju|Kaiju]] monsters, discussed below) and the character appears with this name on the [[Metrodome]] and [[Madman Entertainment]] DVD boxsets of the ''Victory'' cartoon. Hasbro appeared to be trying to steer things back in that direction with the cancelled [[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]] figure, named "Dessaras". Only one letter out, there, guys!

* While often called a dragon or occasionally a griffin, and hilariously, a "bigbird" on his original Japanese [[bio]] card, Deathsaurus is most likely styled after traditional Japanese "kaiju", such as [[Godzilla]] or Rodan. Hence, the Kaiju-esque name, "Deszaras".

* The original Deathsaurus mold was redecoed into the non-living "Red Geist" (レッドガイスト, ''re-ddo-ga-i-su-to'') mech for [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]'s ''[[Brave (franchise)|Brave of Legend Da Garn]]'' toyline, which lacked the Eaglebreast partner. Although the character design in the television show for the line was significantly modified from that of Deathsaurus (see image at right), including replacing Tigerbreast's tiger mode with a jet mode, the Red Geist toy itself was not retooled. [http://tfbaka.de-blog.jp/1dai/2008/08/post_6871.html More on Red Geist at a Japanese toy photoblog.]
{{-}}

* That's right he likes little boys. Deal with it.

==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
* [http://www.tfu.info/1989/Destron/Deathsaurus/deathsaurus.htm Deathsaurus on TFU.info]

[[Category: Breastforce]]
[[Category: Convention exclusives]]
[[Category: Candy toys]]
[[Category: Decepticons]]
[[Category: Decepticon leaders]]
[[Category:Emperors]]
[[Category: Timelines characters]]

Wheeljack (G1)

2010-11-23T19:19:55Z

166.82.103.142: /* Notes */

{{factions|autobot|autobotg2}}
{{disambig3|Wheeljack}}
:''Wheeljack is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Wheeljackg1.jpg|right|350px|thumb|[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]! I built a machine that builds machines that build catapults! Come see! Yeah, we can wait for Ratchet...]]
'''Wheeljack''' is his own worst enemy. Something of a crackpot inventor, a good half of his creations blow up in his face, and that's just if he's lucky. He's simultaneously one of the Autobots' greatest assets and problems; for every successful gadget he builds, there's one which requires [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] or [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] to put him (and his lab) back together. But once in a while he strikes gold, which has won him respect from even the Decepticons.

He is, however, not a ''complete'' nerd. As good as he is in the lab, Wheeljack is just as amazing on the road: there are few stunts he can't pull off, and he loves to show off his driving skills as much as he does his inventions. He is, however, a little less confident when it comes to [[flight|flying]], which he accomplishes using solid-fuel rocket jets in his forearms.

{{bigquote|It sure is nice when one of my inventions actually works!|Wheeljack on his track record|"[[Fire on the Mountain]]"}}

:''French-Canadian name:'' '''Invento''', '''Cric''' ("Jack", Action Master)
:''Hungarian name:'' '''Kerék''' ("Wheel"), sometimes '''Kormányos Jack''' ("Steering-wheel Jack", Yoho!)
:''Italian name:'' '''Saetta''' ("Bolt")
:''Portuguese name:'' '''Auto-Roda''' ("Auto-Motor", Portuguese comic), '''Motriz''' ("Wheel", Brazilian comic)
:''Russian name:'' '''Gonsheek''' ("Racer", cartoon dub)

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Generation 1====
{{noteukonly}}
[[Image:TheTransformers-Wheeljack.jpg|left|thumb|150px|They thought I was crazy, absolutely mad.]]
Wheeljack was one of the select Autobots chosen by [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] to travel aboard the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], and ended up in stasis lock for four million years at the base of [[Mount St. Hilary]] with the rest of the crew. Once the volcano exploded and the Transformers reactivated, Wheeljack was rebuilt to transform into a race car. As the Autobots counted their ranks, he apologized to [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] for being "the guy you've had to patch up most." {{storylink|The Transformers (issue)|The Transformers}}

Later, he observed as their human friend [[Sparkplug Witwicky]] suffered a heart attack, requiring Ratchet to drive him and his son to the hospital. {{storylink|The Last Stand}} After a battle with the Decepticons, the Autobots were defeated by [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]], who took over the Ark and hung the bodies of Wheeljack and his defeated peers from the ceiling. {{storylink|The New Order}}

''Ratchet was able to reclaim the Ark and began to reactivate the fallen warriors. Wheeljack was the second Autobot after [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] to be brought back on-line, so that he could aid Ratchet with his technical skills. He saved the Autobots from total destruction by remote-controlling Optimus Prime's deactivated body and using it to intervene in [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]]'s attempted execution of [[Guardian (Marvel)|Guardian]], who had been booby-trapped with a nuclear bomb.'' {{storylink|The Wrath of Guardian!}}

[[Image:Wheeljack-disintegratedcircuits02.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Don't worry! As long as you hit the wire with the connecting hook at precisely eighty-eight miles per hour, the instant the lightning strikes the tower... everything will be fine!]]

Wheeljack accompanied [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] on a mission to secure a fuel supply for the Autobots. He stayed in the background while Jazz forged an alliance with the human [[G.B. Blackrock]]. But when Starscream and Frenzy showed up at the unveiling of Blackrock's new anti-robot cannon, Wheeljack couldn't just sit around. He transformed and blasted Frenzy with magnetic powder, which buried the Decepticon in an avalanche of ferrous materials. Wheeljack was saved from an attack by Starscream when [[Circuit Breaker]] brought the Decepticon crashing to the ground. The save was unintentional, however; when Wheeljack thanked the human for her help, she turned her fury on him, blasting him into unconsciousness. {{storylink|DIS-Integrated Circuits!}}

To help boost the Autobots' fallen forces, Wheeljack installed the minds of [[Grapple]], [[Skids (G1)|Skids]], [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]], [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]], and [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] into bodies that were created by the Ark. The minds were stored on the Ark for such an occasion. {{storylink|Rock and Roll-Out!}}

''Wheeljack was later an early casualty of a disastrous attack on [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] led by acting Autobot Commander [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]], though he was not seriously damaged.'' {{storylink|Target: 2006}}

To give the Autobots some air (and [[combiner]]) power, Wheeljack designed the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]], though all but [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]]'s minds were incomplete and they almost killed a human. {{storylink|Aerialbots over America!}} Wheeljack later had to erase their minds and unfortunately, by this time, [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] had implanted a [[cerebro-shell]] in Optimus that, while not controlling him, allowed the Decepticons to tap into the [[Matrix of Leadership|Creation Matrix]] to create the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]]. {{storylink|Heavy Traffic!}} It was not directly referenced, but it is assumed that he helped build the [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]] as well (which allowed [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] to create the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]]).

''Later, he aided Optimus Prime in a plan to temporarily fake his own death, in order to teach the Earth-bound Autobots to learn to cope without him. Wheeljack was the only Autobot Prime told of his plan, probably since Prime needed him to build a [[facsimile construct]] in his likeness to be destroyed. When Megatron did destroy the facsimile, even Wheeljack mistakenly believed Prime had been killed.'' {{storylink|Prey!}}

[[Image:Wheeljack-mechanicaldifficulties.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Throw open the switches on the sonic oscillator, and step up the reactor power THREE—MORE—TRIANGLES!]]

After Optimus Prime died, the Autobots chose Grimlock as their new leader. Like Prime before him, Grimlock relied heavily on Wheeljack's skills. Wheeljack tracked down the missing [[Power Booster Rod]], {{storylink|Mechanical Difficulties!}} and supervised the construction of the [[Geothermal Generator]]. By the time the device was complete, Wheeljack was beginning to have serious doubts about Grimlock's leadership, noting to himself that their leader wasn't the brightest bulb in the box. {{storylink|Used Autobots}} By the time the Ark was repaired and ready for launching, Wheeljack was wondering if he shouldn't be helping Blaster out, rather than assisting Grimlock's efforts to capture him. {{storylink|Child's Play (issue)|Child's Play}}

These doubts soon grew into a covert rebellion, as he called in his old friend [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] to help deal with the situation. Wheeljack acted as the Ark's pilot, once it was spaceborne. He enabled the craft to overtake and capture the Decepticon [[Blast Off (G1)|Blast Off]], who was under Blaster's control. When Blast-Off's passengers turned out to be nothing more than four human children, he advised the other Autobots that they could probably lower their weapons.

[[Image:Wheeljack-spacehikers02.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Welcome to my secret lair on Skullcrusher Mountain. I hope you've enjoyed your stay so far.]]

Wheeljack did his best to make the four humans welcome and comfortable, fitting them with customized space suits, but soon ran up against Grimlock's monomaniacal quest to bring Blaster to "justice". When Grimlock ordered the humans cast into space in hopes of drawing out Blaster, Wheeljack had Skylynx save them. Though the humans were safe, Grimlock captured Blaster anyway, and Wheeljack's attempt at subversion ultimately failed. {{storylink|Spacehikers!}}

Wheeljack was among the dozens of Autobots who gathered on the moon to watch Blaster and Grimlock battle for Autobot leadership, and subsequently came under Decepticon attack. {{storylink|Totaled!}}

Although it wasn't depicted, he was assumed destroyed by the [[Underbase]]-powered [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]; like most of his compatriots, he was not seen in action until the battle with Unicron. {{storylink|Dark Star (issue)|Dark Star}}

[[Image:Wheeljack-stilllife.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Alive.... ALIVE... ''IT'S ALIIIIIIVE!!!'']]

Grimlock eventually revived him with [[Nucleon]], along with the rest of the Autobots' deactivated roster. Wheeljack questioned Grimlock on the wisdom of ramming Unicron with the Ark and of charging into battle so soon after being reactivated, but Grimlock just told him to be quiet and fight, before shoving him out the airlock. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}

After the defeat of [[Unicron]], Wheeljack was with a handful of Transformers who found Optimus Prime's dessicated remains. He theorized that the Matrix energy unleashed by Unicron's destruction was somehow, just barely, keeping him alive. He mourned Prime's death alongside Prowl, Kup and others. {{storylink|Still Life!}}

[[Image:Wheeljack-endoftheroad.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Mein Führer! ''I can walk!!'']]

Wheeljack had a short altercation with Quake, which was symptomatic of the growing unrest between the two factions. He subsequently discovered the betrayal of the Decepticons, who had sabotaged the Autobot spacecraft before leaving the dying Cybertron. {{storylink|Exodus!}}

Grimlock saved the day again though, providing some stolen Decepticon cruisers. However, when they followed the Decepticons to [[Klo]], the Autobots were ambushed and nearly wiped out. [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] was about to dismember the crippled Wheeljack when he was saved by the timely arrival of the reborn Optimus Prime and the [[Neo-Knights]]. {{storylink|End of the Road! (US)|End of the Road!}}
{{-}}

=====Marvel UK future timelines=====
''Wheeljack survived the battle of [[Autobot City]] in this timeline, but was later strung up by [[Quintesson|Quintessons]] there in 2008, anyway. He wasn't seen after that, though [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] survived the same treatment, so Wheeljack may have survived.'' {{storylink|Space Pirates!}}
{{--}}

=====Earthforce=====
{{earthforcefiction}}
''When [[Galvatron II|Galvatron]] infiltrated the Ark to brainwash some new troops, Wheeljack was one of the deactivated Autobots he attempted to control. Wheeljack and the others turned the tables on Galvatron, subjecting him to his own [[mind bug]] technology.'' {{storylink|Perchance to Dream}} ''Back in action, Wheeljack felt somewhat out of place among the various [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]], [[Targetmaster|Targetmasters]] and [[Powermaster|Powermasters]] wandering around the Ark now. On a scouting mission, he and Prowl grumbled to one another about how they just wanted some good ol' fashioned Decepticons to beat up on. Obligingly, the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] [[Mixmaster (G1)|Mixmaster]] and [[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]] showed up right then to stop the Autobots from finding out about their evil plans. Thrilled about fighting bad guys who weren't "MicroHeadTargetmasters with a Pretender shell", Wheeljack and Prowl tracked down the Constructicons' leader, Megatron, nearby, and learned of his plans to destroy Earth's atmosphere.'' {{storylink|Starting Over!}} ''While Wheeljack distracted [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] and the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]], Prowl leapt aboard the "atmo rocket" and knocked it off course, saving the planet.'' {{storylink|Desert Island Risks!}}

''Fresh from their adventure with old, familiar enemies, Wheeljack and Prowl both joined the new Earthforce team Optimus Prime set up under Grimlock's command. Operating out of a shuttle in the Canadian wilderness, the Autobots began constructing a larger Earthbase on site. Although the location of their base was unknown, the construction-in-progress was open to attack, and so a 24-hour guard watch was arranged. One dark and stormy night, Wheeljack was trying to keep warm on guard duty using a thermo-heating unit from the ship, but it overheated and started smoking on him. He knocked over a table and lamp while trying to shut off the device and attracted the attention of a polar bear, which ended up chasing him back towards the shuttle. To top it all off, he was jumped from behind by [[Skydive (G1 Aerialbot)|Skydive]], who had seen all the mess and mistaken Wheeljack for [[Fantasy Predacon|an attacking Decepticon]]. It was not Wheeljack's best night ever.'' {{storylink|Mystery!}}

[[Image:Wheeljack-thelivingnightlights.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Bah. Warm, fuzzy nice-nice! What good is science if nobody gets hurt!?]]

''When a new thought-activated set of nightlights called [[Sleepfast]] was released to human buyers, Wheeljack got suspicious and tested the little items. He found not only the presence of Cybertronian technology in the devices, but also evidence that the thought-sensitive nightlights would eventually turn on their owners, allowing them to manipulate the humans' minds as well as read them. Wheeljack took [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] to investigate the Sleepfast warehouse, and they ran into the mastermind behind the scheme, [[Mindwipe (G1)|Mindwipe]]. The Autobots used the thought-activation effect of the Sleepfasts to will all several hundred nightlights on at once, temporarily blinding Mindwipe.'' {{storylink|The Living Nightlights!}}

[[Image:Wheeljack-housethatwheeljack.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"Zhose are ze largest trousers in ze vorld!"]]

''Finally, Autobot Earthbase was completed, and Wheeljack called the entire team outside to witness his defense grid in action. Prowl was dubious at the lack of obvious protection, and so Wheeljack handed him the activation remote. Once Prowl hit the button, Wheeljack tossed a rock towards the base, where it was instantly obliterated by the retractable laser cannons. When Prowl expressed concern that someone could knock the defense system offline, Wheeljack assured him that once the defense system was activated, it could only be deactivated from a console inside the base. Prowl paused for a minute, took a head count, then turned hesitantly to Wheeljack and asked, "So who's inside with the console NOW...?" ''

''The response? "Oh..."''

''While Prowl and the other Autobots braved the defenses in order to reach the console and turn off the security system, Grimlock grabbed Wheeljack by the ankle and shook him out upside-down over the snow for good measure.'' {{storylink|The House that Wheeljack Built!}}

[[Image:Wheeljack-makintracks.jpg|thumb|left|300px|From the tempest's fury, the spark ignites—to sire new life! Transmet—wait, we're getting a bit too meta here, aren't we.]]

''When Optimus Prime returned to Earth for an inspection of the new operation, he also brought back [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]]'s body for Wheeljack to reactivate in his Bodyshop. Grimlock was hardly impressed with the idea of bringing the vain and complaining Tracks back to life, and he tried to derail the process. Despite his efforts, though, Wheeljack not only revived Tracks, but Optimus Prime decreed that Tracks would remain with Earthforce instead of going back on the Ark with him.'' {{storylink|Makin' Tracks!}} ''Later, Wheeljack diagnosed Snarl with [[Corrodia Gravis]], prompting the Autobots to seek out the only compatible Transformer who could give him a systems boost: Starscream.'' {{storylink|Assassins}}

''Wheeljack was last seen during the Autobot chase of [[Motormaster]], who had kidnapped their ally, [[Irwin Spoon (G1)|Irwin Spoon]]. He abandoned the chase to check on Prowl after Motormaster ran him off the highway.'' {{storylink|End of the Road! (UK)|End of the Road!}}

{{-}}

====''Generation 2''====
While investigating an apparent planet-wide genocide on [[J'asik]], Wheeljack joined [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] and [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] on a science team in attempting to find out just what had destroyed all life on the planet so utterly. Their findings were so surprising, the team double-checked 50 times before confirming the results: A Cybertronian biological by-product had somehow achieved quasi-sentience and motivation, and was prowling the galaxy as the entity known as the [[Swarm (G2)|Swarm]]. The full impact of their discovery was cut short, however, by the arriving armada of [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] and his second generation [[Cybertronian (faction)|Cybertronians]], the accidental harbingers of the Swarm. {{storylink|Swarm (issue)|Swarm}} The battle with Jhiaxus kept the Transformers occupied long enough for the Swarm to find them on Earth. Presenting a united front, the Autobots and Decepticons desperately attempted to drive back the creature. Wheeljack cooked up a method of dramatically augmenting [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]]'s sonic powers, but while the Decepticon was consumed by the excess power pumping through his system, it seemed to do little good against the Swarm. Wheeljack's fate is unknown. {{storylink|A Rage in Heaven!}}
{{-}}

===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Chris Latta]] (English), [[Osamu Saka]] (Japanese), [[Katsumi Suzuki]] (Japanese, "[[Attack of the Autobots]]" and "[[Day of the Machines]]" only), [[Alberto Bognanni]] (Italian, second dub), [[Albert Augier]] (French)

[[Image:Cybertronwheeljack.jpg|left|thumb|Boxy but safe.]]

Four million years ago, on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Wheeljack was sent on a mission with [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] to search for any available energy that could be found on the drained planet. The pair located some energy [[conductor]]s, and Wheeljack transformed into his boxy vehicle mode so that Bumblebee could load them up, even though he didn't believe they would last a [[Units of time|quartex]]. On the return trip to [[Iacon (city-state)|Iacon]], the pair were attacked by a team of [[Decepticon]]s, but Wheeljack was able to break through their barricade of fire using his bumper-mounted cutting blades and then eluded their pursuers by heading underground. Despite their successful return with the conductors, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] decided to expand the search for energy to other planets. Wheeljack was among the Autobots selected to embark on this mission, but in mid-flight, the Autobots' [[Ark (G1)|spacecraft]] was attacked by the Decepticons and crashed on prehistoric [[Earth]], entombing all aboard in stasis.

[[Image:Mtmte2_fiftyninepointninetynine.jpg|right|thumb|220px|With this, I shall give my creature life!]]

When the Transformers were reactivated by a volcanic eruption in 1984, Wheeljack was reformatted by [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]] with the alternate mode of a Lancia Stratos Turbo custom racing car. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1}} Soon after their awakening, Wheeljack was part of the battle unit organized by [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] to defend a [[human]] oil rig against an attack by the Decepticons, and used a fire-extinguishing mechanism installed in his forearm to douse the inferno that resulted from the conflict. Wheeljack next helped attempt to stop the Decepticon plot to overload [[Sherman Dam]], and then journeyed with the other Autobots in pursuing their foes to [[Burma]]. There, he gave Bumblebee and the Autobots' new human ally [[Sparkplug Witwicky]] a bomb that would collapse the mine the Decepticons were current raiding, trapping the villainous robots for good. Alas, Wheeljack overestimated his skills, as the Decepticons were able to escape the collapsed mountain with ease. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 2}} Wheeljack later participated in the battle to stop the Decepticons from escaping Earth aboard their [[Victory (G1)|new space cruiser]]. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 3}}

[[Image:Divideandconquer wheeljack cosmotron.jpg|left|thumb|220px|Ah you know what it's like Ironhide, there's always a few extra bits at the bottom of the box.]]

Some months later, when an [[antimatter]]-powered [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] attacked [[Ark (G1)#Autobot Headquarters|Autobot Headquarters]], Wheeljack had just the invention to save the day: a remote control unit that would put Teletraan I in control of a Decepticons' body. Through the bravery of [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] and [[Chip Chase]], the unit was planted on [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]], and the Autobots used him to foil the Decepticons' plan. {{storylink|Roll for It}}

Wheeljack's mechanical expertise was put to the ultimate test when Optimus Prime was critically wounded by a Decepticon attack. With [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]]'s help, Wheeljack struggled to keep his leader alive, discovering that his vital [[cosmotron]] component had been damaged and needed replacing. A team of Autobots were dispatched through the Decepticons' [[space bridge]] to Cybertron, where they located [[Wheeljack's workshop|Wheeljack's old laboratory]] and recovered a replacement cosmotron to save Prime's life. {{storylink|Divide and Conquer}}

[[Image:SOSDinobots_buildingSludge.jpg|right|thumb|220px|What's he ''building'' in there? We've got a right to know.]]

Upon discovery of [[dinosaur]] bones in caverns within the Ark's volcano, Wheeljack and Ratchet were inspired to construct robotic version of dinosaurs, resulting in the creation of the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]. Upon activation, the behemoths promptly ran out of control and badly damaged Autobot Headquarters, until Wheeljack brought them under control with his [[magnetic inducer]]. Optimus Prime deemed the Dinobots too dangerous to continue functioning and commanded that the project be abandoned, but Wheeljack secretly persisted, developing memory components that would increase the Dinobots' intelligence. This bout of insubordination proved fortunate when almost all of the Autobots were captured by the Decepticons at the [[Great Falls]], prompting Wheeljack to activate the upgraded Dinobots and take them into battle to save the day. Wheeljack was willing to accept any punishment Prime would hand down for his disobedience, but Prime accepted his judgement had been hasty, and allowed the Dinobots to remain among the Autobot ranks. {{storylink|S.O.S. Dinobots}}

Learning of Decepticon activity in [[Peru]], Optimus Prime had Wheeljack and [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] head for the [[Arctic|Arctic Circle]] to unearth the frozen Autobot [[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]], so he could carry the Autobot forces to South America. Once the Decepticons' plan to use the [[Crystal of Power]] as a weapon had been stopped, Wheeljack invented a device to cap the geyser of energy that had resulted from the crystal's destruction. Spike was a little concerned over whether or not the device would function, but it went off without a hitch, even surprising Wheeljack himself a little. {{storylink|Fire on the Mountain}}

[[Image:Wotd wheeljack meteorite.jpg|left|thumb|220px|Surprisingly, the ominously glowing turd had little scientific value.]]

Wheeljack had his work cut out for him when the Autobots faced two simultaneous threats: a [[Meteorini Chipperoni|mysterious meteorite]] crashed on Earth, and when the Dinobots were left to guard it, they were tricked by Megatron into allying with the Decepticons. Analyzing a fragment of the meteorite, Wheeljack discovered it was wildly unstable and poised to explode at any moment. Working with Ratchet, Spike and [[Chip Chase]], Wheeljack developed two new Dinobots, [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] and [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]], and sent them in to defeat their forebears. The meteorite exploded harmlessly, and the Dinobots, convinced of their mistake, returned to the Autobot side. {{storylink|War of the Dinobots}}

When the Decepticons attacked a solar power plant on the coast of [[India]], Wheeljack outfitted the Autobots with hydrofoils so they could approach the plant from over the water. The attack was discovered to be a distraction when Wheeljack received a report from Autobot Headquarters that the Decepticons had struck there and kidnapped Sparkplug. Wheeljack was part of the Autobot team that raided [[Decepticon Headquarters]] and recovered Sparkplug, but he and Spike soon realized that there was something wrong. Sparkplug had, in fact, been made a mind-controlled Decepticon slave thanks to a [[hypno-chip]], as part of a plan to transport Cybertron itself into Earth orbit. {{storylink|The Ultimate Doom, Part 1}}

[[Image:Tud3_wheeljack_little_present.jpg|right|thumb|220px|Green Lantern's light!]]

The villains soon accomplish their terrifying goal, and the Autobots found themselves battling the natural disasters that the presence of the planet caused. Wheeljack called upon the Dinobots to aid them in their struggle, though first he had to convince them that it was worth their while to help. Seeking information about the Decepticons' hypno-chips, Wheeljack was part of an Autobot team who travelled to the orbiting Cybertron, though no sooner had they arrived on the planet than the smaller members of their party (Spike, Bumblebee and [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]]), fell through a trap door. {{storylink|The Ultimate Doom, Part 2}} Wheeljack and the others were unable to follow directly due to their size, but soon tracked their friends down to the Decepticons' headquarters and rescued them from an attack. The team took cover in Wheeljack's old lab, where Wheeljack analyzed a computer disk containing information on the hypno-chips that Bumblebee had stolen and developed a device to negate the chips' effect. The Autobots' test-drove the device on Sparkplug, and when it proved successful, they quickly returned to Earth and Wheeljack used it to liberate all of Megatron's slaves. Finally, the world was saved when the Autobots blew up Megatron's stockpile of [[energon cube]]s, blasting Cybertorn out of orbit. {{storylink|The Ultimate Doom, Part 3}} Wheeljack then helped repair the damage caused to Earth, directing the Dinobots as they performed some heavy lifting. {{storylink|Countdown to Extinction (episode)|Countdown to Extinction}}

Wheeljack was part of the Autobot unit dispatched to [[Bali]] to investigate reports of robot insects, where they faced the threat of the Decepticons' newest allies, the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]]. Wheeljack aided Skyfire by fixing his malfunctioning transform mechanism, and unsteadily taking to the air to back him up in an Insecticon dogfight. When Spike deduced that the Autobots' rubber tyres would protect them from the Insecticons' lightning attacks, Wheeljack rode atop [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] and Sideswipe to help send the critters packing. To reward Spike for his bravery, Wheeljack offered to make a him a "true Autobot" by designing a motorcycle transformation for him, but Spike decided he'd better wait until he was at least old enough to drive. {{storylink|A Plague of Insecticons}}

[[Image:Shockblastcannon.jpg|left|thumb|300px|I'm okay.]]

The sudden appearance of Megatron in the airspace of Autobot Headquarters was cause enough for Wheeljack to try testing his new [[shock blast cannon]], but the weapon simply blew up in his hands. As luck would have it, Megatron had not arrived to fight, but to challenge Optimus Prime to a one-on-one duel in accordance with Cybertron law. Wheeljack spoke out in favour of Prime accepting the challenge, as it would end the Transformers' war, but none of the Autobots expected the eventual result of the fight: Optimus lost! Wheeljack could not understand how Megatron had claimed victory, but Teletraan I soon provided the answer-Megatron had taken on the powers of all the other Decepticons, breaking the rules of the fight and invalidating its outcome. {{storylink|Heavy Metal War}}

When Spike was badly injured by Megatron and needed life-saving surgery, Wheeljack developed cybernetic attachments that allowed Spike's mind to be transferred into "[[Autobot X]]", a makeshift body constructed from spare Autobot parts by Sparkplug. {{storylink|Autobot Spike}} A little later, Wheeljack disagreed with Ratchet over which wire needed to be pulled to deactivate the Decepticons' [[Solar Needle]] device, but Optimus Prime put an end to the argument by yanking both of them. {{storylink|Changing Gears}}

[[Image:Immobilizer_wheeljack_immobilized.jpg|right|thumb|220px|Wheeljack: Master of the ancient art of Notmoveoo.]]

Wheeljack was among the Autobots who travelled to [[New York City]] to defend it against an attempted Decepticon takeover. The sight of [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] climbing the [[Empire State Building]] reminded Wheeljack of ''[[King Kong]]'', and he took a leaf out of the movie's book by sending remote-controlled helicopters against the [[combiner]]. Devastator easily swatted the craft out of the air, and [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] consoled Wheeljack with the fact that Devastator had probably seen the movie too. {{storylink|City of Steel}}

The first tests of Wheeljack's newest invention, the paralytic "[[Wheeljack Instant Immobilizer]]", did not go very well: first, the device's [[polarizer]] was damaged by an over-enthusiastic [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], and once it was replaced, Spike accidentally stepped on the Immobilizer's remote, immobilizing Wheeljack himself! Luckily the effects of the device proved temporary, and Wheeljack soon returned to normal. {{storylink|The Immobilizer}} His next invention, an [[anti-transfixation grenade]] developed to restore the other Autobots when they were frozen in their vehicle modes by the Decepticons' new [[Transfixatron]], proved much more successful. {{storylink|The Autobot Run}}

[[Image:Atlantisarise wheeljack and nergill.jpg|left|thumb|220px|From that day on, Dr. Wheel Jack was cursed to transform into a monster during moments of stress.]]

When Wheeljack was captured by the Decepticons' new sea-dwelling [[Sub-Atlantica]]n allies, their treacherous king, [[Nergill]], studied his systems and developed [[magnetic dysfunction ray]] that could disable Transformers based on them. When [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] was blasted with the ray, he tried to use energy from Wheeljack's systems to restore himself, but was caught in the act and stopped by Bumblebee and Spike. The duo proceeded to repair Wheeljack, who then called in the Dinobots to sent the Sub-Atlanticans packing. {{storylink|Atlantis, Arise!}}

After helping to free [[Quantum Laboratories]] from the control of [[TORQ III]], {{storylink|Day of the Machines}} Wheeljack attended the unveiling of the human-made ninja-robot, [[Nightbird (G1)|Nightbird]]. Wheeljack did not have a high opinion of the comparatively primitive robot, but once the Decepticons stole and reprogrammed it to serve them, Nightbird made Wheeljack eat crow by outsmarting all the new security systems he had installed in Autobot Headquarters. {{storylink|Enter the Nightbird}} Later, Wheeljack was among the Autobots fooled by Megatron's [[Optimus Prime clone|clone of Optimus Prime]]. {{storylink|A Prime Problem}}

To stop the Decepticons from drilling into the Earth's core and destroying the planet, Wheeljack invented [[dominator disc]]s that the Autobots planted on the individual [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]], placing their combined form of Devastator under Wheeljack's control. The Decepticons were able to disrupt the disks, but this resulted in Devastator running amok, forcing the Decepticons to hand their device over to Wheeljack so he could combine it with his disks to restore Devatator to normal. {{storylink|The Core}} Soon after, Wheeljack and Ratchet had to work fast to develop an antidote that would negate the destructive energy of the [[Nova Power Core]], which had been consumed by the Insecticons and was threatening to cause them to explode.{{storylink|The Insecticon Syndrome}}

[[Image:Autoberserk_good_job_wheeljack.jpg|right|thumb|220px|Wheeljack's the dude.]]

Having spent some time trying to teach the Dinobots finesse, Wheeljack held a demonstration of his creations' newest abilities for the other Autobots, but unsurprisingly, it all went wrong. Optimus Prime decided that the Dinobots should train elsewhere, and they were sent to the recently-discovered "[[Dinobot Island (G1)|Dinobot Island]]". {{storylink|Dinobot Island, Part 1}} Unfortunately, the Decepticons followed the Dinobots to the time-lost island and began draining its energy, causing time warps all across the Earth that Wheeljack worked with Chip and Teletraan I to track. {{storylink|Dinobot Island, Part 2}}

Wheeljack approved of [[Grapple]]'s [[Solar Power Tower]], but sadly, Optimus Prime didn't. {{storylink|The Master Builders}} Prime ''did'' approve of Wheeljack's own next invention, the [[Negavator]], but so did the Decepticons, who made a few attempts at stealing it that ultimately required it to be destroyed. {{storylink|Auto Berserk}} Later, when a [[Heart of Cybertron]]-empowered Megatron badly injured many of the Autobots, Optimus Prime had Ratchet repair Wheeljack first, so the scientist could build a forcefield to hold Megatron off. {{storylink|Microbots}}

When the Decepticons framed the Autobots for energy thefts, they covered for their own past villainy by claiming Wheeljack had invented a device that drove them to evil. The deception fooled the people of Earth, and the Autobots were exiled from the planet, {{storylink|Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1}} but they soon returned to clear their names. {{storylink|Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2}}

[[Image:Dotd1_sparkplug_repairs_wheeljack.jpg|left|thumb|220px|He took mah jerb!]]

Instructed by Optimus Prime to dispatch an Autobot team to deal with a Decepticon incursion at an airfield, Wheeljack again had to convince the Dinobots to lend a hand. Soon after, Wheeljack and the other Autobots began to malfunction as a result of [[cybertonium]] degradation, necessitating that Spike and [[Carly]] travel to Cybertron to get more. {{storylink|Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1}} Wheeljack supplied them with a [[photon light]] and a two-way thumb radio and set them on course for his old laboratory. Despite some Decepticon trouble along the way, the two humans eventually succeeded in their mission with the help of the Dinobots, and Wheeljack and the Autobots were restored. {{storylink|Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2}}

Wheeljack was among the Autobots who stood by as reports on the search for the stolen [[Voltronic Galaxer]] came in, {{storylink|Blaster Blues}}, then later temporarily received the power of an invulnerable [[electrum]] coating {{storylink|The Golden Lagoon}}. Shortly thereafter, he had to help Sparkplug, Ratchet and [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] repair and restore a fleet of cars turned into war machines by the Decepticons, {{storylink|Make Tracks}} but was powerless to do anything when a space bridge accident hurled Optimus Prime and a small group of other Autobots and Decepticons to a world of alien giants. {{storylink|Child's Play (episode)|Child's Play}} Later still, when [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] was injured attempting to protect heiress [[Astoria Carlton-Ritz]], Wheeljack and Ratchet recovered and repared him. {{storylink|The Girl Who Loved Powerglide}}

[[Image:Wardawn wheeljack fixes kronosphere.jpg|right|thumb|220px|Wheeljack, the colour of gold, is gold. That's why it's called gold. What you have created, if it has a name, is some...green.]]

When Wheeljack's lab on Cybertron was raided by the Decepticons, a mysterious piece of old technology he had kept stored there was carried back to Earth by [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]], who wound up crashing in a movie lot. The Decepticon fought hard to recover footage the movie studio took of Dirge and the device, but it turned out the joke was on them: after the battle was done, Wheeljack revealed that whatever the machine was supposed to be, it had never worked anyway! {{storylink|Hoist Goes Hollywood}}

Wheeljack was part of the Autobot team that traveled to Cybertron to stop Megatron from using the mega-computer [[Vector Sigma]] to bring his new [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] to life, but they failed. {{storylink|The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1}} To combat the Stunticons, Wheeljack helped [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] rebuild some aircraft into the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]]. {{storylink|The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 2}} Only a few weeks later, Wheeljack had to returned to Cybertron to repair the damaged [[Kronosphere]] time machine and rescue the Aerialbots when the Decepticons attempted to trap them in the past. {{storylink|War Dawn}}

[[Image:Teurox wheeljack vs motormaster.jpg|left|thumb|220px]]

Learning that racing driver [[Auggie Cahnay (G1)|Auggie Cahnay]] would be test-driving a car made from a new experimental alloy in the upcoming [[Europa 2000]] race, Optimus Prime sent a contingent of Autobots, including Wheeljack, to participate in the race and protect Augie from any possible Decepticon interference. Wheeljack was thoroughly enjoying himself until the Stunticons joined the race, and he was crushed under [[Motormaster]]'s wheels in [[Turkey]]. {{storylink|Trans-Europe Express}}

When the [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|Cosmic Rust]] plague threatened the Autobots, Wheeljack proposed using the [[matter duplicator]] to create more of [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]]'s anti-corrosive [[corrostop]]. Two problems faced the scientific duo, however: the matter duplicator didn't work, and they were out of corrostop! Working tirelessly (and with a few swift kicks to the machine for good measure), the pair got the matter duplicator functioning, and the Autobots recovered some corrostop from the [[Statue of Liberty]] to duplicate and save themselves. {{storylink|Cosmic Rust (episode)|Cosmic Rust}}

[[Image:Masquerade_wheeljack_stolen_tech.jpg|right|thumb|220px|So, you ''want'' me to make it blow up this time?]]

During the Stunticons' latest rampage, Wheeljack used Teletraan I to pinpoint the location of the five Decepticons, and the Autobots quickly rounded them up. Examining the components the Stunticons had stolen, Wheeljack speculated that Megatron was making yet another super-weapon. A team of five Autobots disguised themselves as the Stunticons, and delivered a substitute ruby modified by Wheeljack to Megatron, which caused the new laser cannon it was installed within to explode. {{storylink|Masquerade}}

For his final recorded adventure in the 20th century, Wheeljack helped defend Autobot Headquarters against an attack from the Decepticons' [[orbit disruptor cannon]], using his gyro-inhibitor to prematurely detonate missiles launched by [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]]. {{storylink|B.O.T. (episode)|B.O.T.}}

[[Image:Windcharger wheeljack otp.jpg|left|220px|thumb|Inventor, uh...reinvent thyself.]]

Over the course of the next twenty years, the Decepticons turned away from Earth and focused on entirely conquering Cybertron. The Autobots were forced off the planet, and constructed [[Autobot City]] on Earth to serve as their new home. Wheeljack ultimately met his end defending this city in the year 2005, when the Decepticons launched [[Battle of Autobot City|an overwhelming attack on it]]. His body was seen lying alongside a missile launcher as [[Arcee (G1)| Arcee]] laid [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]]'s equally-lifeless shell alongside him. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

{{-}}

====Japanese cartoon continuity====
{{note|The events of the Generation 1 cartoon occur in Japanese continuity as noted above, aside from one notable alteration: Wheeljack does not die during ''The Transformers: The Movie''. The character reappears in several pieces of media that take place after the events of the movie, in important capacities that can't merely be written off as animation errors. This was not an issue to Japanese audiences originally, as the movie was not released in Japan until a few years later, after the most significant of these extra appearances (in the ''[[Victory (cartoon)|Victory]]'' cartoon), but it created something of a retroactive error that would later be addressed in passing in ''[[Alternators|Binaltech]]'' fiction. Read on for details!}}

=====e-Hobby pack-in comic=====

[[Image:Ehobbymanga_wheeljack.jpg|right|thumb]]

During a Decepticon assault on Autobot Headquarters, Wheeljack co-ordinated the Autobot counterattack from inside the base, instructing Brawn to back up Hound. When the other Decepticons were defeated, Brawn and Hound ran to back up Optimus Prime, who was battling Megatron and had just landed a powerful blow on the Decepticon leader. Wheeljack scanned Megatron's damage, and discovered that his internal balancer had gone offline...but he could never have predicted that this would result in Megatron's systems releasing a sudden [[quantum surge|surge of quantum energy]] that restored and super-charged him! {{storylink|Decepticon Leader Megatron Black Ver.}}

=====''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' comic=====

[[Image:Srlf manga1 wheeljack trailbreaker sideswipe prime.jpg|left|thumb|300px|We have streaky anime lines!]]

When the Decepticons began turning their attention towards [[Japan]] in the late 1980s, Wheeljack was part of an Autobot team who traveled to [[Tokyo]] to defend it against an attack by the [[Seeker (body-type)|Decepticon jets]] and the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]]. Following the advice of a local boy that they befriended named [[Kenji]], the Autobots were able to take out the Decepticons by using a broken section of freeway as a ramp to gain height on their enemies; Wheeljack landed a good hit on [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] in the process. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 1|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #1}}

In response to the increasing number of Decepticon attacks on Japan, the Autobots set up a secondary headquarters in the country. Wheeljack was among the Autobots later seen staffing the base and welcoming Kenji on his first visit there. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 4|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #4}}
{{-}}

=====''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' story pages=====

Along with his fellow Autobots who could turn into sport and race cars, Wheeljack participated in a race across the desert. Little did he know, [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] was aware of the race and ambushed the Autobots inside a narrow gorge. Wheeljack and the other race car Transformers were unable to retaliate because their vehicle modes could not brave the rough, desert terrain. Luckily for them, [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] arrived in his rugged Jeep mode and smashed Soundwave's chest window. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (story page)|Anime Theater 2: Sic 'em, Hound!}}

=====Full Throttle Scramble Power!=====
Wheeljack was stationed at [[Metroplex (G1)|Scramble City]] when the Decepticons began terrorizing the world with their [[Omega Whip]]. To make matters worse, the Stunticons began a fierce rampage, and Wheeljack was among the Autobots who advised against the Aerialbots battling them alone. Optimus Prime disagreed, and off they went. Soon after, Wheeljack joined in an attack on the Decepticons' headquarters, but was clobbered by a Decepticon jet. {{storylink|Full Throttle Scramble Power!}}

=====''The Stargate Battles''=====

[[Image:Stargatebattles wheeljack.jpg|right|thumb|220px|Wheeljack watches C-X's brutal rampage and considers both the moral and philosophical ramifications of giving it a bigger gun.]]

In the 1990s, continued interaction between the Autobots and the government of the United States led to the development of an interstellar teleportation system known as "[[Warp Gate|the Trigger]]". Wheeljack joined Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Bumblebee, Jazz and Hound in a press conference to announce the Trigger to the world, and even wrote the stirring speech that Prime delivered to the masses. Ignoring Jazz as he tried to keep them quiet during the broadcast, Wheeljack and Ratchet both agreed that the gun-like design of the Trigger reminded them entirely too much of Megatron. {{storylink|First Contact}}

A few months later, Wheeljack, [[Bluestreak]] and Bumblebee observed as Optimus Prime helped human scientist [[Professor Adle]] test his new [[C-X]] battle drone. Wheeljack offered some technical advice on how to increase the drone's attack speed, but that only meant more trouble when C-X started to run amok thanks to Decepticon interference. Wheeljack and his comrades tried to aid Prime, but he and Bluestreak were flattened by a single kick from the huge drone. Prime proved his might by defeating C-X single-handedly, and Wheeljack helped hold up his battered leader as he limped from the battlefield. {{storylink|Divided Views}}
{{--}}
=====''Story of Binaltech''=====
[[Image:BTWheeljack art.jpg|left|250px|thumb|HEAVY METAL RULES!!!]]
When the Dinobots were turned savage by a Unleasher attack in the year 2005, the Autobots had to take them off-line. Wheeljack headed to Earth to arrange the transplantation of [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]]'s mind into a new body created from the "Binaltech" technology that had recently been developed in conjunction between the Autobots and the [[Earth Defense Command]]. {{storylink|Beast in the Machine}} On his return journey to the Autobots' moonbase, however, his shuttle was hijacked by time-tossed Decepticon [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]], who had begun a plan to alter the course of history. {{storylink|Changing Lanes}} Wheeljack was shown a brief glimpse of the near future by Ravage, and bore witness to his own death, and those of many of his comrades, in the upcoming Battle of Autobot City. Wheeljack managed to escape, while Ravage himself promptly returned to Cybertron and exhumed the [[Kronosphere]], using it to tip the balance of the decisive battle occurring at that time. Whereas the outcome would have originally favored the Decepticons, leading to their total conquest of Cybertron, Ravage ensured an ''Autobot'' victory, altering history and leaving the heroes to face the looming threat of [[Unicron]] alone.

Aware that history had been altered, Wheeljack was faced with a dilemma: Should he stop Ravage's plan and restore the timestream, even though it would mean the death of many Autobots, including himself? His salvation, he hoped, lay in the [[Genetronic Translink System]], a device that allowed a singular [[spark]] to control many duplicate bodies simultaneously—if history could be set to rights and his "death" were to come to pass, he could still live on in another body using the GT System. Dubbing his original body the "Alpha Unit," he constructed the "Beta Unit" based on Grimlock's Ford Mustang body, as well as the mysterious third "Omega Unit," whose capabilities were kept a closely guarded secret. {{storylink|Project Bodyshop}}

The subsequent arrival of Unicron prompted the Autobots to initiate "Operation: Distant Thunder," which saw [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] use the chronal warp on Dinobot Island to send Wheeljack's memory data back in time, in hopes of alerting the Autobots in the past and preventing alteration to the timestream. {{storylink|Darkest Hour}} The plan didn't go as expected, and reality started to go into a severe state of whack, until a mysterious [[Nemesis Prime (G1)|black Optimus Prime]] appeared and sealed the time portals that had been created. Operation: Distant Thunder had succeeded in preventing the mainline timestream's alteration, but the Binaltech timeline, first destined to be replaced and erased, had been saved by the newcomer and was now its own distinct, divergent universe. {{storylink|Binal Time}}

{{Note|At this point, the original timeline was retroactively restored and the events of the ''Story of Binaltech'' diverged into a parallel universe. Skip to the next section to continue reading about the original timeline. Exactly how many of the preceding events related in this section, even prior to the divergence, occurred in the original unaltered timeline are unknown, but presumably, the data sent back in time by Wheeljack must have included information on his own approaching death and the GT System, which would explain how he was able to survive and live on to appear in subsequent pieces of fiction.}}

In this new universe, Wheeljack and the Binaltech warriors began facing new threats as the Binaltech project was declassified, and derivative technlogy began showing up around the globe. The Autobots battled the human criminal organization called the [[Concurrence]] and the Binaltech Decepticon named [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]], who had created a living [[electrum]] giant. {{storylink|Unfinished Business, Part 2}} Soon, Wheeljack helped bring an end to the Binaltech wars by unleashing his Omega Unit. The BT-14 Omega Unit functioned by connecting the laser-core of Wheeljack's spark to the power network of the entire globe, linking him to the living datastream of information running the planet. Through this link, Wheeljack tracked down all the splinter projects misusing Binaltech data, allowing Prowl and [[Earth Defense Command]] to seek them out and terminate the research programs. {{storylink|Unfinished Business, Part 4}}

=====''The Headmasters'' cartoon=====
[[Image:JHeadmasters01VariousGuys.jpg|thumb|200px|He's that grey blob on the right. ]]
Some time before the Transformers' war left Cybertron, Wheeljack engaged the Decepticons in battle with his comrades. Later, on Earth, Wheeljack was present for a confrontation with the Decepticons that resulted in the death of Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Four Warriors Come out of the Sky}}

{{note|Wheeljack's flashback battle on Earth depicts Optimus Prime's death in a scene that doesn't match up to his ''actual'' death in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. This was a continuity patch-job by the ''Headmasters'' production staff, as the movie hadn't been released in Japan yet.}}

=====''Victory'' cartoon=====

:''Voice actor:'' [[Shinobu Satouchi]] (Japanese)
[[Image:WheeljackVictory1.jpg|left|thumb|220px|Um, that was my brother Jackwheel .]]

In the year 2025, Wheeljack, Perceptor and [[Minerva]] were summoned to Earth by the new Autobot [[Supreme Commander]] [[Star Saber (Victory)|Star Saber]] to save the life of the fallen [[Ginrai|God Ginrai]]. Despite their best efforts, there was nothing they could do to save Ginrai's body, but it ''would'' be possible to transplant all his internal systems into a new body. As he would no longer truly be the same being, Ginrai turned down their offer, but then Wheeljack accidentally blurted out that there was a pre-existing design that they could use, piquing Ginrai's curiosity. The design was a combination power-up created by Star Saber, and Ginrai insisted on being reborn in this new body. {{storylink|Ginrai Dies!!}} Perceptor, Wheeljack and Minerva brought Ginrai's life functions to an end, and resurrected him in his new body as [[Victory Leo]]. As Victory Leo cut his teeth in battle, Wheeljack and Perceptor put their technical skills to use tending to Star Saber's own wounds. {{storylink|Fight!! Victory Leo}} and then installed a combination circuit in Star Saber's body. {{storylink|Awaken! Victory Leo}} This circuit allowed him to combine with Victory Leo to form Victory Saber. {{storylink|The Tide is Turned! The Ultimate Weapon, the Victory Unification}}
{{-}}

=====''Generation 2'' story pages=====
[[Image:G2StoryPageWheeljackPerceptor1.jpg|right|thumb|Umm... would you believe it was my identical cousin?]]
Wheeljack, along with Perceptor and Jetfire, discovered [[Reconfiguration Matrix|new properties]] of the Matrix which allowed Optimus Prime to revive himself as "[[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#Generation 2|Battle Convoy]]" after a crushing defeat by Megatron. {{storylink|G-2 (story page)|G-2 Part 4}}

=====eHobby ''Generation 2'' storyline=====
To combat the Decepticons' increasingly aggressive energy raids, Wheeljack and [[Ga'mede]] worked together to examine Optimus Prime's new "blackbody" form, and duplicated it to create twenty-one new battle droids cast in the Autobot leader's image. These [[Eldedroid]]s were placed under the remote control of [[Flip Sides (G1)|Flip Sides]] and sent out onto the battlefield.
{{storylink|MP-1B Cybertron Commander / Convoy Black Ver.}}
{{-}}

===Dreamwave comics continuity===
{{notekeepers}}

[[Image:Skidswheeljackgrimlockkupironhidetww.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Box!]]

Wheeljack suffers from a mild form of [[mode attachment]], feeling more comfortable in his vehicle mode than robot mode. As a consequence he does his best thinking in vehicle mode, often while attempting something insanely dangerous. {{storylink|Transformers: The Ultimate Guide}}

Wheeljack was part of Grimlock's unit, along with [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] and [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], at the time when [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] died and Optimus Prime rose to command the Autobots. When the Decepticons placed [[Iacon (city-state)|Iacon]] under siege, Grimlock took his group to [[Kaon]] to look for Optimus Prime, who had gone seeking Megatron. While there, they discovered [[Planetary engine turbine|planetary engine turbines]] that were providing power to a mechaforming process that was destroying Iacon. Arriving, Prime instructed Wheeljack to shut down the engines in a... creative way (it blowed up real good). Wheeljack grumbled a bit that all his education and mechanical engineering skill had led up to just blowing things up. The group managed to return to Iacon, where Prime halted his order to abandon the planet. {{storylink|The War Within}}

When Prime and Megatron disappeared during a [[space bridge]] explosion, Grimlock broke off from the Autobot army and formed the [[Lightning Strike Coalition]], taking his former squad members with him. While Kup and the Dynobots attacked the [[Predacon (War Within)|Predacons]], Wheeljack and Ironhide hijacked some shuttles carrying raw [[Energon (fuel)|Energon]], making Starscream very angry. That's always a plus. {{storylink|War Within: The Dark Ages}}

Wheeljack was one of the engineers that designed and constructed the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'', and part of the ship's original crew. In 1986, Ironhide and [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] discovered Wheeljack in pieces but functional after an explosion while bug-testing his neutron detonator shell. {{storylink|More Than Meets The Eye (G1)|Wheeljack's ''More Than Meets The Eye'' profile}} ''At an unconfirmed point in time, he was also responsible for temporarily transferring the consciousness of Spike Witwicky into a Cybertronian body, though the full story remains untold. {{storylink|Hardwired}}''

Wheeljack was among the Transformers involved in the ''[[Ark II]]'' disaster. He survived the explosion of their spacecraft, crashing back to Earth where he and several others lay deactivated and frozen within an iceberg until awakened by [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] in 2002. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 2|Prime Directive #2}}

[[Image:Wheeljack dw6.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Wheeljack calms a group of panicked humans by charging at them while brandishing a weapon.]]

Wheeljack participated in the assault on [[Lazarus]]'s Canadian headquarters. When [[Robert Hallo|General Hallo]]'s attempt to bomb the Autobots and the Decepticons out of existence instead caused a violent expansion of [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]'s [[cyber-virus]], Wheeljack and [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] were the first Autobots to free themselves. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 4|Prime Directive #4}} While Prime took some of the Autobots after Megatron, Wheeljack diagnosed the nature of the cyber-virus, and created a set of anti-viral blasters that used the Autobots' energy to return the converted matter to normal. The intervention of Canada's military force scuttled that plan when they fired into the virus, expanding it beyond the point the Autobots could contain. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 5|Prime Directive #5}} In response, Wheeljack converted a nearby satellite dish into a giant anti-viral weapon, channeling all of his remaining energy into it. He succeeded in destroying the virus, but was left in deep stasis lock as a result. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 6|Prime Directive #6}}

''Several months later, Ratchet had successfully restored Wheeljack to operating status. He was one of the first Autobots Optimus Prime met back up with after escaping the [[Keeper (species)|Keepers]]' world and [[Las Vegas]]. While on patrol of the area, Wheeljack passed [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] travelling up the road towards the Autobots' location. He buzzed the Decepticon's position, and was surprised when Soundwave asked for a parlay. He claimed Megatron wanted a favor from Prime. Bemused, Wheeljack reported back to Optimus about the bizarre encounter, only to have his amusement turn to astonishment when Optimus Prime actually responded to Megatron's "summons". The two old enemies forged an alliance against the Keepers, and united their forces for battle in Las Vegas. During the fight, Wheeljack used his solid-fuel rockets to fly with the Decepticons [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] and [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] in the skies, acting as air support for the others. He returned to Prime's side in the final battle, when the Autobot leader used the power of the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] to divert the Keepers and the power of a nuclear explosion into another dimension.'' {{storylink|Annihilation}}

Later, when [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] came to arrest the Autobots as war criminals, Wheeljack was one of the Autobots secretly left behind by Optimus Prime under Jazz's command. {{storylink|Brothers' Burden}} Like most of the rest of that group of Autobots, Wheeljack was beaten to the point of stasis lock by [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]] some time later and dumped into a nearby swamp. {{storylink|Night of the Combaticons}} He was dredged out by an [[Earth Defense Command|EDC]] task force and repaired, in time to rejoin the other Autobots when they started construction of [[Autobot City]]. {{storylink|Lost and Found (issue)|Lost and Found}}
{{-}}

===''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers''===
When the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'' crashed on Earth millions of years ago, Wheeljack and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] were sealed off from the other passengers, saving them from [[Cobra]] when they found the craft in 2003 and reprogrammed the dormant robots for their own needs. Cobra's break-in activated [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletran-One]], who in turn brought back Wheeljack and Bumblebee. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 4|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #4}}

[[Image:GIJoevsTF3_Wheeljack_rams_twins.jpg|thumb|right|250px|]]
Disguising themselves as cars, the two Autobots worked for months to find and rescue the other Autobots from Cobra. After noting several attacks on energy plants, Wheeljack figured that the humans were gathering ingredients for [[Energon (fuel)|energon]], and had an idea on where their next attack would take place. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 2|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #2}} During Cobra's subsequent assault on the [[SPS Research Facility]], the Autobots intervened directly, with Wheeljack ramming the brainwashed duo of [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] and [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] (and apologizing). He then confronted [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]], but the reprogrammed Decepticon fled as soon as Cobra had stolen what they came for. Having revealed themselves to [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] during the battle, Wheeljack and Bumblebee offered an alliance with the humans, who in return showed the Autobots a mysterious image of Soundwave they had found. Wheeljack recognized the text in the picture as [[Cybertronian languages|Cybertronian]], and that it contained directions to [[Cobra Island]] as well as instructions on how to free the Transformers. It took him only a few seconds to hack into Cobra's computers and undo their primitive human reprogramming. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 3|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #3}}

Wheeljack and Bumblebee then boarded a plane to participate in G.I. Joe's attack on Cobra Island, but the humans' higher-ups disagreed, planning to nuke the island and send the two Autobots to [[Area 51]] to be disassembled and studied instead. [[Duke (G.I. Joe)|Duke]] regretfully incapacitated the robots with a magnetic pulse, but Wheeljack stayed conscious enough to overhear their plans and warn Duke that a nuclear impact on Cobra's energon stockpile would cause a chain reaction and send half the planet into a nuclear winter. With this revelation, Duke broke orders and went with the original strategy, taking Wheeljack and Bumblebee with him to Cobra Island. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 4|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #4}}

[[Image:GIJoevsTF6_Wheeljack_threatens_Mindbender.jpg|thumb|left|200px|I've got the computer virus at last!]]
Upon arriving at the island, Wheeljack witnessed Megatron using the [[SPS Satellite]] to create more energon, and was enraged when [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] killed [[Hound (G1)|Hound]]. After helping take down the giant, Wheeljack patched through a message to all Autobots that the United States had decided to nuke Cobra Island despite having their own troops located there. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 5|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #5}} Wheeljack quickly improvised a plan to avoid a nuclear holocaust; using the SPS Satellite's solar-powered energy beams to shoot down the nuclear warheads before they arrived. After menacing [[Doctor Mindbender]] into overriding the satellite controls, Wheeljack helped G.I. Joe fight off a bunch of Cobra troops led by [[Storm Shadow]]. The plan was ultimately a success, and with the Decepticons defeated in the process, the Autobots returned to Cybertron aboard a new ''Ark''. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 6|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #6}}

Two years later, Wheeljack was zapped by a malfunctioning [[Teletran 3]] and transported into a random point in Earth's timeline. He was never seen again. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 1|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #1}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers/G.I. Joe''===
Wheeljack was among the Autobots that lay buried on the [[Fera Islands]], only to be awoken in [[1939]] when [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] came to battle [[Cobra]] and the Decepticons. Along with [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] and several Joes, he rescued several chained Cobra slaves that had fallen into the ocean. [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] later reported that both Wheeljack and Hound had been killed in battle, but he was apparently mistaken, as the scientist was still around when [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]] was unleashed. Upon examining the giant, Wheeljack noticed that it was some kind of hybrid of human and Cybertronian technology, and most likely wasn't really "alive". When the [[Matrix of Leadership]] was destroyed in order to kill Bruticus, Wheeljack and all other Transformers present were deactivated as well. {{storylink|The Iron Fist}}

===''Transformers Legends'' anthology===
When a badly-damaged Starscream turned up on the Autobots' doorstep, Wheeljack argued strongly for allowing himself and Ratchet to take a look at the Decepticon's logic circuits, and possibly see if there was any way to make him a little less hostile. Prime eventually agreed, and when an amnesiac Starscream awoke and acted quite benign, Wheeljack seemed vindicated. Starscream even chose staying with the Autobots over returning to the Decepticons, however when his memories returned, he immediately fled back to his old comrades. Though Wheeljack was disappointed, Prime said it proved that the Decepticons were not beyond changing their ways. {{storylink|Redemption Center}}

===IDW comics continuity===
{{ongoing}}
In the time preceding the war, Wheeljack was a mechanoid as touched by the sacrifice of others as one could expect from this kindly future Autobot. It comes as no surprise then that he was front row at the state funeral of [[Kaon]] Security Service officers [[Fastback (G1)|Fastback]] and [[Bumper (G1)|Bumper]]. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin #3}}

After the war broke out, Wheeljack served as a mentor for a young Autobot named [[Ironfist]], who would go on to become an expert in weapons engineering. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 5|Last Stand of the Wreckers #5}}

[[Image:Escalation2 JazzWheeljack party.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Hollywood's latest spin on the buddy cop drama, Jazz & the 'Jack.]]
In 2006, Wheeljack was part of a detachment of Autobots that has operated covertly on Earth for at least four years, attempting to foil a Decepticon insurgency. In his role as technical scientist and gadgeteer for the Autobot detachment, he built a device that could interface the [[SM-40]] palmtop computer with the systems aboard the Autobots' ''[[Ark-19]]'' spacecraft. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 3|Infiltration #3}} Wheeljack, like his fellow Autobots, would come to watch the showdown between [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] and the [[Ultra-Energon|Ore-13]]-powered [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6|Infiltration #6}}

Aboard the Ark, Wheeljack briefed Optimus Prime and the Autobots about suspected Decepticon activity in the country of [[Latveria]]. The Decepticons had set up an array structure that was emitting an aggression wave. The wave was causing higher than normal level of violence amongst nearby [[Avengers|costumed humans]] and was bringing the nations of Latveria and [[Symkaria]] to the brink of war. Optimus ordered 'Jack to guard the Ark while the rest of them [[roll out|rolled out]]. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part One}} After the Autobots completed their mission and returned, Wheeljack noted that the [[Quinjet|Avengers' jet]] looked like it may have been a Cybertronian design. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Four}}

Later, after [[Escalation issue 1|the incident outside Lebanon, Illinois]], he and [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] were sent to investigate a [[Springfield]] police impound lot which supposedly held [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]]'s remains. Unfortunately, members of the [[Machination]] had already arrived with the same purpose in mind, and attacked the bots wielding advanced weaponry eerily similar to their own. Wheeljack escaped mostly unharmed, probably because Jazz took a direct hit from a mortar meant for him. {{storylink|Escalation issue 2|Escalation #2}} Wheeljack would get his first taste of real damage in [[Brasnya]] facing down [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] and [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], {{storylink|Escalation issue 4|Escalation #4}} and eventually the drained form of Megatron. {{storylink|Escalation issue 6|Escalation #6}}

Wheeljack was assigned to work with [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] in rescuing [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], but yet again the Machination decided to interfere—this time in a confrontation with their army of experimental [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]] [[Cloning|clones]]. {{storylink|Devastation issue 2|Devastation #2}} Wheeljack's constant tinkering paid off when he was able to escape the Headmasters using a [[gyro-inhibitor shell]]. {{storylink|Devastation issue 3|Devastation #3}} The Headmasters eventually caught up with them, however, and incapacitated Wheeljack by knocking a pile of junk cars on him. {{storylink|Devastation issue 5|Devastation #5}} [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]] arrived to retrieve Hot Rod and the others, blowing up a Headmaster that was attacking Hot Rod. Hot Rod refused to leave Earth though, wanting to see the Headmaster mystery to the end. Hardhead reluctantly let him go and took Wheeljack and Ironhide back with him. {{storylink|Devastation issue 6|Devastation #6}}

[[Image:AHM4BumblebeeWheeljack.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Bumblejerk.]]
A year later, Wheeljack had returned to Earth and joined [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]'s forces. After getting lured into a Decepticon trap and defeated, they were all dumped on the abandoned Cybertron to be finished off by the [[Insecticon swarm]]. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7|All Hail Megatron #7}} When Wheeljack and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] were sent to try and find energon, the pair discovered their Earth modes couldn't handle the terrain. Wheeljack came up with an idea for a polymer to solve the problem, but Bumblebee (rather rudely) pointed out he lacked ''any'' equipment. A moment later, Wheeljack spotted someone following them. In a desperate but sure-to-work attempt to call in back-up, Wheeljack signaled their base with a pulse that would last only 1/100th of a second. Confident help was on the way, he cautioned Bumblebee against going after the stranger on their own, but the young bot, lacking faith in Wheeljack's rather brilliant idea, ignored him. The scientist was proven right, however, when Ironhide and [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] arrived! {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 4|All Hail Megatron #4}} It turned out their follower was Hot Rod, who told Wheeljack and the others that he was part of an Autobot team that had recently crash-landed on the planet. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 5|All Hail Megatron #5}}

Wheeljack and [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] worked together to repair [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], who had been heavily injured by the Decepticons. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 9|All Hail Megatron #9}} When the Autobots were organizing a defense line against the Insecticon swarm, Wheeljack removed a cannon from the other team's [[Trion|crashed spaceship]] and modified it to be used as a mounted turret. However, since the cannon wasn't meant to be used like that, he warned [[Roadbuster]] that its power relay would probably burn out after only a few shots. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}} After hitching a ride back to Earth on [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]], Wheeljack and the others battled Megatron's forces in [[New York City]]. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 11|All Hail Megatron #11}}

Three years after the defeat of the Decepticons, Wheeljack and the other Autobots remained on Earth, just in case the Decepticons returned. [[Skywatch]] had figured out a way to lock Transformers in vehicle mode stasis for capture, but Wheeljack devised a way to counter the inhibitors. {{storylink|...For All Mankind}} When Optimus Prime surrendered to the Skywatch following the death of Ironhide, the Autobots agreed to vote on a new leader, with Wheeljack in charge of tallying the votes. He eventually revealed that the winner was Bumblebee. {{storylink|New Arrivals, Old Encounters}} Shortly afterwards, [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] arrived on Earth to investigate Optimus Prime's surrender, and Wheeljack and the others lined up to listen to him. {{storylink|A Rude Awakening}}

While Bumblebee was elected as the new Autobot leader, the little Autobot's moping over their current problems was perceived by Wheeljack to be a weakness, and thus he had little respect for Bumblebee as his leader. After being reprimanded by Ratchet, Wheeljack came across a message from rogue Skywatch Colonel [[Gordon Horiuchi]], who claimed that he wished to work with the Autobots to capture Decepticons. Without consulting Bumblebee, he initiated contact with the colonel, and when Bumblebee and Ratchet found out, he bluntly told his "commander" that if he doesn't do ''something'', more Autobots would leave their group. {{storylink|The Hanging Sword}}
{{-}}

{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|The Impossible Knot}} {{storylink|The Gift Horse}} {{storylink|Wings of Wax}}

Following the Autobots' second, successful alliance with Skywatch, Wheeljack was among the troops picked for the mission to fight the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]] in [[North Korea]]. He was responsible for mounting giant guns on the other Autobots' vehicle modes, as they were forced to fight in disguise. {{storylink|International Incident Part 2: "Ranks of Bronze"}} Despite some unexpected trouble in the form of the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]], the Autobots were victorious, and Wheeljack listened to a short speech by Optimus Prime. {{storylink|International Incident Part 4: "All My Sins Remembered"}}

==Commercial appearances==
Wheeljack was among the Autobots gathered around [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] when Prime decided it would be a good idea to not transform anymore. {{storylink|Commercial|Action Master commercial}}

==Toys and merchandise==
{{main|Wheeljack (G1)/toys}}

==Notes==
* Wheeljack has the distinction of being the first Transformer to appear in the original [[The Transformers (cartoon)|''Generation 1'' cartoon]], and thus the first one to appear in any animated story.

* According to the Japanese ''[[The Transformers (PS2)|Transformers: Call of the Future]]'' game, Wheeljack is significantly older than [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]], old enough to tell him to "respect your elders".

* In reference to storyboards for ''Transformers: The Movie'', originally it was supposed to be Smokescreen that lay dead next to Windcharger, NOT Wheeljack. So basiclly Wheeljack died due to an error.

==External links==
*[http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Wheeljack Wheeljack's Universe profile at NTFA.net]

[[Category:Action Masters]]
[[Category:Alternators]]
[[Category:Autobots]]
[[Category:Engineers]]
[[Category:Generation 1 characters]]
[[Category:Generation 2 characters]]
[[Category:Headmasters characters]]
[[Category:Mail order items]]
[[Category:Scientists]]
[[Category:United]]
[[Category:Universe characters]]
[[Category:Victory characters]]
[[Category:Spy Changers]]

All Hail Megatron issue 4

2010-11-23T19:18:26Z

166.82.103.142: /* Items of note */

{{Comicstory|
|seriesissue=''[[All Hail Megatron|The Transformers: All Hail Megatron]]'' #4
|prev=All Hail Megatron issue 3
|next=All Hail Megatron issue 5
|seriesissue2=
|prev2=
|next2=
|image=AHM 04 CoverA.jpg
|caption=For the last time, Ironhide, FRENZY IS BLUE! Didn't you read All Hail Megatron #2?!!
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[October 22]], [[2008]]
|coverdate=October 2008
|written by=[[Shane McCarthy]]
|art by=[[Guido Guidi]]
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]]
|letters by=[[Neil Uyetake]] & [[Chris Mowry]]
|edits by=[[Denton J. Tipton]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|All Hail Megatron]]
}}
'''As the Decepticons rampage across Earth, tensions rise among the Autobots on Cybertron.'''
==Synopsis==
[[Image:Ironhidepuncheseveryone.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"All Hail Megatron," aka "Ironhide punches everyone."]]
Megatron proclaims to his men that <s>some cities</s> the planet is theirs! The [[Decepticon|Decepticons]] are told of how they are gods among their race, that <s>American</s> all human resistance has fallen, and that the Decepticons have won on every front in the galaxy. The [[Autobot|Autobots]] are beaten!

On [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Prowl and Ironhide clash over the situation and whether or not Mirage is the one who betrayed them to the Decepticons. Ironhide punches Prowl out when it's suggested that, for all anyone knows, ''he'' could be the traitor, and Jazz has to step in to suggest Ironhide takes a walk. Once alone, Prowl and Jazz discuss how bad the situation is, how there's no [[Energon (fuel)|Energon]] on the planet and they're using all they have to save Optimus, and a mysterious secret no one can know.

Out in the storm-ridden, death-causing wasteland of Cybertron, Bumblebee and Wheeljack are going for a nice drive and finding that [[Earth]] car tires don't work well on Cybertron's metal terrain. They suddenly encounter an unknown, shadowy figure, and Wheeljack calls for help with a short pulse that will turn on a console light for 1/100th of a second. Bumblebee thinks nobody would be mad enough to be constantly staring at that light on the off-chance of there being a fight, but he reckoned without Cliffjumper!

[[Image:Ironhide punches Hot Rod.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Everyone gets theirs!]]
Ironhide storms off after arguing with Jazz over what the latter's hiding and Mirage's potential treachery, and Cliffjumper gets him to tag along to the potential fight.

Back on Earth, the small group of survivors are arguing, and Bridge has no idea of what to do, but Sarah slaps him and tells him to man up, which miraculously cures him of his angst and makes him take up leadership.

On Cybertron, the shadowy figure is revealed to be Hot Rod. He informs Ironhide and co. that he and another group of Autobots were shot down over Cybertron and they'd almost given up hope of rescue. But his S.O.S. message must've been picked up by Ironhide's group after all, and the group's come to rescue them! ...right?
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (18)
* [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (19)
* [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (20)
* [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] (21)
* [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (22)
* [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] (23)
* [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] (24)
* [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (25)
* [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] (26)
* [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (27)
* [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (28)
* [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] (29)
|c2=
* [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (1)
* [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] (2)
* [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] (3)
* [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] (4)
* [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (5)
* [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (6)
* [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]] (7)
* [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] (8)
* [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] (9)
* [[Hook (G1)|Hook]] (10)
* [[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]] (15)
* [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] (16)
* [[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]] (17)
|c3=
* [[Colonel Hawke]] (11)
* [[Sparkplug Witwicky|Daniel "Sparkplug" Witwicky]] (12)
* [[Bridge]] (13)
* [[Sarah]] (14)
}}

== Errors ==
* When the issue came out, it was noted that Autobots are happily walking and driving around Cybertron without personal field harmonics, or even mention of them, yet have not died from the cosmic radiation that saturates the planet like they should have. Issue 7 of this series stated that Cybertron had recovered and the storms were gone, but that the radiation on Cybertron makes it very painful to walk around. Unfortunately, the Autobots here make no mention and show no sign of being in pain at all, so the first error's been replaced with another...

* Hot Rod continues to hide in the shadows when he's near enough to see clearly it's Bumblebee and Wheeljack from whom he's hiding. He is then surprised to find out it is them when they talk to him.

* In the Autobot group shot on page 8, [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] and [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] have a funny perspective thing going on: Mirage's upper body is behind Trailbreaker's, but his feet are in front, and neither of them are turning or twisting any part of themselves to accommodate such positioning.

== Items of note ==
* Megatron's claiming that ''Earth'' has been conquered, rather than just the parts of the United States we've seen them conquering, even though his speech appears to take place just a few hours after last issue. It appeared that wide-scale conquering wasn't important enough to show on-panel if it didn't happen to New York, until issue 5 and 6 showed the rest of the world was still very much not conquered.

* Bombshell, Kickback, Hook, Skywarp, Blitzwing and Astrotrain are enjoying Megatron's speech. Thundercracker is unimpressed, and Shrapnel looks like he's just done something very embarrassing that he's hoping nobody else noticed.

* Everyone in Prowl's unit (except Prowl and Jazz) thinks Mirage has betrayed them for reasons we are not allowed to know.

* The Autobots are stuck in their Earth forms and are unable to change their alt modes. However inexplicably, a noteworthy few such as Prowl, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe are in different bodies from their prior Earth forms. These three closely resemble their recent toys in the ''[[Universe (2008 franchise)|Universe]]'' line, a change that artist [[Guido Guidi]] has revealed was suggested by [[Hasbro]].

* Though Ironhide is drawn in his ''[[Infiltration]]'' body, the behind-the-window greebles from his [[Universe (2008 franchise)|''Universe'']] toy are drawn behind his windshield.

* Hot Rod has been redesigned; he now resembles his [[Character model|original character model]]. This would later be explained by the end of the ''[[Maximum Dinobots]]'' miniseries.

* The setup of Bumblebee and Wheeljack out looking for energy on a decimated, energy-drained Cybertron is [[GEEWUN|drawn directly from]] the opening scenes of the first Transformers cartoon episode, "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]".

* Bumblebee acts kinda like a jerk to Wheeljack for no real reason. Even Wheeljack seems to notice this.

===Covers (3)===
* '''Cover A:''' Ironhide and Prowl argue while Jazz looks on; art by Guido Guidi and Josh Burcham.
* '''Cover B:''' Silhouette of Ironhide staring dejectedly on Cybertron; art by [[Trevor Hutchison]].
* '''Cover RI:''' Colored sketch art of [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] by Guido Guidi.

<gallery>
Image:AHM 04 CoverA.jpg|Jazz tells me you touched his tailpipe. Well you CAN'T do that. Not NOW. Not EVER!
Image:AHM 04 CoverB.jpg|He's sad because he can't touch his toes...
Image:AHM 04 RI.jpg|Devastator want [[kibble]] back!
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
* [[All Hail Megatron issue 5|''All Hail Megatron'' #5]]
* ''[[The Reign of Starscream]]'' TPB
* [[Spotlight: Blurr|''Spotlight'': Blurr]]
* ''Sir Apropos of Nothing'' in [[IDWords]] section
* ''Legion of the Supernatural'' comic
* ''Black Heart Billy'' comic
* ''Ghostbusters: The Other Side'' miniseries
* ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' series
* ''Underworld: Rise of the Lycans'' movie adaptation
* ''Love and Capes'' TPB
* ''Sir Apropos of Nothing'' (back cover)

{{DEFAULTSORT:All Hail Megatron 04}}
[[Category:IDW Generation 1 issues]]

Heavy Metal War

2010-11-23T19:06:43Z

166.82.103.142: /* Trivia */

{{episode
|series=G1toon
|ep=16
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=10
|prev2=Countdown to Extinction (episode)
|next2=Autobot Spike
|series3=''[[Generation 2 (cartoon)|The Transformers: Generation 2]]''
|ep3=5
|prev3=S.O.S. Dinobots
|next3=The Autobot Run
|image=HeavyMetalWar Primedefeated.jpg
|caption=The agony of defeat.
|title="Heavy Metal War"
|production code=#700-13
|airdate=[[December 15]], 1984
|written by=[[Donald F. Glut]]
|animation studio=[[Toei]]
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''Megatron challenges Optimus Prime to a one on one battle to end the war.'''

:''Japanese title:'' セイバートロン星の掟 (''Cybertron-sei no Okite'', "The Laws of Planet Cybertron")
:''German ''Generation 2'' title:'' "'''Der Zweikampf'''" ("The Duel")
:''Brazilian title:'' '''Guerra dos Metaleiros''' ("War of Metalheads")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:HeavyMetalWar Megatron invitation.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Silly Megs, tricks are for kids!]]
A busy construction site is attacked by driver-less construction equipment, and several components are stolen. The construction vehicles return to Decepticon headquarters and are revealed to be the newly built [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]]. The components they stole are parts to a machine that will allow [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] to absorb the [[power chip rectifier]]s from his [[Decepticon]] warriors.

While the final preparations are completed on the machine, Megatron flies to [[Autobot]] headquarters and makes [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] an offer he cannot refuse. Megatron offers the Autobot leader a one on one battle with the winner staying on [[Earth]] to do as he pleases, and the loser taking his army and exiling themselves to deep space. Confident in his own abilities, Prime accepts the challenge and sets the match.

[[Image:HeavyMetalWar Megatron powerup.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Fear me, for I have the power of... poo gas!!]]

Knowing that Prime would be unable to resist a chance to honorably end their conflict, Megatron returns to the Decepticon base and uses the newly completed machine to gain all of the special powers of his warriors. [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]]'s teleportation, [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]]'s sonic boom, [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]]'s seismic attack, etc. Knowing that Megatron would now be unbeatable, [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] voices concerns that the Autobot computer [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]] would be able to detect what Megatron had done. Anticipating this problem, Megatron dispatches the Constructicons to take care of the computer.

The two armies arrive at the battle site, and the contest begins. Megatron unleashes a barrage of powers (while Starscream gives a running commentary), and Prime is outclassed at every step. Not knowing that he has been deceived, Prime concedes the fight and comments that he underestimated Megatron. The shocked Autobots begin the trek back to base, and the Decepticons follow to make sure they leave.

[[Image:Heavy Metal War Devastator.JPG|left|200px|thumb|Not Brawl.]]

Meanwhile, the Constructicons have nearly tunneled their way into the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] and Teletraan I. Sensing the imminent danger, Teletraan I activates the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]. The Dinobots respond and start pounding on the Constructicons, opening up a lava channel in the process. The battle not going in their favor, the Constructicons pull out one last trick and combine into the super warrior, [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]. The returning Autobots see the battle, but are unable to help. Inside the Ark, Teletraan I is able to show that Megatron cheated, and the Autobots rush outside to help the Dinobots.

[[Image:Heavy Metal War Decepticons beat.JPG|right|200px|thumb|You'd think Starscream would be used to this, but no...]]

Distracted by one of [[Hound (G1)|Hound]]'s [[Halo|holograms]], Devastator is shot by Optimus Prime and falls apart. The Constructicons try to drive away, but the Dinobots blast them into the lava. The other Decepticons are routed by the Autobots and also pushed or knocked back by gunfire into the lava. There is much rejoicing.

...Until Megatron rises from the lava, vowing that the Decepticons will rise again.
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (12)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (13)
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (14)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (15)
*[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] (19)
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (20)
*[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (23)
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (24)
*[[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]] (25)
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] (26)
*[[Bluestreak]] (27)
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (28)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (29)
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] (30)
*[[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (31)
*[[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (32)
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (35)
*[[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] (36)
*[[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] (37)
*[[Slag (G1)|Slag]] (38)
*[[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] (39)
*[[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] (40)
*[[Halo]] hologram (42)
|c2=
*[[Hook (G1)|Hook]] (1)
*[[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]] (2)
*[[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]] (3)
*[[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]] (4)
*[[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]] (5)
*[[Mixmaster (G1)|Mixmaster]] (6)
*[[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (7)
*[[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (8)
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] (9)
*[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (10)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (11)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (21)
*[[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]] (22)
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (33)
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (34)
*[[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] (41)

|c3=
*Construction Workers (1)
*[[Sparkplug Witwicky]] (16)
*[[Chip Chase]] (17)
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (18)
}}

==Quotes==
"Forgive me, but I believe your boast sounds vaguely familiar."
:—'''Starscream''', after hearing another of Megatron's promises to destroy the Autobots.

"Let's see how he likes my new [[Shock blast cannon|shockblast cannon]]! ''[The cannon explodes in his hands]'' Uhh... hnh... that's a shock, all right."
:—'''Wheeljack'''

"But I need my power chip rectifier. Besides, the Cybertron Code of Combat requires each warrior to fight as he is, without additional reinforcement. You wouldn't want to cheat, would you, Megatron?" 
"I will win by any means! At any cost! Even if it means terminating ''you'', Starscream!" 
"I was only raising a legal point..."
:—'''Starscream''' and '''Megatron'''

"Doesn't this remind you of the gladiatorial combats in ancient Rome?" 
"Maybe it would if I knew what you were talkin' about." 
"It's Earth history, Ironhide! Skip it!"
:—'''Chip''' and '''Ironhide''' on the duel between Optimus and Megatron.

"No destroy Teletraan I. Dinobots destroy you!"
:—'''Grimlock''' after hearing the Constructicons' plans to destroy Teletraan I.

'''Sludge''': Sludge not see these Decepticons before. 
'''Snarl''': Not see again either. Because we dynamite them to pieces! 
'''Slag''': Dinobots no fool around! 
'''Grimlock''': Right! Dinobots transform!
:—'''Sludge, Snarl, Slag, and Grimlock''' carrying on a conversation while fighting the Constructicons.

"It's bad news, Scrapper. They've brought out the heavy artillery." 
"Then it's time we did the same! Only heavier!"
:—'''Hook''' and '''Scrapper''' as the Constructicons prepare to merge into Devastator for the first time

"Prepare to meet your doom. Nothing can withstand the might of Devastator!"
:—'''Devastator''' speaking to the Dinobots.

"Nothing defeats the Devastator! Nothing!" 
"Nothing, little one? Ha ha ha! What would you say about ''me''? HAHAHAHAHA!"
:—'''Devastator''' and a '''"Giant Autobot"'''

"It is ended." 
"Is it really over, Optimus? I mean, have we seen the end of this war? Forever?" 
"Who can say, Spike? In this vast universe, is anything truly forever?"
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Spike''', with a question that is quickly answered, at least for the audience

"Uhhh... we shall rise... AGAIN."
:—'''Megatron''' floating in lava

==Notes==
===Technical or animation glitches===
====Minor coloring errors====
* As Long Haul deploys his missiles, his Decepticon symbol is red, and missing its "cheeks".
* The top of Hook's head is green as Scrapper bows to Megatron... and again in the very next shot.
* Scavenger's face is colored all-green as he welds. If it was a stylistic decision to show the light from his welding, then it should flicker along with the welding lights.
* As Scrapper directs the others working on the infuser, his head is green instead of black, and Mixmaster's drum and torso are purple instead of green.
* The top of Wheeljack's chest is colored glass-blue instead of white after the shock cannon blows up.
* During the pan across the Decepticons before the strength transfer, Soundwave is missing the line in the middle of his mask, and his yellow stripes are mostly colored blue.
* Megatron's waist is red instead of silver after the transfer.
* When Megatron talks to Starscream after that, Starscream's air vent "boobs" are colored white instead of black.
* The front of Scrapper's head is red instead of black as Megatron orders him to move out.
* As Scrapper transforms, his whole helmet is green.
* As Optimus explains the code to Spike, Ironhide's forehead isn't fully drawn in.
* "Defeat, Megatron?" Megatron's fusion cannon is white instead of black during this line.
* At the end of the across the Decepticons seating themselves, Soundwave's optic visor is blue instead of red.
* Laserbeak's head is light gray as he ejects from Soundwave.
* Megatron's faction emblem is missing before he teleports.
* And it's missing again as he says the Autobots must exile themselves.
* Starscream's right arm is colored dark gray for a moment, while he talks to Skywarp about the rectifiers.
* Wheeljack's missing one of the lines on his "ears" as he and the others listen to Optimus say he was not prepared.
* Prime's tires are light gray as he transforms to truck mode, and his headlights aren't colored in.
[[Image:Heavymetalwar constructicons target teletraan.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Oh, and Scavenger's chest shouldn't be purple, either.]]
* Scrapper's helmet is green in two shots as he and the others run into Autobot Headquarters.
* Scavenger's back is purple as he and the others back away from the Dinobots.
* Snarl's helmet is the same medium gray as his body as he joins Sludge.
* As Devastator walks toward the Dinobots, Swoop's head is white, while Sludge and Slag are block-colored gray.
* Devastator's hand is green instead of purple as he throws Grimlock.
* The top of Starscream's chest is red instead of gray as Megatron rants about the hologram.

====Art and character model errors====
* When Megatron comes to <s> lure Optimus into a trap </s> talk and Wheeljack and Ironhide fire their missiles, they exchange lines.
* It seems the artists might have had only script directions to go by when drawing the Constructicons' vehicular attack modes, and not actual character models. Both Long Haul and Mixmaster deploy weapons that are of similar description to their toys' attack forms (cab-mounted cannon, twin missile launchers), but look nothing like them.
* "Besides, the Cybertron code of combat requires..." Starscream's hand phases behind the transfer machine's light during his monologue.
* There's a discontinuity between shots as Megatron is infused; in one shot he's moving and reacting in visible pain to the power transfer; in the next, he's just standing there like a statue.
* After Megatron talks of the Constructicons destroying Teletraan I, he's suddenly no longer attached to the machine.
* When Megatron laughs maniacally after being infused with the power of the other Decepticons, his head is disproportionately small, and his Decepticon insignia moves independently of his body.
* When Starscream lands behind Megatron before the latter's duel with Optimus Prime, the animators forgot to animate the dust Starscream's feet stir up, so we can see that his legs are not fully drawn, and instead of feet, they end in paint blotches.
* Chip is drawn speaking Spike's line "It's Earth history, Ironhide!"
* During the duel, what are the Autobots supposed to be sitting on? Air?
* After the boulder Prime threw at Meagtron splits in two, it completely disappears before the shot ends.
* Huffer is drawn with six wheels instead of four as he takes Prime's trailer.
* How long's it take for the animators to forget that Prime isn't towing his own trailer? All of one shot! Huffer is nowhere to be seen as the 'bots leave the battlefield.
* Mixmaster's cab-weapon changes color and form between scenes (it's a gray sphere when the Constructicons start tunneling; it's a green gun when they reach Autobot Headquarters.)
* Mixmaster's acid-laser changes from pink to orange between shots. The weapon that fires it has gone back to gray in the second shot.
* The animation doesn't really show a hole ''melting'' in the floor; a section of the floor just vanishes and is replaced with a melted hole.
* Grimlock has his original head design in this episode, rather than the later, toy-based one he normally is drawn with.
* The Dinobots' voices are ''heavily'' processed in his episode, far beyond the norm, giving them a crunchy, gravely sound.
* The inside of Sludge's robot-mode mouth is glowing orange ''again''. Clearly this is part of his character model, but why and how did such a bizarre choice come about in the first place?
* As Scrapper clutches his wounded shoulder, he has two small eyes instead of a visor. (It makes him look a lot like [[Rewind]].)
* Much like [[A Plague of Insecticons|Kickback's insect head]], the cartoon could never quite make up its mind whether Devastator was supposed to have two small eyes or one big visor. This episode shows him with eyes as he monologues, then the visor shows up just a shot or two later.
* When the Autobots cheer inside their headquarters, [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]]'s insignia is missing, Wheeljack's ears aren't flashing, and Jazz's mouth is blinking on and off.
* As the hologram fades out, Hound isn't shown in the nearby cave from which he's supposed to be projecting it.
* When [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] finds out the "Giant [[Autobot]]" is a hologram, his cannon [[kibble]] is gone for a brief second.
* In the final closeup of Megatron's face, several of the lava streams are flowing ''behind'' his eyes and back out. OUCH!

===Rhino DVD release===
More than most episodes, the [[Kid Rhino]] DVD version of this episode is full of animation errors that do not appear in the original broadcast version or prior home video releases (as a result of incomplete film masters being used for the DVD), as well as crude attempts made by Rhino to fix some of these errors.

Some are merely aesthetic complaints:
* In one shot, the camera pans sideways to follow the Constructicons, however they aren't moving, so they actually lag behind the screen. Then, as they round a corner, they are animated above the animation cel of the building they drive around, and you can see they are not fully drawn. Their vehicle modes end in unfinished lines and paint blotches until they come fully into view.
* As the Constructions make their big introductory transformations, the camera doesn't pan up with Bonecrusher, Long Haul, and Mixmaster, leaving them cut out of the shot from the thighs upward. Bonecrusher is also visibly floating above the ground.
* After Long Haul transforms, the equipment he's supposedly carrying simply pops into view. As the outlines tell us, it has been retroactively shopped into the image.
* The Rhino DVD portrays the power-chip smelter as a featureless rectangular smear, lacking all the light effects and animation that should be present.
* When Megatron says "Scrapper, you have your orders...", the Constructicons' eyes / eye visors no longer glow red in response.
* As he drives up to start digging, [[Mixmaster (G1)|Mixmaster]] is constantly jumping a bit back and forth while driving, as if the animation frames are not ordered properly.
* When the Autobots transform to leave base for the battlefield, Optimus Prime's left headlight blinks in and out a couple of times.
* Then, as they all drive out of the Ark, the screen freezes for a moment. The Autobots seem to have teleported after the animation finally continues.
* The sky behind Ironhide, when he is informing us of his ignorance of Earth's history, jumps noticeably at the beginning of the shot, and the shadowy outlines around him vibrate wildly.
* The audience isn't actually sitting on the edge of the pit, rather they are all somehow seated on the slopes.
* At two points during the duel with Optimus Prime (one of them recycled as him landing at Autobot Headquarters), Megatron is colored dark gray.
* When the miscolored Megatron blasts Prime away, the background isn't moving to simulate the camera pan, whereas Prime's animation is.
* The humans in one shot are drawn horribly off-model, with terrible looking teeth, may we add. Spike shows his pre-final print uppers again in a later shot.
* When Skywarp boasts that Megatron acquired the power of teleportation from him, he is colored like Starscream, who is seen sitting right next to him.
* During the Dinobots' fight scene with the Constructicons, some of the laser-firing animation is missing, leaving the characters with huge "holes" and gaps on their bodies where said laser shots should have been animated. This also renders the shot of Sludge firing his eye-beams completely pointless.
* And as Swoop fires his missiles, the background art isn't moving, making it look like he is floating.
* Also in one shot, the rock covering the Constructicons is missing from the foreground, and again, we see incomplete drawings instead of fully-drawn robots.
** However a later shot has a cave mouth drawn over the screen's outer rim, which shouldn't be there, as the scene takes place outside.

However, some of the screwups actually confuse the plot:
* When Rhino DVD Optimus Prime hurls a boulder at Megatron, Megatron still lights up to use Skywarp's teleportation ability to get out of the way... but after the teleporation glow effect fades, Megatron is ''still standing there''. The boulder ''flies straight through him'' with nobody seeming to care, including Megatron himself.
* When Megatron is talking to Starscream while the Constructicons are building the infuser machine, Starscream is colored like Skywarp.
** Speaking about the Constructicons being hard at work, this sequence is completely missing. We are instead treated to a shot of Megatron and Starscream standing silently for seconds.
* When [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] runs up and uses his [[glass gas]], he is coloured like [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]].
[[Image:HeavyMetalWar Mixmaster spray.JPG|thumb|right|200px|That sure isn't a cave you're in there, Mixmaster.]]
* The animation sequence of Megatron landing at the Autobot base ''is missing entirely'', and is replaced by looped animation from later in the episode of Megatron landing after a jump, along with a recycled snippet of Cliffjumper looking elated after encasing Megatron in ice from just a few seconds earlier.
* As the Autobots help Prime make his decision, the camera pans are missing, and the scene is instead shown as multiple, separate shots. Secondly, Wheeljack's light effects are mis-aligned. Finally, the added lens-effects in Prime's optics makes him look like he's about to cry.
* When the Constructicons move out to dig the passage to the Autobot headquarters, they're all shown outdoors instead of inside the base.
* A tranformation sequence for Trailbreaker, recycled from "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]", still retains its exterior background even though it's supposed to happen inside Autobot Headquarters.
* When the Autobots arrive at the pit in vehicle mode, Ironhide is seen transforming from robot mode to vehicle mode. Then, he is back in his robot form.
* Instead of using the finished shot, we see recycled animation of a standing Prime being hit when Megatron delivers his final blow. He should be lying on the ground.
* The animation of the lava is absent in a couple of shots.

But, uhhh, hey, that silver DVD case sure is shiny and pretty!

===Shout! Factory DVD release===
* Like "[[Countdown to Extinction (episode)|Countdown to Extinction]]" before it, the sound effects of this episode are cranked down to near-inaudibility, compared to the music and vocal tracks.
* This episode is also one of several affected by Shout!'s inability to obtain complete master reels to restore the incomplete animation used in the Kid Rhino releases, resulting in 1-inch tape versions being used instead. Picture quality is thus all over the map. The scenes of Megatron approaching Autobot Headquarters are noticably underlit. Several scenes are in visibly softer focus compared to shots before and after, such as the pan of Autobots as Cliffjumper says "I don't trust 'im!"

===Continuity errors===
* This episode gives the first of [[Constructicon (G1)|three contradictory origins]] for the Constructicons.

* The building site that the Constructicons raid is a power plant. One of the construction workers states that it will be able to provide the whole planet with limitless energy, begging the question of why the Decepticons didn't raid such a powerful energy source for energon.

* So this head worker guy sees driverless, talking construction vehicles, that turn into giant malevolent thieving robots with the Decepticon symbol on 'em... but somehow he only figures out that they're Decepticons when Scrapper says they work for Megatron. Is Megatron's name more famous than all the defining aspects of his faction?

* Ironhide is apparently able to detect the Decepticons by himself, without relying on Teletraan I. However, in "[[The Ultimate Doom, Part 1]]", the Autobots were unable to detect the approaching Decepticons with Teletraan I sabotaged.

* Optimus Prime takes out Devastator with a single shot from his laser rifle, something rather at odds with the later portrayal of combiners as nigh-invulnerable. Maybe they were upgraded?

* It's a bit strange that Starscream of all mechs should be concerned with legalities and suggest that Megatron try to fight honorably... but there ''is'' a touch of sarcasm when he says "You wouldn't want to ''cheat'', would you, Megatron?"

* The Autobots return to headquarters as the Dinobots have begun their battle with Devastator. They have time enough to repair Optimus Prime and detect the Decepticon deception, and meanwhile, the Dinobots are ''still'' fighting Devastator.

* Speaking of which, didn't anybody notice the big flaming hole in the floor of Autobot Headquarters?

* So the Decepticons couldn't '''FLY''' out of the lava when they fell in? Doesn't anybody notice Megatron down there floating in the lava?

===Continuity notes===
* This episode introduces the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] and [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]].
[[Image:Heavymeatlwar megatron powers.jpg|thumb|right|200px|This fist of mine glows with an awesome power chip rectifier!]]
[[Image:HeavyMetalWar Scavenger.jpg|thumb|right|200px|This shovel of mine glows with an awesome sensor reading!]]
[[Image:Heavymetalwar constructicons target teletraan.jpg|thumb|right|200px|This computer of mine glows with an awesome lollipop!]]
* Gadgets and powers:
** The Constructicons show off a variety of armaments and abilities, such as Mixmaster melting a whole cement mixer into goop and later firing a stream of rock-melting liquid, Long Haul having dump truck-mode missile launchers (perhaps a nod to his toy's "attack mode"), and Scavenger's shovel-based sensors.
** Long Haul has the rather ''amazing'' ability to fill up his cargo bed with a payload, transform to robot mode, then convert back to dump truck mode... and still have the cargo be there!
** Ironhide detects Megatron's approach using a sensor that displays on his chest, not unlike abilities he displayed in "[[S.O.S. Dinobots]]" and "[[The Ultimate Doom, Part 1]]".
** Cliffjumper's [[glass gas]], if that's what it's supposed to be, acts a lot more like Ironhide's liquid nitrogen. He shoots a huge stream of it from his retracted wrists, and it encases Megatron in ice.
** Speaking of which, being encased in ice does not affect Megatron's ability to fly.
** Ironhide doesn't even bother retracting his fists; he just shoots lasers right out of them. It's an unusual conceit for ''Transformers'', though [[Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2|not]] [[Dinobot Island, Part 2|unheard of]].
** As explained in this episode, [[power chip rectifier]]s are what give Transformers their unique special abilities.
** The episode gives us a showcase of the Decepticons' most notable abilities, as Megatron uses Starscream's cluster bombs and null rays, Reflector's light-generating abilities, Rumble's earthquakes, Skywarp's teleportation, and Thundercracker's sonic abilities.
*** Incidentally, this is the first time said sonic abilities have been used explicitly. And it's not even by the guy they belong to.
** Optimus shows the strange ability to fire lasers out of his palm. He's blocking Megatron's shot with the other arm at the same time, almost like he's [[Optimus_Primal#Beast_Machines_cartoon|absorbing the energy and shooting it back]].
** Teletraan-1 can make up its own mind to wake up the Dinobots when a threat is detected.
** Snarl's sword can fire energy blasts from its tip.
*** This is also the first appearance of ''any'' of the Dinobots' swords in the cartoon, something that doesn't happen often. Instead of being red, as per the toy and comics, it uses the gray coloring it has in Snarl's package art.
** Hound projects one of his holograms out of both fists.
** Hey, turns out the Constructicons can turn themselves all into one big robot! Wonder if the toys can do that??
* When the Constructicons are tunneling, Scrapper refers to [[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]] as "[[Scrounge (G1)|Scrounge]]". In their [[More Than Meets The Eye (G1)|''More Than Meets The Eye'']] bio, Dreamwave would paint this as a deliberate derogatory term other Decepticons sometimes refer to him as.
* Soundwave totally pets Ravage on the head like a kittycat. Adorable!
* This episode is also the "source" of the aborted "Lava Bath Safety" deco for the original Megatron toy.

* The ''Law of Cybertron'' will be invoked again many years later, to resolve the Generation 2 War. {{storylink|G-2 (story page)|The Autobots Triumph in the Battle of Good Vs. Evil!}}

===Real-world references===
* ''[[Star Wars]]'' sound effects:
** ''Millenium Falcon'' engine burst/whine as the Constructions take off from the construction site.
** Same effect as Megatron leaves Autobot Headquarters.
* Chip provides the episode's requisite dose of "Oh, it's ''educational''" by likening the leaders' combat to the gladiatorial matches of ancient Rome.
* Mixmaster gets in on the act by naming a couple of acids by formula: H2SO4 (sulfuric acid) and HCl (hydrochloric acid).
* Oh, and the construction site will make energy from the earth's magnetic field. "Magnetic field" sounds like science, right??

===Trivia===
[[Image:SnarlG1.jpg|thumb|right|200px|And we don't just mean the "horrible rape-related imagery" aspect, either.]]
* The art style of this episode has a distinctively Japanese flavor to it, similar to that of "[[Roll for It]]".
* The animation pretty much gets Devastator's transformation spot-on. Enjoy it while you can; it [[The Core|won't]] [[The Autobot Run|last]].
* Scenes and dialogue deleted from this episode include Wheeljack showing off the latest improvements he has made to the Dinobots outside Autobot Headquarters (during which Megatron arrives), Scavenger referring to Scrapper with the misnomer of "[[Gravedigger]]", and Megatron using Soundwave's mind-reading powers on Optimus Prime during their fight.
**An extended portion of dialogue is also cut from Megatron's address to Optimus Prime, resulting in the rather clumsy line in the finished episode, "Our war has gone on for millions of years -- Decepticons fighting Autobots -- in which opposing leaders -- you and I, Optimus Prime -- may do battle." In the episode's dialogue script, following "Decepticons fighting Autobots," Megatron finishes his first sentence by lamenting the endless nature of the war. Prime shares in his regret, but deems it necessary as long as Megatron continues his pursuit of conquest. Megatron then speaks again, raising the topic of the "age-old law of combat," then picking up the finished line from "in which opposing leaders..."
[[Image:RumbleisRed.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The "red robot" is clearly blue.]]
* During Teletraan I's montage of the sources of Megatron's acquired powers, the descriptions for the individual Decepticons are verbatim quotes from the [http://transformers.winterchill.com/bible/biblepage34.html Transformers Series Bible's "Decepticon Rollcall" page], albeit including several lost-in-translation typographical errors ("Decepticon Lider", "Decepticon Commicator", "Sky Warp"). The most notable of those is [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (misspelled as "Runble") being identified as a [[FIRRIB|"red robot"]]. Furthermore, the seemingly random numbers listed on those screens are actually Hasbro's product codes for the respective toys. Interestingly enough, [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]] is given a product number, even though he was never released at mass retail. However, the renditions of the Decepticons are ''not'' the official [[character model]] poses for those characters, but rather all-new drawings.
* The head construction worker's cry as Scavenger drops him is recycled from "[[The Ultimate Doom, Part 2]]" (from when Laserbeak kidnaps two security guards.)
* The episode's ending sure seems intended as a potential conclusion to the series, just in case it wasn't renewed for a second season. Turns out that ''Transformers'' was a bit of a hit, so that whole falling-into-lava thing was ignored.
*The hologram image Hound projected went anonymous for 26 years until it received an identity at [[BotCon 2010]] as the [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard member]] [[Halo]].
*In possibly one of the funnist moments in the whole show Wheeljack runs in to help fight using his [[Shock blast cannon]] only for it to explode almost immeditly.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 1986 — ''The Transformers'' — Volume 10: "Heavy Metal War" ([[Family Home Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 1987 — ''Transformers'' — Heavy Metal Wars / The Girl Who Loved Powerglide ([[Tempo Video]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 1989 — ''Transformers'' — A Ghost in the Machine / Heavy Metal Wars (Tempo Video) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 1990 — ''Transformers'' — Heavy Metal Wars / The Girl Who Loved Powerglide ([[Tempo Video|Abbey Home Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2000 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Volume 6: Evolution Revolution ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]])
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1994 — ''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' — Convoy Set ([[TakaraTomy|Takara]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''The Transformers'' — Autobot Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2001 — ''The Transformers'' — DVD Box 1 (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2002 — ''Transformers: Generation 2'' ([[Maverick Entertainment|Sony Wonder]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2002 — ''Transformers'' — Original Series: Volume Three (Sony Wonder) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2002 — ''Transformers'' — Complete Original Series: Deluxe Edition (Sony Wonder) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — First Season Collector's Edition ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Volume Three (Rhino Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2003 — ''Transformers'' — Collection 1: Series 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Metrodome]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — The Best of ''The Transformers'' (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2006 — ''Transformers'' — The Complete Generation One Collection (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers'' — The Classic Episodes (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Classic Transformers'' — Series One: Part Two (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2007 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of Italy.png|20px|Italy]] 2008 — ''Transformers'' — Volume 02: Stagione Uno Parte Seconda ([[Medianetwork Communication]]) — English and Italian audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Season One (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete First Season: 25th Anniversary Edition ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection (Shout! Factory)

==External links==
* [http://cybertronchronicle.freewebspace.com/cartoon-dossier/synopses/heavy_metal_war.html Dossier at the Cybertron Chronicle]

[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]
[[Category:Generation 2 episodes]]
[[Category:MSTF]]

The PriÂ¢e of Life!

2010-11-23T18:58:43Z

166.82.103.142: /* Errors */

{{comicstory|seriesissue=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|''The Transformers'' (US)]] #70
|prev=Eye of the Storm
|next=Surrender!
|title="The Pri¢e of Life!"
|seriesissue2=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|''The Transformers'' (UK)]] #309–310
|prev2=Eye of the Storm
|next2=Surrender!
|image=MarvelUS-70.jpg
|caption=What if we don't feel like it?
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]
|date=July 1990
|coverdate=September 1990
|writer=[[Simon Furman]]
|penciler=[[Andrew Wildman]]
|inker=[[Stephen Baskerville]]
|colorist=[[Nelson Yomtov|Nel Yomtov]]
|letterer=[[Rick Parker]]
|editor=[[Rob Tokar]]
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]]
}}

'''The coming of... Ratchetron! Uh, Mega-Chet? Uh...'''

==Synopsis==
Shock. With the hideous fusion of Megatron and Ratchet having been retrieved from [[unspace]] and deposited before them, the only word which can describe the feelings of the assembled [[Autobot]]s is shock. The unreality of the moment ends when Kup enters the room and, seeing the Megatron side of the creature, takes aim with his laser. His distraction gives Megatron an opening to belt Prime in the face, and Kup then fires on the Decepticon. Before any more damage can be done, though, Nightbeat disarms his fellow Autobot and forces him to take a second look—at Ratchet. As Nightbeat explains the situation, Kup has to question whether Ratchet would even WANT to go on living in his current condition. Before the discussion can heat up from there, "Megatron" rams through the Autobots, leaving them stunned.

As Kup gets up to pursue the creature, Prime picks up Nightbeat's side of the conversation and the two begin to debate the survival of Ratchet versus the danger of Megatron. As [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] security officer, Kup insists the creature is too much of a threat to everyone on-board the longer it remains functional, and yet Optimus cannot choose to throw away his friend's life so wantonly after just getting him back, whatever his condition.

Meanwhile, on [[Hydrus Four]], Grimlock begins his search for the well of [[Nucleon]]. With a [[Hydrusian guide|local mechanoid]] as his guide and comic-relief sidekick, Grimlock is forced to endure another round of blatant exposition until, mercifully, the "dumb guide" is chased off by one of the [[Nucleon guardian|Hydrusian mechanoids]] who has been driven mad by the Nucleon. The creature is rotting away, yet somehow still capable of animation, and gives Grimlock a meager fight before it is too damaged to continue struggling.

Back on the Ark, things have gotten worse. The fusion creature has damaged Sureshot and sealed itself in the engine room, creating serious wreckage out of critical systems just as the Ark is beginning to make planetfall to meet the [[Decepticon]]s for the surrender. Kup lays this all on Prime's head and goes so far as to threaten to invoke the [[Crisis Act]] and relieve him of command; after this incident and Optimus's decision to surrender the Autobots to Scorponok, Kup is sure many of the crew would back him in that action. Turning to look the other Autobots in the eyes, Prime realizes his security officer isn't half wrong. Without another word, he takes the gun offered to him by Kup and bashes his way into the engine room.

The fight is short-lived; despite all its power, the Megatron fusion is in constant agony and totally off-balance. Optimus Prime quickly overwhelms the entity, but as he is staring down the barrel of the gun into its optics, Prime just can't go through with the deed. He's then shocked when the creature (clearly under Ratchet's control at this point) pulls the gun back into line with itself and begs Prime to end its life.

On Hydrus Four, Grimlock is forced to deal with the second guardian of the well the same way he did the first: brutally. Reaching [[Farooth|the island]] where the well of Nucleon sits, he finds the last of the three guardians, who is far more coherent and far less violent than his friends. He tells Grimlock that Nucleon is not the prize he thinks; it revitalizes mechanoids, sure, and truly doesn't affect any two the same way, but it also causes wasting depletion and utter madness. In order to satisfy his doubts, Grimlock exposes himself to the Nucleon first before his fallen Dinobots. He emerges from the well feeling magnificent and prepares to load his comrades into the energy post-haste. The little dying robot can only say, "Time will tell..."

In the Ark's medi-bay, Optimus Prime receives a prognosis on the patient(s) from Fixit. The good news is, the doctor can save Ratchet's life. The bad news is, he cannot do so without also saving Megatron; the two robots have become so tightly entwined with one another that it would be impossible to do otherwise. Under the hard stares of his fellow Autobots, Optimus tells Fixit to preserve the life of both patients...

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] (2)
* [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] (3)
* [[Waverider]] (4)
* [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] (5)
* [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] (6)
* [[Sureshot (G1)|Sureshot]] (9)
* [[Fixit (G1)|Fixit]] (12)
|c4=
* [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]/[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (1)
* [[Hydrusian guide]] (7)
* First [[Nucleon guardian]] (8)
* Second Nucleon guardian (10)
* Third Nucleon guardian (11)
}}

==Errors==
* So why didn't anyone use the Crisis Act on ''Grimlock'' back when he was being a rubbish leader? Then again would Grimlock really have given a crap?

==Items of note==
* "Defend the well!" Note the double meaning in that phrase.
* A ''[[Transformers Universe (Marvel comic)|Transformers Universe]]'' profile for [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Powermaster Prime]] is found after the main story.
* Kup states there are around thirty active Autobots on the Ark, along with ''sixty'' deactive and in stasis. Since less than sixty have been confirmed as killed on-panel in events like "[[Dark Star (issue)|Dark Star]]", then either characters who've vanished (like the [[Monsterbot]]s) should be assumed dead or the Earth-based Autobots had more troops around than those represented by toys. Or Simon lost count.

==References==
* Nightbeat outlines his theory from last issue again, explaining the events from the end of US issue [[Skin Deep|#59]].
* Prime's announcement that he plans to surrender to the Decepticons also happened last issue.
* The UK #309 cover tagline is derived from "21st Century Schizoid Man", the opening song of King Crimson's 1969 prog rock opus ''[[wikipedia:In_the_Court_of_the_Crimson_King|In the Court of the Crimson King]]''.

===Covers===
<gallery>
Image:MarvelUS-70.jpg|'''US issue #70''' - Ouch.
Image:MarvelUK-309.jpg|'''UK issue #309''' - AND he won't stop dribbling!
Image:MarvelUK-310.jpg|'''UK issue #310''' - Tough love from Grimlock.
</gallery>
* '''US issue #70 cover:''' Ratchet/Megatron fusion by [[Andrew Wildman|Andrew Wildman]].
* '''UK issue #309 cover:''' Ratchet/Megatron fusion by [[Frances Farmer|Frances Farmer]].
* '''UK issue #310 cover:''' Grimlock tests out the nucleon by [[Staz|Stewart Johnson]] and [[Robin Bouttell]].

===Advertisements===
* None yet identified.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Price of Life!}}
[[Category:Marvel US issues]]
[[Category:Marvel UK issues]]