Broadside (G1)

2009-08-26T08:07:16Z

200.121.15.106:

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

[[Image:DW G1Broadside.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Every mode is a loser.]]
'''Broadside''' is a huge loser. He's the forgotten Autobot [[Triple Changer]] who turns into either a tiny aircraft carrier and a jet, or an impossibly large "jet" and an aircraft carrier. Broadside also happens to be terrified of heights. And gets seasick on the water.

Fortunately, as one of the [[Wrecker|Wreckers]], Broadside is almost constantly shooting the [[Slag (slang)|slag]] out of [[Decepticon|Decepticons]], which is probably a good outlet for any frustration.

:''Italian name'': '''Mistral'''
:''French-Canadian name'': '''Navalo'''

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Generation 1====
{{noteukonly}}
[[Image:Triplechangerstarget2006.jpg|left|250px|thumb|No colors yet. That comes later.]]
''Broadside and his fellow [[Triple Changer|Triple Changers]] were late recruits into [[Operation: Volcano]] by [[Emirate Xaaron]], taking the place of [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] in the battle scenario. Their introduction into the [[Wrecker|Wreckers]] was marred with tragedy, however, as their leader [[Impactor]] was killed when Volcano finally went down. Broadside's fellow Triple Changer [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] succeeded Impactor as squad leader. {{storylink|Target: 2006}}''

''Broadside served on several missions with the Wreckers, battling zombie robots in [[Kalis]] and engaging the future Decepticon [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] on Earth. {{storylink|City of Fear!}} {{storylink|Wrecking Havoc}} That last mission nearly proved to be a disaster, however, when the Wreckers blindly portal-jumped into a battle with Galvatron, only to find themselves in the middle of a populated human city, surrounded by potential civilian casualties. In order to guard against future problems such as that, Xaaron assigned Broadside, [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] and [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]] to Earth full time as an advance guard, gathering information on the planet so that they would be better prepared for the next battle with Galvatron. {{storylink|Firebug!}} The three Autobots engaged in some rather comical situations while on Earth, including fighting a cute-but-dangerous [[Firebug]], and nearly causing a panic when they tried to celebrate Christmas with a bunch of humans. {{storylink|Cold Comfort and Joy!}}''

[[Image:Broadsidetotaled.jpg|right|250px|thumb|In the UK, I was replaced by some other dude!]]
Broadside was somehow present to watch [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] and [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] duke it out on the Moon. {{storylink|Totaled!}}

''The trio's mission became serious once the timestorm raging at both ends of Galvatron's time-jump began to tear apart the fabric of the universe. Xaaron had isolated Galvatron—and his time-tossed minions [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] and [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]]—as the source of the distortion, and sent the full contingent of Wreckers to Earth, complete with unexpected back-up from their Decepticon counterparts, the [[Mayhem Attack Squad]]. Broadside balked at the idea, but honestly... they needed all the help they could get. Even that wasn't enough, however, against the combined might of Galvatron and [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]. The twin titans tore through the Wreckers and Mayhems without mercy: at the end of the so-called "Time Wars", less than half of the warriors were left alive. {{storylink|Time Wars}}''

[[Image:Broadsidesurvivors.jpg|left|250px|thumb|That's a sidekick, not a broadside!]]
''Cut off from any supplies or assistance from Cybertron, Broadside, Springer and Inferno felt left behind and abandoned to their fate on Earth. In order to survive, they formed a new group aptly known as the "[[Survivor|Survivors]]" with the limbo-lost Autobot [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] and the remaining Mayhems, [[Carnivac (G1)|Carnivac]] and [[Catilla]]. {{storylink|Survivors}} Unfortunately, the Mayhems' former superiors on Cybertron didn't take kindly to this apparent mutiny, and assembled a new Mayhem Attack Squad to assassinate the traitors. Their first strike led to Catilla's death, and Carnivac ran off on his own afterwards to seek vengeance. {{storylink|A Savage Place!}} ''

{{note|Broadside's appearance on the Moon in US #41 is his only appearance in the American Generation 1 comics. In the UK, he was edited into a [[generic]] because in their continuity, he was elsewhere with the [[Wrecker|Wreckers]].}}

=====Marvel UK future timelines=====
''In 2510, Broadside was fighting alongside Springer and the Wreckers when they fired the very last shots of the war between the Autobots and the Decepticons. Of course, a war between the Autobots and the Autobots started up almost immediately thereafter, so it was a pretty quick shore leave. {{storylink|Peace}}''

=====Earthforce=====
{{earthforcefiction}}
''In order to take on the Mayhems effectively, Broadside and the other Survivors joined up with Grimlock's [[Earthforce]], and came to Carnivac's rescue just in the nick of time. {{storylink|Where Wolf?}} Later on, the Earth-based Decepticons under [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] and [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] attempted to divide the Autobots' attention, staging a full-scale assault on Earthbase while Starscream secured a tanker full of fuel in the meantime. While the main Earthforce defended their base, however, the Survivors fought back Starscream's energy-stealing attempt. Broadside used his rarely seen carrier-mode to transport his fellow Survivors into battle on the high seas against Starscream, and the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]] was driven off without much effort. {{storylink|Divide and Conquer!}}''

====Generation 2====
[[Image:Broadsideg2.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Wonder if his aircraft carrier mode has more guns strapped to it, too.]]
{{quote|Oh, ''yes.'' The building {{m-}} and occupants {{m-}} are ''toast!'' ''Maximum points!''|Broadside, armed to the teeth and entirely too happy about it|"[[War Without End!]]"}}

Broadside served with [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]], [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] and [[Blades (G1)|Blades]] as part of a team of [[Firestormers]] under Grimlock's command. They attacked their enemy with so much zeal, that ''Grimlock'' had to remind them what side they're on. Broadside and his Firestormers' team were the first to uncover the existence of [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] and his [[Cybertronian (faction)|Cybertronian Empire]] and alert [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] to its threat. However, Jhiaxus' command ship, the ''[[Twilight (G2)|Twilight]]'' blasted them from orbit and kept Broadside and the others prisoner until Optimus Prime and Grimlock managed to set them free and escape. {{storylink|War Without End!}} Broadside continued serving as a soldier throughout the Autobots' conflict with the Cybertronians. He was last seen fighting alongside Springer and several other veteran Autobots on the planet [[Ethos]]. {{storylink|Escalation!}}
{{-}}

===American cartoon continuity===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Bill Martin]] (English), [[Masashi Ebara]] (Japanese)

[[Image:Broadsidegrimlocksnewbrain.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Seriously, I'm huge.]]
When [[Teletraan II]] casually brought up in conversation that [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]], the Decepticons' largest weapon of mass destruction, had not been destroyed as everyone thought, [[Rodimus Prime (G1)|Rodimus Prime]] sent Broadside and [[Seaspray (G1)|Seaspray]] out to investigate the site where Trypticon fell into the sea. Sure enough, they found no body, but instead a trail of massive footprints leading back towards land. Once the Autobots tracked Trypticon down to the [[Socialist Democratic Federated Republic of Carbombya]], Broadside transported the Autobot strike force in by the coast. {{storylink|Thief in the Night}}

[[Image:Broadsidecrushesdevastator.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Best use of size changing ever.]]During a strike against a new [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicon]] weapon asteroid, the Autobots and Decepticons alike were interrupted by a powerful harmonic discharge. Ultra Magnus, Blaster and Broadside broke away from the main battle to prevent Galvatron and Soundwave from taking control of the harmony for their own evil ends. Although Soundwave did manage to temporarily copy the harmony onto his tapes, Blaster erased the recording and the Autobots were able to drive off the Decepticons. {{storylink|Carnage in C-Minor}} Broadside was among the Autobots attending the unveiling of a generator on Cybertron when the Decepticon [[anti-electron]] attack was unleashed. {{storylink|Grimlock's New Brain}}

At a time when the Decepticons were carrying out a series of assaults on the nation of [[Japan]], Broadside confronted [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] in the waters near a fishing village. Broadside nearly capsized a small boat due to the waves generated by their fight, but he managed to stabilize the craft before returning to battle. {{storylink|The Burden Hardest to Bear}}

===Japanese cartoon continuity===
====''The Headmasters'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Ken Yamaguchi]] (Japanese)

Alongside Springer and Sandstorm, Broadside was sent from [[Athenia]] to Cybertron in order to defend against a major Decepticon assault. {{storylink|Four Warriors Come out of the Sky}} The Triple Changers then travelled to Earth, where they helped [[Blaster (G1)|Twincast]] sneak into [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] by keeping their Decepticon counterparts busy with a dogfight. {{storylink|The Great Cassette Operation}}

Broadside later returned to Athenia, where he used his [[Size changing|giant jet form]] to transport Rodimus Prime and the Autobot [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] back to Earth. {{storylink|Terror! The Six Shadows}} He helped out in this manner again when a volcano erupted in [[South America]], carrying the Headmasters, [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]], [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel]] and [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] to the village of [[Pan]] to help evacuate the locals. However, Broadside was unable to help the villagers directly, as the raging volcano stopped him from landing safely. {{storylink|The Dormant Volcano Mysteriously Erupts}}

{{note|Broadside had a troubled history in the cartoon continuity. His jet model was used as a generic ship before his first appearance, by the Autobots in "[[Five Faces of Darkness]]" and the Decepticons in "[[The Killing Jar]]". He appeared in both his prototype and toy design robot modes in the series, as seen in "[[Carnage in C-Minor]]" and "[[Grimlock's New Brain]]", respectively. Furthermore, Broadside was consistently depicted as either larger or MUCH larger than the average Transformer in the American episodes, yet for his Japanese [[The Headmasters (cartoon)|Headmasters]] appearances he was basically the same size as his fellow Triple Changers. Except for when he explicitly grows several times larger in order to carry people in his jet mode.}}

===Dreamwave comics continuity===
[[Image:Broadsidewarwithin.jpg|right|250px|thumb|They shrink me later.]]
During the first arc of [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]'s tenure as [[Prime (rank)|leader]] of the [[Autobot|Autobots]], Broadside was an enormous warrior, as tall as the special combiner teams, and supposedly nearly as powerful. He helped defend the Autobot capital of [[Iacon]], alongside [[Vibes]]. {{storylink|The War Within}}

A few thousand years after that, Broadside, now the size of a standard Transformer, was a member of the [[Wrecker|Wreckers]] fighting for control of the Tagan Heights region. Most notably, he organized the evacuation of his team when [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] and [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]] were decimating the area. Possibly, Broadside had himself reduced after the signing of the [[Crisis Intervention Accords]] to keep his combat status nominal. {{storylink|War Within: The Dark Ages|The War Within: The Dark Ages}}

In the modern era, Broadside was one of the Autobots upgraded into a Triple Changer by [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]'s new process, after the Autobots and Decepticons negotiated a truce following the [[Great Shutdown]]. Along with his fellow former Wrecker Sandstorm, Broadside served as part of Shockwave's Triple Changer Strike Force alongside the Decepticons [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], [[Octane]] and [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]]. {{storylink|New World Order}} But, while Shockwave was making many promises of a new world order where Autobots and Decepticons could live forever in peace, Broadside eventually concluded he could not be trusted. As a result, Broadside and Sandstorm made contact with [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] and [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] in the Autobot resistance, and began reporting on Shockwave's activities. {{storylink|Cold War}}

[[Image:Broadsidewarandpeace.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Toldja.]]
The Triple Changer Strike Force accompanied Shockwave to Earth, where they took into custody the castaway Transformers from the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] and the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'' who had been cut off from developments on Cybertron for the last four million years. As soon as they got the chance, Broadside and Sandstorm freed the Ark's crew from imprisonment, and took them to meet Smokescreen's unit to plan an uprising against the Decepticon rule. {{storylink|Cold War}} The insurrection went off successfully, and the Autobots reclaimed control of Cybertron from Shockwave. {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}}

{{note|Broadside was consistently based on his toy design in Dreamwave continuity. Also, according to his DW "More Than Meets The Eye" bio, Broadside was magically cured of his fear of heights and seasickness when Shockwave turned him into a Triple Changer, but he still likes to complain about both anyway. (So basically, in the DW-verse, he's a whiner instead of a loser.)}}
===IDW comics continuity===
[[Image:SpotlightBlaster GetawayKupHufferBroadside.jpg|left|300px|thumb|Seriously, doesn't he have anything better to do than sit around and be mis-colored?]]
Broadside was there. He saw it happen. The conquest of [[Kaon]]. The fall of a Prime. The beginning of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]]. Broadside was there, and amazingly well armed for such a "peaceful" period, though perhaps he took a clue from [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]. Either way, the huge old bot was one of the survivors who managed to evacuate before Megatron's takeover. {{storylink|Megatron Origin}}

Around four hundred years ago, Broadside was attempting to defend Autobot territory on Cybertron from Decepticon expansion. He was part of a unit alongside [[Kup (G1)|Kup]], [[Getaway]] and [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] shortly after the Battle of [[Thunderhead Pass]], stuck in the trenches on what was left of Cybertron after [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]] stomped through it. {{storylink|Spotlight: Blaster}}

[[Image:Stormbringer2 Wrecker fliers.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Oh, he flies through the air, with a touch of unease...]]
In the present, Broadside was a member of the elite combat unit "The Wreckers". He was assaulting the Decepticon [[Seige Armature]] on [[Varas Centralus]] alongside [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] and [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]] when Springer received orders from Optimus Prime to pull out and return to Cybertron. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 2}} After Optimus and the Wreckers quickly crushed [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon's]] cult, Broadside reported that [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]] was coming back. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 3}} When Thunderwing touched down on Cybertron, Broadside, [[Scoop (G1)|Scoop]] and [[Roadbuster]] operated as advance recon, watching as the monstrous Pretender slowly erupted into a rage as memories of his past flooded what was left of his mind. Broadside had to pick up Scoop and run for it as Thunderwing unleashed a massive wave of energy. After [[Twin Twist]] managed to get himself into trouble, Broadside's team were tasked with getting his attention, but were blown away with a mighty clap of his hands. After recovering from having a pocket of gas detonated from underneath them, Broadside and the remaining Autobots fought alongside two squads of Decepticons and reprogrammed [[Centurion droid|Centurion droids]] to help defeat Thunderwing. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 4}}

{{note|Broadside as he appeared in IDW's stories thus far does not seem to have the cartoon version's phobias. But then, there isn't really time to complain when a homicidal Pretender is trying to kill you.}}
==Toys==
===Generation 1===
[[Image:G1 Broadside toy.jpg|right|180px|thumb|A loser in three modes.]]
*'''Broadside''' (Triple Changer, 1986)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''C-85'''
**''Accessories'': [[Plasma-pulse cannon|Plasma pulse gun]], Vibro-axe, 2 missiles

: Broadside is the most ''blatantly'' out-of-[[scale]] Transformer ever. He transforms into an aircraft carrier and a rather unconvincing, apparently aircraft-carrier-sized jet fighter. He carries a rifle and a (comparably) small axe as weapons in robot mode. Two non-firing missiles attach to his wings in jet mode.

{{-}}

==Trivia==
[[Image:Proto broadside.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Awesome... no wait, the opposite.]]
[[Image:Broadsidecharactermodels.jpg|right|200px|thumb|And sometimes the one on the left was colored like the one on the right!]]
* Broadside has the distinction of having two animated [[Character model|character models]], one based on a prototype toy that apparently went just short of production for some reason, and one based on the actual toy. The prototype design—which could be seen in a European toy catalog, at right—was rendered in animated form only in "[[Carnage in C-Minor]]" and the commercial for the 1986 Triple Changer toys, where it featured a different color scheme that appeared to be derived from the actual finished toy (lacking the prototype toy's blue). The prototype design also appeared in the 1986 [[package art]] mural, and was consistently used for Broadside's [[Marvel Comics]] appearances, colored to resemble the prototype toy, blue and all.

* Broadside made an animated appearance in a television commercial for the Autobot Triple Changers (Sandstorm and himself) and the new Decepticon Triple Changer, [[Octane]]. Created as a counterforce to [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] and [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]], both Broadside and Sandstorm were animated transforming from robot to both [[Alternate mode|altmodes]] and back again. Broadside appeared in the character model based on his original prototype in the colors of his final toy.

* According to "[[Carnage in C-Minor]]", Broadside has quite a temper when it comes to his paint job.

* In the Italian adaptation of the characters names, all the three autobot triplechangers featured names of winds. The Italian name of Broadside, however, fit particularly well because is also the name of a [[wikipedia:Mistral_(L9013)|French Navy helicopter carrier]]: "Mistral". This name could also refers to the Grand Prix car [[wikipedia:Maserati_Mistral|Maserati Mistral]], but ''not'' to the Chilean woman poet [[wikipedia:Gabriela_Mistral|Gabriela Mistral]].

* In the Italian dub, Broadside - Mistral speechs imitating the songs of the whales.

* In the American cartoon, plus in both [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]] and [[IDW Publishing|IDW]] comics, Broadside has been portrayed as a relatively large warrior, likely because one of his altmodes is an aircraft carrier. (In Dreamwave's case, however, he was large only in ''[[The War Within]]'' series and was "normal-sized" in the modern era.)

* Broadside's bio in Dreamwave's ''[[More Than Meets The Eye (G1)|More Than Meets The Eye]]'' attempts to explain his abilty to change into a giant aircraft carrier. Plates, which overlap in his other modes, extend out to cover the mass. As a result, his armor is terribly thin in this mode. It's not like those things need to repel gunfire or anything.

* Oddly, no one ever had a problem with Astrotrain growing into a '''space shuttle'''. Those are kinda big too.

{{-}}

==External links==
*[http://www.tfu.info/1986/Autobot/Broadside/broadside.htm Broadside at TFU.info]
*[http://ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Broadside Broadside's Universe profile at NTFA.net]

[[Category:Autobots]]
[[Category:Generation 1 characters]]
[[Category:Headmasters characters]]
[[Category:Triple Changers]]
[[Category:Wreckers]]

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Broadside (G1)