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Optimus Primal (BW)/toys

2010-03-25T04:01:29Z

76.124.166.156: /* Beast Wars 10th Anniversary */

[[Image:Optimus_Primal_toys.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Monkey see, Monkey f**k you up!]]
'''[[Optimus Primal]]''' has had a barrel full of toys. None of them [[Optimus Minor|monkeys]]!

==Toys==
===Beast Wars===
[[Image:BWtoy-Primalbat.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Cheetor. ''Cheetor.'' I'm Batman.]]
* '''Optimus Primal vs Megatron!''' (Basic versus two-pack, 1996)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-6'''
**''Accessories:'' Two swords
:The first Optimus Primal was a Basic size class blue bat which could autotransform into a robot by pulling the tail. Two swords were removable from under its wings for use as weaponry in robot mode. It was packaged along with an alligator version of Megatron and a ''Beast Wars'' mini-comic.

:Whether this toy can be considered the Optimus Primal character is a matter of debate. Released before the animated series began, which established Optimus Primal as a separate entity from Optimus Prime, the accompanying profiles and mini-comic seem to assume that the Beast Wars are a progression of the same characters from the Autobot/Decepticon war. Whether the animated series's [[retcon]] affected this set of toys is probably a matter of personal preference. It can be interpreted as representing one of the more interesting micro-continuities.

:The ''[[Beast Wars Sourcebook]]'' has asserted that, in [[Beast Wars timeline (IDW)|IDW's version of the ''Beast Wars'' continuity]], Primal's bat form was suggested by the ''Axalon'''s computer as a potential alt-mode, but he rejected it in favour of the more powerful gorilla without ever actually reformatting into it. Thus, this [[micro-continuity]] posits bat-mode Primal as an essentially theoretical alt-form that never actually came to be.

:This mold was also used to make the [[#CDROM|Optimus Prime-recolored Convobat]] (who may or may not be a separate character to either Prime or Primal), and [[Onyx Primal]].
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1996/Maximal/OptimusPrimalBat/optimusprimal.htm More information on Optimus Primal (bat) at tfu.info]''

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[[Image:Optimusprimaltoyultraape.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Yes, missiles come out of his butt.]]
* '''Optimus Primal''' (Ultra, 1996/1997/1998)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-1'''
**''Accessories:'' Two swords, four missiles, flail
: The second Optimus Primal toy was an ape in the Ultra size class. Though the transformation from primate to humanoid was a relatively simplistic one, the toy compensated with more than a fair share of weaponry and action features. A compartment on his right forearm opened to reveal a skull-shaped mace he could hold in his fist. His left forearm could open into a double-barreled missile launcher. On his back were two spring-loaded missile launchers which auto-flipped over each shoulder. By pulling a lever in the center of his back, both arms would either spin at the bicep or bend in and out at the elbow, depending on the placement of notch-buttons located on either bicep. This gimmick was shown to be an effort to simulate a gorilla beating its chest while Optimus was in beast mode, but could also be used in robot mode, making him swing his weapons wildly before himself. And finally, like many first-year ''Beast Wars'' toys, a battle mask/"[[mutant head]]" could be deployed over his robot head.

:[[Image:Prizeprimals.jpg|left|300px|thumb|Brass monkeys.]]

:Takara released the toy as part of their ''Beast Wars'' line in July of 1997, nearly identical to the Hasbro version. The missiles for the Takara version are thinner and simpler than the original Hasbro version, and would be used in all subsequent releases of the mold.

:This mold was [[redeco]]ed into ''[[Universe (2003 toyline)|Universe]]'' Optimus Primal and [[Beast Wars Telemocha]] DX Convoy, and [[retool]]ed into ''Beast Wars Reborn''/''Beast Wars Tenth Anniversary'' versus pack Optimus Primal. Takara also created multiple special variants, including all-gold (from ''Tele-V Magazine'', only ten awarded), red and gray (''Tele-V'' again, but only ''one'' awarded), and blue-fur (a ''Comics Bom Bom'' design-contest prize, only five awarded).
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1996/Maximal/OptimusPrimal/optimusprimal.htm More information on Optimus Primal at tfu.info]''

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* '''Special Convoy Real Gray Type''' (Ultra, 1998)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-1'''
**''Accessories:'' Two swords, four missiles, flail
:In January of 1998{{fact}}, Takara released a redeco of the Ultra Optimus Primal toy as '''Special Convoy Real Gray Type''' (スペシャルコンボイ — リアルグレータイプ), changing the black to dark gray and the blue to metallic blue, although the packaging was the same as the original release save for a sticker on the front of the box. According to the sticker, this limited figure was meant to celebrate the "20,000,000 Unit Breakthrough Commemoration"—apparently commemorating ''20 million'' units of Beast Wars toys sold. Whether this was supposed to represent 20 million worldwide or just in Japan is unclear.
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1996/Maximal/OptimusPrimal/optimusprimal.htm More information on Special Convoy Real Gray Type at tfu.info (scroll down)]''

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* '''Special Convoy Skeleton Type''' (Ultra, 1998?)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-1'''
**''Accessories:'' Two swords, four missiles, flail
: A Toys 'R' Us retail [[exclusive]] redeco of the Ultra figure, '''Special Convoy Skeleton Type''' (スペシャルコンボイ — スケルトンタイプ) was colorless-clear and black with silver paint detailing. The packaging was the same as the general release except for a sticker on the front of the box.
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1997/Cybertron/ClearConvoy/clearconvoy.htm More information on Special Convoy Skeleton Type at tfu.info]''

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[[Image:BW-toy OptimusPrimalCDROM.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Sun burn is never funny...lets smack his arm!]]
*'''Convobat vs Megaligator''' (multipack)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''S-1'''
**''Accessories:'' Two swords
: Available only in a special CD-ROM two-pack with a [[Megatron (BW)/toys|purple redeco of "Megalligator"]], this version of Optimus Primal (maybe) retains its previous gimmickry. his back features a silver Maximal [[faction symbol]] plus "C-ROM", as in "Cybertron", get it? Huh? And Megatron has the "D-ROM"? See what they did there?

: Just what character this toy represents is up for debate. The toy's [[bio]] claims he used to turn into a tractor-trailer (indicating [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]), but considering the timeframe of when they were written and the whole lack of a stance on who Primal "was" before the show and bla bla bla... it's just easier to file this under the same iffiness as the original toy bios set on modern [[Earth]] and leave it at that.

: This mold was also used to make [[Onyx Primal]].
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1997/Cybertron/ConvoyBat/convoybat.htm More information on CD-ROM Convobat at TFU.info]''

* '''Burning Convoy''' (Ultra)
**''Accessories:'' Two swords, four missiles, flail
:[[Spontaneous recoloration|Clear-red]] redeco of Primal, with gold "flame" markings also included. Was released as a limited edition figure to promote the ''Beast Wars Special'' movie alongside the Flash Lio Convoy toy.
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1998/Cybertron/BurningConvoy/burningconvoy.htm More information on Burning Convoy at TFU.info]''

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[[Image:BWMicroversetoy-Primal.jpg|right|100px|thumb|Seamunky?]]
*'''Orcanoch''' (MicroVerse, 1997)
: Part of the short-lived ''[[MicroVerse]]'' toyline (from before [[Hasbro|Hasbro's]] acquisition of rival Galoob and their micro-toy empire), [[Orcanoch]] transforms into a Maximal base. It came with tiny, non-transforming versions of Optimus Primal and [[Tarantulas]]. These figures were designed to sit in the various mini-vehicles and control modules of the MicroVerse playsets.
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1997/Maximal/Orcanoch/orcanoch.htm More information on Orcanoch (including Optimus Primal figure) at TFU.info]''

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[[Image:BWtoy-PrimalTM.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Check out those abs!]]
* '''Optimus Primal''' (Mega Transmetal, 1998)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-40'''
**''Accessories:'' Gun, two clubs/missiles
: [[Transmetal]] Optimus Primal is a mechanical gorilla that transforms into a partially organic robot. Like all Transmetals, it featured chromed plastic and a third vehicle-inspired mode. In Primal's case, his gorilla mode could transform into a gorilla on a hoverboard. Two maces were stored on his back and could double as missiles for his hip-holstered blaster.

: [[Takara|Takara's]] version of the toy exchanged the brown plastic for translucent maroon, he also featured additional paint on his waist and different eye color among other changes. The figure was also available in a set with Transmetal Megatron.

: This mold was used to make [[Apelinq]].
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1998/Maximal/OptimusPrimal/optimusprimal.htm More information on Transmetal Optimus Primal at TFU.info]''

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[[Image:BWtoy-OpOp.jpg|right|300px|thumb|It's really about two modes, not four, if you're honest.]]
* '''Optimal Optimus''' (Super Transmetal, 1998)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-47'''
**''Accessories:'' One gun, four missiles, six break-away armor plates
: Transmetal Optimal Optimus was the first toy in the Super size class, featuring electronics and four transformations: robot, ape, jet, and armored transport. When a back section of the cannon module was pulled, the eyes and shoulder-mounted missile launchers lit up and the launchers fired. It came with four missiles, two of which stored on its legs. Its forearms featured blast-away armor plates that could also be pegged to its upper arms.

:Optimal Optimus's on-package [[bio]] states that he has Cybertronian "air guardian" technology and twin scramjet modules. [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]]'s function was Air Guardian, and his Tech Specs said he had these same scramjet modules.

: This mold was used to make [[Primal Prime]], and was the model for [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s (non-toy) "Optimal" body, seen in "[[Endgame Pt. III: Seeds of the Future]]".

: The Japanese version featured a more yellow shade of orange, different painted details, and notably black tires instead of purple.
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1998/Maximal/OptimalOptimus/optimaloptimus.htm More information on Optimal Optimus at TFU.info]''

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===Beast Machines===
[[Image:BM-toy OpPrimalDx.jpg|right|300px|thumb|I am the exact opposite of show-accurate.]]
*'''Optimus Primal''' (Deluxe, 2000)
**''Accessories'': Energy shuriken
: The first ''[[Beast Machines (toyline)|Beast Machines]]'' Optimus Primal is a dark bronze and translucent blue technorganic gorilla that transforms into a technorganic robot. His right robot-mode arm is spring-loaded to throw the shuriken that stores in his left leg (the ape mode's left shoulder). Like all ''Beast Machines'' toys, he has a hidden "[[spark crystal]]" that displays his faction allegiance; Primal's is in his chest, revealed with the spring-loaded "flexing" motion that also moves his beast-mode face up for snarling while posing. His robot-mode head also features a changing expression via sliding brow/skullcap.

:Official [[Hasbro]] stock photography of this toy shows a differently-molded shuriken, lacking the "energy flame" effect.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2000/Maximal/OptimusPrimal/optimusprimal.htm More information on Deluxe Optimus Primal at TFU.info]''

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[[Image:BMtoy-PrimalMcD.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Robot hate the monkey.]]
*'''Optimus Primal''' (Happy Meal toy, 2000)
: McDonald's ''Beast Machines'' Optimus Primal is an incredibly simple toy that transforms from a technorganic robot to technorganic ape. Its sculpted detail is based directly that of the television show's model for Primal. It uses translucent plastic for the body, and, like the other McDonald's ''Beast Machines'' toys, there's a sculpted spark crystal on the toy's surface; on Optimus Primal, it is placed on the stomach. Additionally, there are two organic flaps on the toy's back, and in robot mode, nobody's entirely sure exactly what to do with them. Are they rotated all the way down to make his booster jets? Are they rotated out to the sides to make the backs of his shoulder pads? Are they rotated back to where they go in gorilla mode, once you get his heads swapped? We may never know.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2000/Maximal/McOptimusPrimal/optimusprimal.htm More information on McDonald's Optimus Primal at TFU.info]''

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[[Image:BMtoy-PrimalMega.jpg|right|300px|thumb|They will fight eternally!]]
*'''Blast Punch Optimus Primal''' (Mega, 2001)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''BR-01'''
**''Accessories'': Missile
:One of the last toys released in the ''Beast Machines'' line (under the "Battle for the Spark" rebranding), "Blast Punch" Optimus Primal transforms into a technorganic gorilla more like the show model, though with a considerably brighter color scheme. His main [[gimmick]] is his left arm, which contains a hidden missile launcher.Pushing down on his shoulder armor "winds" the mechanism in his gauntlet. Pushing the spark crystal on his bicep spins his gauntlet around, simultaneously triggering the spring-loaded missile launcher and activating his spring-loaded ramming "blast punch" action, extending his fist forward nearly a full inch. He also has hidden jet thrusters under a panel on his back. In beast mode, a small button on the top of his head pushes his upper face up in a "snarling" action.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2001/Maximal/BlastPunchOptimusPrimal/optimusprimal.htm More information on Blast Punch Optimus Primal at TFU.info]''

*'''Optimus Primal''' (Jollibee Kids Meal, 2009)
**''Accessories:'' Pen Keeper
: Optimus Primal was available as one of three figures in a Jollibee promotion. The toy is a greatly simplified version of his ''Beast Machines'' Deluxe toy.

===Robots in Disguise===
[[Image:RIDtoy-Suprimal.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Monkey versus robot!]]
* '''Air Attack Optimus Primal''' (Supreme, 2002)
:Intended for release in the ''[[Beast Machines (toyline)|Beast Machines]]'' toyline, Air Attack Optimus Primal was eventually released as a Toys "R" Us exclusive as part of the ''Robots in Disguise'' toyline. Positively oozing light-and-sound gimmicks in both modes, Optimus Primal does ''all'' sorts'a crazy crap, all of which is first activated by pressing his chest plate. Doing so "turns on" his electronics with a metallic shrieking noise, and the toy proceeds to hum constantly while the chest glows with a red LED. The electronics will eventually "turn off" if the toy is left idle, but you don't want to do that! You want to push his head (in either mode), which activates glowing lights in his eyes and actual speech samples of [[Garry Chalk]] from the ''Beast Machines'' cartoon (making Primal the first English-speaking ''Transformers'' toy to have speech clips performed by his actual cartoon voice actor). On top of that, the toy also features a pressure-launching disc-shooter in its robot-mode stomach (accompanied by blasting sound effect), and a geared right arm with a spring-loaded punch action (and suitably pained electronic grunt). The ''big'' feature—the one that gives the toy its name—is his jetpack, which pops out (with translucent blue jet flames trailing behind) at the push of a button. This puts the toy into "flight mode", and it constantly produces the sound of whooshing jets, which then rises and falls depending on how the figure is held. Tilt him upwards, and the pitch rises as he ascends! Tilt him down, and ''zoom!''

:Also, he has a butt on his head.
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2002/Maximal/SupremeOptimusPrimal/optimusprimal.htm More information on Air Attack Optimus Primal at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

===Universe===
[[Image:Universe2003toy-Primal.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Kinda looks like Don Rickles, don't you think?]]
*'''Optimus Primal''' (Ultra, 2003)
**''Accessories:'' Two swords, four missiles, flail
A redeco of the original Ultra Class Optimus Primal mold, with a color scheme that reflects the "infected" look several other toys were sporting in this line, reflecting the events taking place in-fiction. He retains all weapons and gimmicks of the previous releases of this mold, but with a reworked system for his arm mechanism, making his crazy arm swinging much more controlled.
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2003/Autobot/OptimusPrimal/optimusprimal.htm More information on Universe Optimus Primal at TFU.info]''
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===Robot Masters===
[[Image:RMtoy-Primal.jpg|right|300px|thumb|There he is, my littler guy.]]
*'''Beast Convoy'''
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''RM-11'''
**''Accessories:'' Two swords, sword connector

{{charstubtoys}}
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2004/Cybertron/BeastConvoy/beastconvoy.htm More information on Beast Convoy at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

*'''Beast Convoy Limited Black Version'''
**''Accessories:'' Two swords

: Available only via mail order through ''Hobby Japan'' magazine.
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2005/Cybertron/HHBeastConvoy/beastconvoy.htm More information on Beast Convoy Limited Black Version at TFU.info]''


* '''Burning Beast Convoy'''
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''RM-21'''
**''Accessories:'' Two swords
:This toy refers to the ''Beast Wars II'' movie form where he partnered with Lio Convoy, turning them into Burning Convoy and Flash Lio Convoy respectively.
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2004/Cybertron/BurningConvoy/burningconvoy.htm More information on Burning Beast Convoy at TFU.info]''

===Beast Wars 10th Anniversary===
[[Image:Optimusprimalbwx.jpg|right|300px|thumb|''Surf monkey/ that funky monkey'']]
* '''Optimus Primal''' (2006)
**''Accessories:'' Surfboard, assault blade, missile, Jungle Planet Key
: Beast Wars 10th Anniversary (BWX) Optimus Primal is a new toy design based loosely on his original ultra ape action figure and pulling some elements from other figures, including a transformation very similar to the Playskool Go-Bot [[Gorillabot]], which itself was a nod to Optimus Primal's Beast Machines form. Similar to his Transmetal form, BWX Optimus Primal also comes with a hoverboard that fires a missile when a [[Cyber Planet Key]] is inserted.

:[[Image:PrimalXsword.jpg|left|100px|thumb|Opposable thumbs!]]

: The board also features a spring-loaded extending "assault blade" (or "ass lt blade" as the directions call it). Though it is not intended to be removed, the blade can be popped off and held in Primal's hand thanks to his posable thumbs.

It is disturbingly anatomically correct. Seriously, check it out.

: He is also packaged with a mini-comic-sized reprinting of [[IDW Publishing]]'s ''[[The Gathering]]'' #1, a small [[Axalon (BW)|''Axalon'']] ship figurine, and a [[Jungle Planet (Cybertron)|Jungle Planet]] style Cyber Planet Key without a [[Cyber Key Code]] stamped on it.

:This mold was [[Redeco|redecoed]] and released as ''[[Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]]. The sculpt for both BWX leader toys were intentionally designed to blend in with the Jungle Planet aesthetic, "in case" they didn't get a Beast Wars Anniversary release (according to [[Aaron Archer|Aaron Archer's]] statements at [[BotCon 2005]]).
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Maximal/OptimusPrimal/optimusprimal.htm More information on Optimus Primal at TFU.info]''
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* '''Optimus Primal vs Megatron''' (Toys "R" Us, 2006)
**''Accessories:'' Two swords, four missiles, flail
:Identical to the ''Beast Wars Reborn'' set as detailed below, but in new packaging with a DVD of the ''Beast Wars'' episode "[[Possession]]".
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Maximal/TRUOptimusPrimal/optimusprimal.htm More information on Optimus Primal at TFU.info]''

===Beast Wars Reborn===
[[Image:BWReborntoy-Primal.jpg|right|300px|thumb|The eighth Optimus of the world... PRIMAL!]]
* '''Convoy vs Megatron''' (2006)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''BWR-01'''
**''Accessories:'' Two swords, four missiles, flail

:[[Image:Optimusprimaltoybwrebornheads.jpg|left|100px|thumb|Staring contest—go!]]

: This release is a [[retool]] of the original 1996 Ultra toy, with new beast and robot heads, plus a new robot chest piece sculpted to match the television series's portrayal. The color scheme was also altered to be show-accurate, changing the black to dark gray, much of the light gray to medium gray with hints of bronze, primary red to crimson, and blue to a more dull steel blue. All of the toy's previous [[gimmick]]s are retained with the sole exception of the "mutant head."

:This figure came packaged with a similarly-remolded [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] and a [[Golden Disk (disambiguation)|Golden Disk]] CD-ROM that contains control art for a number of ''Beast Wars'' toys.

{{-}}

{{anchor|LaserOptimusPrime}}
===Generation 2===
[[Image:LaserOptimusPrime_toy.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Argh TFwiki headache.]]
* '''Battle Convoy''' (Reissue, 2006)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TRF-13'''
**''Accessories:'' Laser rifle, sword, 5 discs, 3 air power missiles, ripple rocket launcher, 10 rockets

: In 1993, Laser [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] was a new-mold ''[[Generation 2]]'' toy that transformed into mid-1990s Western Star 4964EX, pulling a grey and black fuel tank trailer. On the sides of the trailer is a humourous sticker depicting Laser Optimus Prime using a flamethrower to burn down a forest, with the words "Optimus Prime Octane" over the image.

:In robot mode, like Combat Hero Prime, the bottom of the truck became his familiar windowed chest based upon the original Optimus Prime toy. His main gimmick was light up LED headlights, and a [[lightpipe]] in the bottom of his right fist, illuminated by an LED in his right forearm, that would illuminate his clear sword or his double-barreled rifle if they were used in that hand. All three LEDs were activated simultaneously by pressing the sunroof-like depression on the roof of the truck.

:The trailer unfolds to form a battle station bristling with many firing weapons. Primarily, it can fire an air-powered missile launcher, a ripple rocket launcher with 5 missiles that can be launched individually (this turret can also be mounted in Laser Prime's hand) and a 'disc launcher', that fired several blue plastic discs adorned with the ''Generation 2'' Autobot sigil. This disc launcher is the only weapon that can be used in vehicle mode.

:This mold was redecoed in 2000 as ''[[Car Robots]]'' [[Scourge (RID)|Black Convoy]], and slightly retooled as Scourge. After Scourge, the next use of this mold was planned to be [[Toxitron]], which ended up being canceled. The slightly retooled version of this mold was released in 2006 in Japan as reissue Battle Convoy, which was the name of this toy during the Japanese ''Generation 2''. The reissue used the ''[[Robots in Disguise (toyline)|Robots in Disguise]]'' modified tooling, with a slightly modified deco using silver vacuum-metalized plastic on his chest and trailer sides along with additional paint applications and G2 symbols. The mold was also redecoed to create a new G2 version of Ultra Magnus as an [[E-Hobby]] exclusive (unusual in that the character was killed in the course of Japan's G1 fiction).

:Within the ''[[Beast Wars Reborn]]'' text story, the reissued Laser Prime toy was [[repurposing|repurposed]] as a temporary form for Optimus Primal.
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1995/Autobot/OptimusPrime/optimusprime.htm More information on Laser Optimus Prime at TFU.info]''
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===Timelines===
[[Image:Timelinestoy-PrimalDoFP.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Trukk munky?]]
* '''Dawn of Future's Past''' (Boxset, BotCon 2006)
**''Accessories:'' Two missiles, Maximal [[Golden Disk]] key
:A [[redeco]] and [[retool]] of ''[[Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]]'' [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]], ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'' Optimus Primal transforms into a three-wheeled Cybertronic race car with huge turbine thrusters. These thrusters each contain a spring-loaded missile launcher,and can be swung forward in both vehicle and robot mode by plugging a [[Cyber Planet Key]] into his key-jack. This also activates electronic sound effects. He has a new head that replicates Optimus Primal's first [[character model]].

:Available only in a multi pack with the ''Axalon'' versions of [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]], and [[Rattrap]], as well as the ''[[Darksyde]]'' version of [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]].
:Some consider this toy somewhat of an injoke, because when fans initially saw pics of Crumplezone, they criticised it for looking like a monkey.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Maximal/BCOptimusPrimal/optimusprimal.htm More information on Timelines Optims Primal at TFU.info]''
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===Beast Wars Telemocha Series===
[[Image:BWTelemocha Convoy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Anyone else feel like we're going in circles?]]
*'''Convoy''' (2007)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TM-01'''
**''Accessories:'' Two swords
:''[[Beast Wars Telemocha]]'' Convoy is an extensive redeco of the ''Robot Masters'' Beast Convoy figure in a similar style to the ''Beast Wars Reborn'' retool of the Ultra-class figure.
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2007/Cybertron/Convoy/convoy.htm More information on Telemocha Convoy at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

[[Image:BWTelemochaDXPrimal.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Seriously, we're getting dizzy!]]
*'''DX Convoy''' (2007)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TM-SP'''
**''Accessories:'' Two swords, four missiles, flail
:An extensive show-accurate redeco of the original Ultra-class Optimus Primal mold ''without'' the recently remolded head and chestplate. Oh [[TakaraTomy]], you so crazy.

{{-}}

==Merchandise==
*'''Beast Wars Transformers Slide Puzzle''' (1996)
:Released to advertise Beast War's airing in Japan, a small, hand-held slide-puzzle depicting Optimus Primal in robot mode, brandishing a sword, one arm cannon deployed, and looking very dynamic.

* '''Beast Wars Transformers Mutating Card Game''' (1997)
:Optimus Primal was one of the 24 beast warriors to receive a battle card representation for the Beast Wars [[Beast Wars Transformers Mutating Card Game|card game]].

* '''Beast Wars Transformers Sneakers''' (1997)
: A pair of red, black and white sneakers, with the Beast Wars logo printed on the sole, a photo of Primal's beast mode head on the toe, and the name "OPTIMUS PRIMAL" repeated around the shoe's lateral.

===Kabaya gum kits===
====Beast Wars====
* '''Convoy''' (1997)
: A nontransformable figurine of bat-body Primal, sculpted in a sword-wielding action pose across a blue base. Figure is painted.

* '''Convoy''' (1997)
: A nontransformable figurine of gorilla-body Primal, sculpted in an action pose, wielding his mace and armguns, posed on a black base. Figure is painted.

* '''Convoy''' (1997, Standard Kit)
: A tiny, simple black and purple transformable kit based on the original gorilla toy. It came with two purple swords and some gum.

====Beast Wars Metals====
* '''Transmetal Convoy''' (1999, Standard Kit)
: Another small transformable figure was based on his first Transmetal body. It was multicolored and also came with gum.

* '''Transmetal Convoy''' (1999, Standard Kit)
: A second, but non-transformable figure of Transmetal Optimus Primal was made in clear plastic, blue, and gray. Gum!

{{-}}

===Metal Monument===
[[Image:Metalmonumentconvoy.jpg|right|100px|thumb|Hungh!]]
* '''Metal Monument Convoy''' (TAKARA, 1999)

: As the name suggests, the product is a [[die-cast]] statue of Optimus Primal. The head is convertible/removable in order to change the normal one with the battle mask/mutant head. The [[box art]] and the design of the product are both done by [[Hirofumi Ichikawa]].

{{-}}

===Titanium Series===
[[Image:TitaniumSeries-Primal3inch.jpg|right|150px|thumb|This Primal wasn't built—it was ''poured!'']]
* '''Optimus Primal''' (3" Robot Master figurine, 2006)
**''Accessories'': Stand
:This 3-inch die-cast and plastic figurine of Optimus Primal features him in his ''Beast Wars'' season 1 appearance, with swords drawn in an action pose. He came with an [[Autobot]] figure stand, weirdly enough.
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Maximal/TitOptimusPrimal/optimusprimal.htm More information on Titanium Series Optimus Primal at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

[[Image:Titanium Optimal Optimus.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Ready? And... Faceplant!]]
* '''Optimal Optimus''' (6" Transformable figure, 2006)
**''Accessories'': Stand with nameplate
:For undetermined reasons, this incarnation of Optimal Optimus does not include the beast mode. This does have precedent in the fiction: When [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] built a copy of that body for himself at the end of ''[[Beast Machines (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]'', his version didn't have a beast mode either.
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Maximal/TitOptimalOptimus/optimusprimal.htm More information on Titanium Series Optimal Optimus at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===3D Battle-Card Game===
*'''Optimus Primal''' (2007)
[[Image:3DBattleCard-OptimusPrimal.jpg|right|300px|thumb|All your favorite 3D action!]]
: A 52-point "rare" character in the [[3D Battle-Card Game|3D Battle-Card Game's]] "Energon Wars" expansion, Optimus Primal "transforms" into a black ape. He uses the same parts layout as [[Cheetor (BW)/toys|Cheetor]], [[Ravage (G1)/toys|Ravage]] and [[Rampage (G1)|Rampage]], although the figure's beast mode is assembled differently. Optimus Primal is nominally the leader of the Autobots in the set. The surface of the figure uses images of the original Ultra ape toy.

{{-}}

===Robot Heroes===
====Beast Wars series====
[[Image:Robotheroestarantulasprimal.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Primal mocks Tarantulas's inability to display jazz hands.]]
*'''Optimus Primal''' / '''Predacon Tarantulas''' (2008)
: Part of the second wave of ''[[Universe (2008 franchise)|Universe]]'' [[Robot Heroes]], this PVC figurine of Optimus Primal's original gorilla body has articulation in the shoulders and neck. He was available only in a "Beast Wars Series" two-pack with [[Tarantulas]] (amusingly enough, the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] he also came with in the ''[[MicroVerse]]'' [[Orcanoch]] playset).
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Maximal/RHOprimusPrimal/optimusprimal.htm More information on Robot Heroes Optimus Primal at TFU.info]''

{{-}}
====Beast Machines series====
===Robot Heroes===
*'''Optimus Primal vs. Jetstorm''' (2009)
{{canceledtoy}}

==Notes==
* The design of Optimus Primal's bat form is an [[homage]] to [[wikia:c:Batman:Batman (Bruce Wayne)|Batman]], an action figure license also held at the time by [[Kenner]].<ref>Page 78, Toy database section in ''[[Beast Wars Universe]]''</ref>
* Primal's gorilla mode, paired against [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s t-rex mode, was inspired by the showdown in [[wikipedia:King Kong|King Kong]].
* According to the control art of Optimus Primal's toy, his chest originally seemed to be a kind of launcher instead of being an homage to the [[Autobot Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]].<ref>Page 50, Toy database section in ''[[Beast Wars Universe]]''</ref>

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:3D Battle-Cards]]
[[Category:Autobot leaders]]
[[Category:Autobots]]
[[Category:Beast Machines characters]]
[[Category:Beast Wars characters]]
[[Category:Beast Wars II characters]]
[[Category:Beast Wars 10th Anniversary]]
[[category:Beast Wars Telemocha Series]]
[[Category:Children of Primus]]
[[Category:Contest prizes]]
[[Category:Convention exclusives]]
[[Category:Dimension hoppers]]
[[Category:Fast food exclusives]]
[[Category:Mail order exclusives]]
[[Category:Maximal leaders]]
[[Category:Maximals]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Robot Masters characters]]
[[Category:Robots in Disguise characters]]
[[Category:Timelines characters]]
[[Category:Titanium Series]]
[[Category:Toys "R" Us exclusives]]
[[Category:Toys with sound]]
[[Category:Transformers with multiple modes]]
[[Category:Transformers with three modes]]
[[Category:Transmetals]]
[[Category:Universe (2008)]]
[[Category:Universe characters]]

Metalhawk (G1)

2010-03-17T21:30:16Z

76.124.166.156: /* Timelines: Wings of Honor */

{{factions|autobot|eliteguard}}
{{disambigr|"Hawk"|the human G.I. Joe commander|Hawk (G.I. Joe)}}
:''Metalhawk is an [[Autobot]] [[Pretender]] from the [[Super-God Masterforce (franchise)|Super-God Masterforce]] portion of the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Metalhawk boxart.jpg|right|330px|thumb|"Why does that fat guy insist on cosplaying as ME?!"]]
'''Metalhawk''' is the leader of the [[Autobot]] [[Pretender]]s. Like all great Autobot leaders, he's a warm, noble being with a great love of life, liberty and all of that, and like all those other great leaders, he also got his crew stranded on [[Earth]] when they pursued a group of [[Decepticon]]s there during the Stone Age. Metalhawk was deeply moved by the burgeoning humanity: at first seeing only frail beings that needed defending, he soon came to realize their amazing potential for love, compassion and courage, and was so struck by them that he, and his fellow Autobots, used their Pretender powers to transform themselves into human beings. With the aid of these disguises, they defended early man against the Decepticon Pretenders, who had taken the forms of monsters. They eventually defeated and sealed away the villains, inspiring a few legends themselves in the process, and then went on to help guide the evolution of Earth's society and culture.

By the early 21st century, Metalhawk had adopted the simple human alias of '''Hawk''', and now works as an astrophysicist at the observatory run by [[Professor Gō]]. He is close friends with both the professor, with whom he has entrusted the secret of his true identity, and with the professor's son [[Shūta Gō|Shūta]], who looks up to him and aspires to be like him when he grows up.

Metalhawk transforms into a jet so fast that it can travel from Earth to the [[Moon (moon)|moon]] and back in only fifteen minutes. In robot mode, he has remarkable short-range leaping abilities, and is armed with the mighty Titanium Saber. His ultimate attack technique is the "Shining Arrow", which sees him leap into the air and charge his body with energy which he then rains down on his opponent in a hail of powerful bolts.

:''Russian TV dub name:'' '''Kogot'''' ("Claw")

==Fiction==
===Cartoon continuity===
====''Super-God Masterforce'' cartoon====
''Voice actor:'' [[Katsuji Mori]] (Japan), [[Marco Balzarotti]] (Italian)

[[Image:Metalhawk human and robot.jpg|left|220px|thumb|Prenders HIDE the robot INSIDE... wait, what?]]
Having lived among humankind on Earth for epochs, Metalhawk was the natural choice to serve as protector of the planet when the Autobot forces operating in outer space received word of renewed Decepticon activity brewing on the planet from the former Decepticon, [[Sixshot]]. Unable to spare any troops to bolster Metalhawk's forces on Earth, the Autobots in space sent a cargo ship carrying six [[Transtector]]s to the planet instead, to which human beings could bond to become new Transformers themselves. Although three of the Transtectors were stolen en route by the Decepticons, Metalhawk safely received the rest, and stored them in the fortified base that Professor Gō had arranged the construction of. {{storylink|Birth! Headmaster Jrs}}

[[Image:Metalhawk suiton.jpg|right|180px|thumb|"It's Morphin' Time!"]]
Some time later, Metalhawk was returning to the observatory after attending one of Shūta's soccer games with Professor Gō when he received a communiqué from fellow Autobot [[Diver (Masterforce)|Diver]] informing him of a Decepticon attack on a cruise ship. Realizing that the villains had escaped their imprisonment at last, Metalhawk knew that the time had come to fight once again. Concerned for Shūta's safety, he elected to at last reveal his true identity to the boy, and told him the full story of the Pretenders' history on Earth. The next day, news of another Decepticon attack on a city reached Metalhawk, and he at last dropped his Pretender disguise, transforming back into his robotic form again and flying to the scene in jet mode. The [[Tentakil (Masterforce)|Tentakil]] [[Seacon (Masterforce)|Seacons]] which confronted him were not particularly impressive opponents, but things took a turn for the worse when Shūta, who had followed Metalhawk to the battlefield, was captured by one of the creatures. Metalhawk was able to destroy one of the drones with his Titanium Saber, but as he moved on the second, the Decepticon Pretenders entered the fray and attacked the outnumbered Autobot. Luckily, the other Autobot Pretenders arrived to save Metalhawk, allow him to rescue Shūta and destroy the Seacon, prompting the Decepticons to flee. {{storylink|Rise Up!! Pretenders}}

While investigating Decepticon activity in the [[Karin Islands]], Metalhawk battled [[Dauros]] and a swarm of [[Lobclaw]] Seacons. The fight, however, was witnessed by the islands' prince, [[Cab]], who fled from the Autobot, and was followed by Shūta, who hoped to explain the situation. Calmed by Shūta, Cab tracked the Decepticons to the nearby "Isle of the Gods," and Metalhawk and the Autobots followed him there and successfully dispatched the Decepticons. Unfortunately, during their absence, [[Blood]] had attacked Professor Gō's observatory, and Metalhawk's team returned too late to save the professor's life. With his last breath, the professor handed the key to the base he had created to Shūta, and the Autobots took up residence there. {{storylink|Terror! The Decepticons' Manhunt}}

Seeking to capture [[Professor Blanieux]], the prize-winning biologist from the Republic of [[Mont Porte]], the Decepticons attacked a jumbo jet, which crashed in Corsica. Metalhawk headed out with the Autobots to investigate, and posed as a government investigator in order to question [[Minerva]], daughter of Mont Porte's ambassador to Japan. After learning what they could from her, Metalhawk and the Autobots sped to Rome to quell an attack by the Decepticons' [[Destroid]]s there, and then accompanied Minerva's family and Professor Blanieux on the last leg of their trip to Japan. Metalhawk's suspicions proved right, as Blood and some [[Overbite (Masterforce)|Overbite]] Seacons attacked the craft, and he and Phoenix engaged them in battle and defeated them. The true threat, however, was a Destroid planted aboard the plane, which was bested by Cab and Shūta, but not before it sent the jet into a nosedive. Metalhawk and Phoenix saved the jet by lifting it to safety on their own backs. The Autobots apologized for lying to Minerva, and she decided to attend the [[International School]] alongside Cab and Shūta. {{storylink|Kidnapping!? The Targeted Jumbo Jet}}

[[Image:Metalhawk pretender.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Awl beh bawk.]]
Seeing Shūta, Cab and Minerva's determination to aid the Autobot cause and battle the Decepticons, Metalhawk made them an offer to become true Autobot warriors. The three kids accepted and were bonded to the Transtectors sent by the space-faring Autobots, becoming [[Headmaster Junior]]s. Alas, the Decepticons had created their own Headmaster Juniors with the Transtectors they had stolen, and Metalhawk had to teach the Autobot Juniors to put rescuing humans before fighting their villainous counterparts. Shūta, in particular, had some trouble living up to the promise when all three Decepticon Juniors ganged up on him when he was attempting to save a baby from a burning building, but Metalhawk arrived to dispatch the three punks. {{storylink|Birth! Headmaster Jrs|Birth! Headmaster Jrs}} To prepare the Juniors for combat situations, Metalhawk then sent them to America to train with Diver, {{storylink|Rage!! Little Devils with No Need for Rules}} and when they returned, he led them and the other Autobots in defending Africa's wildlife against another Decepticon plot. {{storylink|Panic! Protect the Wild Animals!!}}

[[Image:Metalhawk puretendaaaaa.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Ooooh, so shiny!]]
When two new Decepticons, the [[Godmaster]] brothers [[Hydra (Masterforce)|Hydra]] and [[Buster (Masterforce)|Buster]], attacked the [[Mt Fuji Foothills Hang Gliding Competition Tournament]] in which the Autobot Headmaster Juniors were participating, Metalhawk and Lander raced to aid their young team-mates, but took a severe beating from the powerful new warriors. After the villains withdrew upon the arrival of Phoenix, {{storylink|Super Warriors - The Godmaster Brothers|Super Warriors - The Godmaster Brothers}} Metalhawk examined videotaped footage of the battle and realized that the two Decepticons had incredible, instantaneous healing powers, proving his suspicion that they were neither Transformer nor human, but some new kind of lifeform. This information didn't offer the Autobots much of an advantage in their next battle with the Godmasters in the Karin Islands, but during that fight, Metalhawk was able to use his Shining Arrow attack to distract Buster, allowing Diver to lodge his Sea Axe in the Decepticon's arm, forcing the brothers to retreat. {{storylink|A Fierce Battle!! The Autobots Are in Trouble}}

When Diver recruited the first Autobot Godmaster, a trucker named [[Ginrai]], in America, Metalhawk invited him to the Autobots' base in Japan where they studied the three sets of [[Master-Brace]]s Ginrai had found in his [[Transtector]]. {{storylink|A Strange Friendship: Cancer and Minerva|A Strange Friendship: Cancer and Minerva}} After helping Minerva to reconcile her differences with Ginrai after she had an argument with him, Metalhawk joined in another battle against Hydra and Buster at Mount Yatsugatake {{storylink|Friend or Foe!? The True Form of the Monster!!}} and helped the other Autobots rescue a group of captive children from the Decepticons' clutches. {{storylink|Heroism!! The Birth of Super Ginrai}}

As summer settled in, Metalhawk permitted the Headmaster Juniors to take a vacation from their duties, but the two objectives soon dovetailed with the discovery of the next Autobot Godmaster, [[Lightfoot]]. {{storylink|Lightfoot: A Dramatic Encounter}} Metalhawk and the Juniors, together with Lander, Ginrai and Lightfoot went on a camping expedition into the Rocky Mountains to search for leads on the next Godmaster, ultimately discovering that he was a forest patrolman named [[Ranger]]. {{storylink|An Enemy? The Third Godmaster, Ranger}} Metalhawk thought the final Godmaster had been found when he misinterpreted a news report on [[Sixknight]] {{storylink|A Powerful Foe!! Sixknight the Wanderer}} but the true Godmaster, [[Road King]], was soon found, at which point Metalhawk decided to step down as Autobot leader, and appointed Ginrai to command in his place. {{storylink|The Autobot Warrior, Sixknight?!}}

Soon thereafter, word came from the Autobots in space that the Decepticon super-weapon, [[Scorponok (G1)|BlackZarak]], was headed for Earth. Metalhawk, Diver and Lander met with their old comrade [[Grand Maximus]] atop a mountain, and were given the plans and materials necessary to construct "[[Godbomber]]", a drone that would merge with Ginrai, endowing him with the ability to fly and fight in space, allowing him to best BlackZarak before he reached the Earth. {{storylink|Life? Death? Lightfoot Must Choose}} Metalhawk elected to keep the construction of Godbomber secret from the Headmaster Juniors at first, but once this "Bomber Project" began in a [[British Motors]] factory donated by Lightfoot's father, he soon summoned them to the facility and told them the whole story. {{storylink|Super Ginrai Gets Blown Away in the Desert!?}} The course of the Bomber Project did not run smoothly, as the Decepticons badly injured Ginrai and attacked the facility, but through it all, Metalhawk remained at the forefront of construction, speeding the project to completion while his fellow Autobots handled the Decepticon threat. {{storylink|Will the Bomber Project Be Destroyed!?}} Although Godbomber was soon successfully completed, Metalhawk was unwilling to let the injured Ginrai combine with the drone, telling him that he could not save the Earth on his own. The support of the Pretenders and Headmaster Juniors drowned Metalhawk out, however, and Ginrai fused with Godbomber, speeding into space to battle BlackZarak and [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]]. {{storylink|God Ginrai - Into the Sky!!}} Like the other Autobots, Metalhawk was helpless to do anything but wait for updates on the battle down on Earth, but with the aid of Grand Maximus, Ginrai was able to triumph. {{storylink|God Ginrai - Showdown on the Surface of the Moon}}

[[Image:Metalhawk robot.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Buns of die-cast.]]
Subsequently, Metalhawk and his fellow took something of a back seat as Ginrai and the other Autobots battled the Decepticons across the Earth, but his wits were not dulled by this period of inactivity, and he was quick to suspect [[Clouder]], the newly-discovered final Autobot Godmaster, when he discovered that the main computer in the Autobot base had been tampered with. Although Minerva took the blame, Metalhawk could tell she was covering for her new friend, and his suspicions were soon proved correct when he caught Clouder handing over information on the base to the Decepticon Headmaster Juniors. Unfortunately, exposing Clouder's true nature as a Decepticon spy did not prevent the information he had stolen from making its way into the hands of the Decepticons, who soon launched a full-scale assault on the Autobot base. {{storylink|Secret Orders! Destroy the Autobot Base!!}} A missile strike on the base's control room knocked Metalhawk unconscious, leaving the Headmaster Juniors alone in the base. After hooking Metalhawk up to some medical equipment, Minerva advocated abandoning the base, and ultimately, the Autobots were forced to do just that, as the Decepticons' attack destroyed their headquarters. {{storylink|Disaster! The Autobot Base Explodes}}

In the wake of this disaster, things only got worse for the Autobots, as BlackZarak returned and successfully landed on Earth. Metalhawk arrived too late to save [[New York City|New York]] from the villain's wrath, and soon received word from Diver of an attack on [[Paris]] by Overlord, relaying news of the devastation to Lightfoot. {{storylink|BlackZarak - Destroyer from Space}} The battle that ensued carried the Godmasters and Headmaster Juniors into space, where BlackZarak unleashed the unholy [[Death Para-Machine]] upon the Earth. Metalhawk was stationed in a human observatory at the time, where the staff quickly deduced that the evil device had drastically eroded Earth's ozone layer. Thankfully, Ginrai was able to destroy the Death-Para Machine before any further damage could be done. {{storylink|Crisis! The Day of the Downfall of Humanity}}

Following a battle with the Decepticon Pretenders in Latin America, {{storylink|God Ginrai - Save Cancer!?}} Metalhawk got a bit more proactive, positioning sonar probes across the world in hopes of locating the Decepticon base. Unfortunately, while on a mission to recover one of the probes, Shūta was kidnapped by the Decepticons, and Metalhawk had to triangulate the location of the Decepticon base in order for Ginrai to rescue him. {{storylink|God Ginrai: Showdown at the Decepticon Base}} With the location of the Decepticons' base now known to the Autobots, Metalhawk and the Pretenders hung back while the rest of their allies initiated an all-out attack on the villains' headquarters, which concluded with the base's destruction. {{storylink|The Ultimate Combination!! BlackZarak, the New Lifeform}}

With their headquarters destroyed, the Decepticons relocated to the Alps, and the Autobots pursued, splitting into teams to search for the villains. Metalhawk and the Headmaster Juniors were quickly attacked by [[King Poseidon]], and Metalhawk was badly wounded saving Minerva from the Seacon combiner's blasts. Ginrai soon arrived to save them, but the injured quartet was forced to remain behind as Ginrai scaled the mountain to confront BlackZarak in final battle. {{storylink|Malevolent and Inhuman! The True Form of Devil Z}} After his wounds were tended to by Minerva, Metalhawk was insistent that he be allowed to accompany Grand Maximus and Shūta as they went to observe Ginrai's battle, but Grand talked him down and left him to recuperate. Ginrai's fight, meanwhile, culminated with the destruction of BlackZarak and the Decepticon emperor, [[Devil Z]]. The death of Devil Z caused the humans to become separated from their Transtectors, while the Transtectors themselves were brought to life as true super-robot lifeforms. The new-born Transformers all promptly departed the Earth to rejoin their respective factions in space, but Metalhawk elected to remain on Earth and continue his life there. {{storylink|A Battle... and Then...}}

====''Zone'' cartoon====
Metalhawk was seen among the Autobots standing on stage when the injured [[Star Saber (G1)|Victory Saber]] passed the mantle of [[Supreme Commander]] on to [[Dai Atlas (G1)|Dai Atlas]]. {{storylink|Enter the New Supreme Commander, Dai Atlas!}}

===Comic continuity===
====''Super-God Masterforce'' comic====
[[Image:Metalhawk manga.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Spaaaaace Ghooooost!]]
After escaping their imprisonment, the Decepticon Pretenders made their first attack on the modern world by laying siege to the Karin Islands. Metalhawk and Shūta responded to the attack, and Metalhawk stunned the assembled islanders by transforming from human form to robot mode. Easily evading Blood's "Bloody Moon" attack, Metalhawk dispatched the Decepticons with his Shining Arrow, and island elder [[Donq]] proceeded to lead the islanders in praising Metalhawk, recognizing him as a god from Karin Island mythology. Metalhawk attempted to explain that he wasn't a god, merely a Pretender, but the islanders continued to chant "Pretender" despite his protests. {{storylink|Gods? Devils? The Pretenders}}

Metalhawk and Shūta were accompanied back to Japan by the islands' prince, Cab, and the two boys, along with their schoolmate Minerva, all requested that Metalhawk allow them to become formal members of the Autobots. Metalhawk eventually capitulated, and after a tough training regimen, transformed the three youngsters into Headmaster Juniors. Their first battle, against a Lobclaw, did not go so well, and Metalhawk had to arrive to bail them out, admonishing them for a lack of teamwork. {{storylink|Headmaster Jrs Are Born}}

Responding to an attack by Blood on [[Tokyo]], Metalhawk called on the Headmaster Juniors to perform rescue operations in the surrounding area. Unfortunately, Metalhawk did not realize that this was a trap laid by the Decepticons, and his young charges ran afoul of the Decepticon Headmaster Juniors. Thankfully, they were able to defeat them, and Metalhawk arrived in time to see the punks fleeing the scene. As the sun began to rise, Shūta and Cab groaned that it would soon be time for school, but Metalhawk calmed them down by pointing out it was Sunday. {{storylink|Destined Confrontation: The Children of Good and Evil}}

News of the discovery of the first Autobot Godmaster, [[Ginrai]], in America soon reached Metalhawk, and he and the Headmaster Juniors gathered at Harumi Wharf to greet their new comrade when he arrived. Concerned by Ginrai's late arrival, Metalhawk contacted Diver, but was assured that everything would be fine, because Ginrai resembled a "hero". The four Autobots were soon attacked by the Decepticon Godmasters Hydra and Buster and Metalhawk was quickly taken down, but at that moment, Ginrai arrived, and Metalhawk understood Diver's words—for Ginrai was the very image of the legendary [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. After Ginrai sent Hydra and Buster packing, Metalhawk wondered if Ginrai could be Prime's reincarnation, but Ginrai dismissed the notion, explaining that he had chosen to do this specifically because he had only one life to live, and wanted to use it in service of the forces of good. {{storylink|Enter on the Stage! The Name of the Savior Is Ginrai!}}

[[Image:Metalhawk shell manga.jpg|right|210px|thumb|Metalhawk wants YOU!]]
Later, Metalhawk joined with the other Autobots in charging out to investigate a mysterious Decepticon plot, only to be stunned by the sight of [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] and a legion of legendary Decepticons barring their way. Metalhawk could immediately tell that something was off, since he knew that Galvatron was supposed to be dead, but after a battle with King Poseidon]], it was soon revealed that they had been duped with holographic images. {{storylink|Burn, Super Soul! The New Commander Super Ginrai!}}

Metalhawk and the Pretenders dropped off the radar after this battle, appearing only briefly to monitor a two-pronged attack by the Decepticons against Earth. {{storylink|God Ginrai's Amazing Super-God Combination!}} Fortunately for all concerned, they returned to the front lines during Ginrai's final battle with the Decepticons, during which the Decepticon emperor, Devil Z, turned on his subordinates, and attempted to absorb their [[Chōkon Power|Jinchōkon]] in order to transform himself into the ultimate lifeform. Metalhawk and the Pretenders hurled themselves into the path of the villain's Jinchōkon-absorbing beam, saving Ginrai and the Decepticons from its effects, and remaining unharmed themselves, since, as true robots, they possessed no Jinchōkon of their own. Metalhawk subsequently joined with all the other Autobots and Decepticons in combining their energies into the "Perfect Transform Attack", which destroyed Devil Z once and for all. With the alien's death, the humans were separated from their Transtectors, and the Transtectors themselves were brought to life as true super-robot lifeforms. While the new-born Transformers departed Earth to rejoin their respective factions in space, Metalhawk elected to remain on Earth and continue his life there. {{storylink|The Birth of the Super Lifeforms}}

====''Victory''====
[[Image:Metalhawk meets jean.jpg|left|120px|thumb|This isn't what it looks like.]]
When Shūta and Cab befriended [[Jean Minakaze]], the adopted human son of the new Autobot Supreme Commander [[Star Saber (G1)|Star Saber]], they introduced him to Metalhawk as well.<ref>[[TV Magazine]] artwork, reprinted in [[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: The Comics]].</ref>
{{-}}

====''Timelines: Wings of Honor''====
{{spoiler|Wings of Honor}}
In the early days of the war, Metalhawk led a team within the [[Elite Guard]] that included [[Dion]]. {{storylink|Wings of Honor|Dion's profile in the Diamond-exclusive version of ''Wings of Honor''}}
{{-}}

In the two page preview for OTFCC issue 32, Metalhawk is shown as wearing a removable armored chest piece and helmet. Landshark refers to him as an "upgrade" and states that he can fly.

==Toys==
===''Super-God Masterforce''===
[[Image:MF-toy Metalhawk.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Who needs feet when you can stand on sticks?]]
* '''Metalhawk''' (Pretender, 1988)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-201'''
**''Accessories'': 2-piece Pretender shell, helmet, "Titanium Saber", "Jet Rifle," left & right "Rifle Wings"

: Available [[exclusive]]ly in Japan, Metalhawk is the only Pretender made from [[die-cast]] metal (a lost art, nowadays). The figure transforms into a blue, gold, red and gray Cybertronic jet (something like a souped up F-15 Eagle), the gray tailfins of which double as two hand-held "Rifle Wing" blasters for his robot mode.

: Metalhawk's outer Pretender shell resembles a human in a red, white and blue armoured space suit, distinguished from other 1988 Pretenders by the presence of a full human face, unobscured by armor like the other Autobots of the year. The shell's helmet is removable and is used to help "lock" the two shell-halves together. The shell is armed with the Titanium Saber and Jet Rifle; the Rifle Wings can also plug into the sides of the Jet Rifle when the robot is stored within the shell, transforming it into the "Wing Blaster".

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1988/Cybertron/Metalhawk/metalhawk.htm more information on Metalhawk at TFU.info]''

{{-}}
==Merchandise==
===Super Collection Figure===
[[Image:Metalhawk scf pvc.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Hold it right there!]]
*'''Metalhawk and Minerva''' (2001)

:A PVC figurine of Metalhawk, in his Pretender armor, was available in the fifth, ''Masterforce''-centric act of [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]'s [[Super Collection Figure]] line. He came packaged with a figurine of Minerva in her human form; the pair were available in both full color and metallic silver "pewter" versions, at a ratio of one per each case of twelve. In eight out of every ten cases, the pewter version of the figures came with the right arm of the BlackZarak "Build-A-Figure".

{{-}}
==References==
<references />

[[Category:Autobots]]
[[Category:Autobot leaders]]
[[Category:Elite Guard]]
[[Category:Japanese-original characters]]
[[Category:Masterforce characters]]
[[Category:Pretenders]]

Wheeljack (G1)

2009-12-14T00:19:06Z

76.124.166.156: /* The Transformers cartoon */

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

[[Image:Wheeljackg1.jpg|right|300px|thumb|[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]! I built a machine that builds machines that builds catapults! Come see 'em!...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}}
Wheeljack was one of [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]]'s crew who crashed to Earth 4,000,000 years ago and laid dormant until 1984. {{storylink|The Transformers (issue)|The Transformers}}

''Following the almost total defeat of the Autobots by [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]], [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] returned to the ''[[Ark (G1)|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 (G1)|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 dream 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 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]]. 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 final 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)

[[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]], 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 (ship)|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 old laboratory and recovered a replacement cosmotron to save Prime's life. {{storylink|Divide and Conquer}}

[[Image:SOSDinobots_buildingSludge.jpg|right|thumb|220px|It's alive! ALIVE!]]

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 function 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|Surpringly, 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 sent 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 ok.]]

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 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 "[[Immobilizer|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 Cyberton 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]]

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 is 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 detontate missiles launched by [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]]. {{storylink|B.O.T. (episode)|B.O.T.}}

[[Image:Windcharger wheeljack otp.jpg|left|220px|thumb|Don't feel bad, he probably blew ''himself'' up.]]

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}}

Although his name was not specifically listed among those interred there, Wheeljack's body was presumably laid to rest on the deep-space mausoleum the Autobots created to serve as the final resting place for their fallen. If so, Wheeljack's body would have been lost for good when the mausoleum was destroyed in 2006 as part of a [[Quintesson]] plot. {{storylink|Dark Awakening}}
{{-}}

====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 interal 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]]

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 name [[Kenji]], the Autobots were able to take out the Decepticons by using a broken section of freeway as a ramp to gain height and 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 Decepticons 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}}
{{--}}
=====Binaltech=====
[[Image:BTWheeljack art.jpg|left|250px|thumb|HEAVY METAL RULES!!!]]
When the Dinobots were injured in a Decepticon attack in the year 2005, 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]]. 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. 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 Ciy. 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 [[GT 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.

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. 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.

======Alternate "BT World" timeline======

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. 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.

{{note|Presumably, the data sent back in time by Wheeljack 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.}}

=====''Victory'' cartoon=====
[[Image:WheeljackVictory1.jpg|right|thumb|220px|Um, that was my brother Jackwheel .]]

:''Voice actor:'' [[Shinobu Satouchi]] (Japanese)

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|left|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]] and sent out onto the battlefield.
{{storylink|Masterpiece Convoy Black Version}}
{{-}}

===Dreamwave comics continuity===
{{note|Events from the [[Keepers Trilogy]] novels are in italics.}}

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.<ref>[[Transformers: The Ultimate Guide]]</ref>

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]] 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.<ref>Dreamwave's [[More Than Meets The Eye (G1)|More Than Meets The Eye]] profile for Wheeljack</ref> ''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]] 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 an 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]] 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|]]
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}}
{{-}}

===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]] and [[Bumper (G1)|Bumper]]. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin #3}}

[[Image:Escalation2 JazzWheeljack party.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Hollywood's latest spin on the buddy cop drama, Jazz & the 'Jack.]]
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 and the [[Ultra-Energon|Ore-13]]-powered Starscream. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6|Infiltration #6}}

Later, after [[Escalation issue 1|the incident outside Lebanon, Illinois]], he and 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 and 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 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 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 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 worked together to repair 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}}

{{charstubfiction}}

{{-}}

==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==
===Generation 1===
* '''Wheeljack''' (1984, 1991)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-03'''[[Image:G1Wheeljack toy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Do your arms hang low? Do they wobble to and fro?]]
**''Accessories:'' 2 shoulder cannons, 4 rockets, 2 wings

: The original Wheeljack toy, released as part of the 1984 series of Autobots, was based on a ''[[Diaclone]]'' Lancia Stratos Turbo. He comes with two rocket launchers that can fire four projectiles and two clear wings. In robot mode, the rocket launchers and the wings mount onto his shoulder and back respectively. For some reason, Wheeljack's lower arms/hands cannot lock into his upper arms, leaving them hanging at an angle.

: In 1986, he was made available as a mail-away item (as he was no longer shipping to retail shelves) in multiple offers, including [[Digital Doom on the Highway to Destruction]] fliers packed with most boxed ''Transformers'' toys. He cost $8 and two [[Robot Point]]s.

: Unfortunately for many collectors, Wheeljack's mold has been damaged or destroyed, meaning his chances of future reissue looks bleak. The closest version of the figure to currency is the European [[Classics (Europe)|Classics]] reissue.

: A [[retool|retooled]] and [[redeco|redecoed]] version of the [[Diaclone]] toy was the basis for the obscure [[Decepticon]] "[[Marlboor Wheeljack]]".

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1984/Autobot/Wheeljack/wheeljack.htm More information on Wheeljack at TFU.info]''
{{-}}
[[Image:AMWheeljack.jpg|right|300px|thumb|At least I come with the Miami Vice car.]]
* '''Wheeljack''' (Action Master, 1990)
**''Accessories:'' 2 missiles

: [[Action Master]] Wheeljack is a non-transforming action figure sculpted based upon his cartoon appearances. He comes with the [[Turbo Racer]], a large red sports car based upon the Ferrari Testarossa that can seat two ''Action Master'' figures. The Turbo Racer has an 'attack mode' where it transforms into something vaguely resembling an aircraft made from car parts.

: The Wheeljack figure was later repainted into [[Slicer]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1990/Autobot/Wheeljack/wheeljack.htm More information on Action Master Wheeljack at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Universe (2003)===
[[Image:SpychangerWheeljack.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Where's your head at, at?]]
*'''Wheeljack''' (Spychanger, 2004)
**''Accessories:'' Gun

:This version of Wheeljack is a redeco of [[Spy Changer]] [[Daytonus]], transforming into a Le Mans racing car. He is cast in white plastic with mostly black paint. The toy has several stickers to represent Wheeljack's earlier Lancia Stratos colours, including his racing number 539. He comes with a small black rifle that can be stored between his legs in vehicle mode.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2004/Autobot/SpyWheeljack/wheeljack.htm More information on Spychanger Wheeljack at TFU.info]''
{{-}}
===Alternators===
[[Image:BTWheeljack toy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Mustang Wheeljack! You better slow your Mustang down!]]
* '''Wheeljack''' (2005)
**''Alternator ID number:'' '''13'''
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''BT-14'''
**''Accessories:'' Engine/gun, energo sword{{fact}}

: ''[[Alternators]]'' Wheeljack is a retool of ''Alternators'' [[Grimlock (G1)/toys|Grimlock]]. He transforms into a 2005 (S197 chassis) model Ford Mustang GT, painted white with blue stripes. In vehicle mode, he features highly realistic styling, opening doors, hood and trunk, as well as a detailed car interior. In robot mode his removable engine becomes a double-barreled laser.

:The Japanese ''Binaltech'' release of the figure has a slightly retooled head (see image inset), different paint applications, and is partially constructed of die-cast metal.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2005/Autobot/AltWheeljack/wheeljack.htm More information on ''Alternators'' Wheeljack at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===Decoy===
[[Image:Decoy_wheeljack.jpg|right|150px|thumb]]
*'''Cybertron Hero Collection 22''' (Decoy multi-pack, 1985)
: This small red rubber figurine of Wheeljack was released in Japan as part of a large multi-pack of similar figures, which were used as playing pieces for ''Transformers'' board games. The figure features a number etched into its back which is the sum total of Wheeljack's [[Tech Spec]] ratings, which served some function in the gameplay the figures were used for.

*'''Wheeljack''' (1987)
**''Decoy number:'' '''22'''

: The Wheeljack figurine was later brought over to [[Hasbro]] markets as part of the [[Decoy]] promotion, largely identical to the Japanese release except for the fact that the number on his back was replaced with a simple "checklist" number (22, in Wheeljack's case). Like all Autobot Decoys, he was a randomly-chosen pack-in available with the carded [[Throttlebot]]s, [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]], [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]] and [[Technobot (G1)|Technobot]]s.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1986/Autobot/Decoys/Wheeljack/wheeljack.htm More information on Decoy Wheeljack at TFU.info]''
{{--}}

===Super Collection Figure===
[[Image:Wheeljack_scf_pvc.jpg|right|150px|thumb]]
*'''Wheeljack''' (2002)

: A three-inch tall [[plastic|PVC]] figurine of Wheeljack was available in the seventh ''[[Victory (franchise)|Victory]]''-centric wave of [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]'s ''[[Super Collection Figure]]'' line. Like all the figures in the wave, it was available as both a standard full color figure and a metallic silver "pewter" version, one of each of which was available in a standard case of twelve [[blindpacking|blindpacked]] figures. Additionally, the pewter version of Wheeljack came packaged with right "boot" piece needed to transform the wave's [[Star Saber (Victory)|Star Saber]] figure into Victory Saber.

===Heroes of Cybertron===
*'''Wheeljack''' (2003)

: Wheeljack's ''Super Collection Figure'' PVC was released the following year by Hasbro as part of their ''[[Heroes of Cybertron]]'' line. Like all the figures in the series, Wheeljack was given a [[light-piping]] gimmick by being cast entirely in translucent blue plastic then painted everywhere except on his eyes and the back of his head. Unlike the Japanese version, he was sold separate on a blister card and came packaged with the right arm of the [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] "build-a-figure".
{{--}}
===Hard Hero===
[[Image:Wheeljackbust.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Optimus Prime! I built a machine that removes legs and replaces them with small pedestals! Come see!]]
*'''Wheeljack''' (Hard Hero, 2003)

:[[Hard Hero]] released a polystone bust of Wheeljack, based upon his appearance in the Generation 1 television series. The tenth bust in their main ''Transformers'' series, Wheeljack is some six inches tall and was limited to 2500 normal copies and an additional 100 exclusively signed by the sculptor.

{{-}}
===Palisades===
[[Image:Wheeljackstatue.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Small, expensive, and puffy.]]
*'''Wheeljack''' (Palisades, 2004)

:[[Palisades]] released a 6-inch polystone statue of Wheeljack, based upon [[Pat Lee]]'s rendition of him in the Dreamwave comics.

{{-}}

==Trivia==

*Wheeljack has the distinction of being the first Transformer to appear in the original Generation 1 cartoon.
* The retool of [[Grimlock (G1)/toys|''Alternators'' Grimlock]] was originally planned to be [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] (presumably in red), but ultimately ended up as Wheeljack instead, with a new head sculpt. Meanwhile, the head sculpt originally intended for Ford-Windcharger ended up being used for the retool of Windcharger (the Honda S2000 mold) instead, now named "[[Decepticharge]]".
* Wheeljack was given an homage in the form of ''[[Energon (franchise)|Energon]]'' [[Downshift (Energon)|Downshift]]. Downshift has Wheeljack's colors, face, and even feet modeled after the Lancia grill.
* According to the Japanese [[Transformers: Call of the Future]], Wheeljack is significantly older than [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]], old enough to tell him to "respect your elders".

==References==
{{reflist}}

==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:Universe characters]]
[[Category:Victory characters]]
[[Category:Spy Changers]]