MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

Daniel Riordan

2012-07-30T11:33:30Z

98.212.255.236:

{{disambig3|Daniel}}

[[Image:Danriordanzoom.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Being Captain Zoom is still more dignified than being ''Robots in Disguise'' Megatron.]]
'''Daniel Riordan''' is an American actor. He has made several appearances on various ''Star Trek'' series, and also appeared in ''Ed Wood'', ''Jingle all the Way'' and ''Scooby Doo: The Mystery Begins'' (Which also featured [[Garry Chalk]] and [[Frank Welker]]) as the voice of the Dark Spector. He also voiced Mr. Sinister in ''X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse'', and Doc Samson in ''The Incredible [[Hulk]]: Ultimate Destruction''.

==Voice roles==
===''Robots in Disguise''===
* [[Megatron (RID)|Megatron/Galvatron]]
* [[Omega Prime]]

===''Transformers: The Game'' (2007)===
* [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]]
* [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]]

==External links==
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0727850/ Daniel Riordan at the Internet Movie Database]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riordan, Daniel}}
[[Category:English voice actors]]
[[Category:Activision]]

LabnÃ¡ ruins

2010-09-24T06:52:20Z

98.212.255.236:

:''The Labná ruins are a location from the [[Armada (franchise)|Armada portion]] of the [[Unicron Trilogy]] [[continuity family]].''

Located on [[Mexico]]'s Yucatan Peninsula, the '''Labná ruins''' are a Mesoamerican site of great historical importance. In a cavern beneath a hill lies evidence of the [[Natiltec]] tribe from three thousand years ago, who encountered strange beings who turned into lizards, mammals and insects of varying types, as well as a recording from the [[Maximal]] [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]].

==Fiction==
===Fire in the Dark===
A joint United States-British expedition led by doctors [[Jessica Theist]] and [[Carter Sanford]] were exploring the ruins when an accident on the part of [[Ransack (Armada)|Ransack]], one of the [[Mini-Con]]s they had with them, caused Theist to tumble into the cave containing the Natiltec pictographs. With the aid of [[Laserbeak (Armada)|Laserbeak]] they were able to decode and translate some of the text, revealing the story of what had happened there 3,000 years before. Sanford was delighted at the find, predicting fame and fortune... and years of work to follow, painstakingly examining the site. {{storylink|Fire in the Dark}}

==External links==
*[[Wikipedia:Labna|Labna]] at Wikipedia.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Labna ruins}}
[[Category:Armada locations]]
[[Category:Beast Wars locations]]
[[Category:Earth]]

Predacon (BW)

2010-09-07T00:49:00Z

98.212.255.236: /* Social status */

{{factions|predacon|decepticon|{{factions/icons|custom=Timelines_Predacon_Symbol.png|cSize=33px|cLink=Predacon (BW)|cPretty=Predacon}}}}
{{disambig3|Predacon}}
:''The Predacons are a faction from the [[Beast Era]] portion of the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] continuity.''

[[Image:Predacon symbol.png|right|180px|thumb|You know they're evil. Their icon could poke out an optic.]]
Arising from the ashes of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]], the '''Predacons''' are, at least in part, descendants of the [[Decepticon|Decepticons]]. Some sources suggest that they were born from what remained of the original five [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]]. By order of the [[Pax Cybertronia]], they exist as something of an underclass, appearing to be equals, but firmly under the [[Maximal|Maximals]] in the social order. This has led many Predacons to hold bitter grudges against the Maximals.

When Predacons take beast modes, they tend to be dinosaurs, reptiles and arthropods, although this is not a hard-and-fast rule.

The adjective for "of or pertaining to the Predacons" is '''Predaconial'''<ref><tt>A [Maximal] strategic specialist, [[Stinkbomb]] is fascinated with the study of Predaconial psychology.</tt> — [http://www.tfu.info/1999/Maximal/Stinkbomb/stinkbomb.htm Stinkbomb's Tech-Spec], 1999</ref>, though it is ''extremely common'' to simply substitute 'Predacon'.

{{quote|You do not know the Predacons. We—they ''live'' for the glory of conquest.|[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] to [[Tigatron]]|"[[Law of the Jungle]]"}}

{{quote|When Predacons talk truce, it just means they need time to reload their weapons.|[[Optimus Primal]]|"[[Before the Storm]]"}}

{{quote|Prosper or perish is the Predacon way of life, and we plan to survive by driving the Maximals into extinction!|[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]|[[Beast Wars: Transformers (video game)|Beast Wars]] video game site}}

:''Japanese name:'' '''Destrons'''
:''French-Canadian name:'' '''Prédators'''
:''French, German and Dutch name'' (Beast Wars toyline only): '''Predators'''
:''Polish name:'' '''Predatony'''

== Origin ==
We do not know the origin of the Predacons beyond the fact that they are descendants of the Decepticons, at least in part. They were in existence and at war with the [[Maximal]]s prior to the signing of the [[Pax Cybertronia]], at which time most laid down their arms but a few went rogue.

Different continuities present differing, sometimes conflicting accounts. One account says that [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] founded the Predacons ([[Predacon (G1)|reusing his old team's name]]) after the Decepticons' defeat, and that they took the fight to Cybertron and could have won if the [[Tripredacus Council]] hadn't stolen control for themselves. {{storylink|BotCon 2009|Timelines Razorclaw's bio card}} Others have the Predacons and Decepticons co-existing for a time. {{storylink|The Razor's Edge}} {{storylink|Descent into Evil}} {{storylink|Beast Wars Sourcebook}} When [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] was in a bad mood, he's said the Predacons came ''after'' the Great War. {{storylink|Code of Hero}} {{storylink|The Agenda (Part III)}}

In at least one [[Micro-continuity]] the Predacons existed as far back as the 1990s, operating on human inhabited Earth under ''a'' [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]. {{storylink|Optimus Primal vs Megatron!}} {{storylink|Tarantulas#Toy Bio|Tarantulas toy bio}} It has been recorded that their way of life was to prosper or perish, and their leader swore they'd do this by driving the Maximals into extinction! {{storylink|Megatron (BW)/toys#Beast Wars|Megatron (1996) bio}} Of course, this may be [[Maximal Elder]] propaganda.

== Organization ==
The Predacons, although apparently governed by an organization known as the [[Predacon Alliance]], appear to be a rather splintered faction. One of the major ruling bodies is the [[Tripredacus Council]], but it is possible they represent only one political voice within the Alliance. As Predacons are known to look down on a [[Democracy|democratic]] system of governance and appear able to accept power plays and treachery if it ''succeeds'' {{storylink|Master Blaster}}, Predacon government can be assumed as autocratic and based on whoever can hold on to power successfully.

The Tripredacus Council keeps its followers pacified under the Pax Cybertronia with the promise of a slow, sly return to power, whispering of a long-term plan to overthrow the Maximals when the time is right. A number of Predacons have expressed dissatisfaction with this approach, leading renegades such as [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], [[Galvatron (BWII)|Galvatron]], and [[Magmatron]] to recruit private armies of followers and, either covertly or overtly, strike out against the Maximals on their own. Nearly all known Beast Wars-era Predacons tend to fall within the arms of these criminal renegade militias, with the exceptions of [[Tarantulas]] and [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]], who were members of the [[Predacon Secret Police]], and the Tripredacus Council itself. It is unknown whether the Predacons have any sort of official standing army or defense force other than this internal Secret Police.

In one continuity, following the [[Great Reformatting]], a revived Predacon force under Razorclaw was preparing for war; though the Tripredacus Council seemed absent and we don't know how large this new insurgent force truely was. {{storylink|Dawn of Future's Past}}

In another continuity, thousands of years after Beast Machines, the Predacons have been shown to be actively at war with the Maximals across the galaxy {{storylink|Autorollers Roll Out!}} {{storylink|Big Convoy, Move Out}} and have an [[Dead End (BWN)|official army with a military academy]]. The top military rank at this time is "[[Emperor of Destruction]]", and any governing force beyond that is unknown.

{{note|Originally, the Japanese Beast Wars animes weren't in the far future; they've since been retconned there.}}

== Society ==

We don't know much about the Predacons' general lifestyle. All evidence suggests a very militant warrior culture, with power grabs endemic. This is even enshrined for some in an [[Dinobot (BW)|honour system]], where seizing control by force if you think you could do a better job was seen as an honourable, proper act. Predacon honour also put great stock in bravery in battle, a glorious end, and paying off your debts. The fact that the honour system allows for treachery has left Maximals confused. We do not know how widespread this honour system actually ''is'', as the majority of Beast Wars (admitedly criminal renegade) combatants were happy to ignore it.

A number of Predacons are scientists. Academic knowledge and expertise seems respected as long as you can also fight; if you can't, [[Fractyl|you get looked down on]].

Some Predacons have gone for more esoteric skills, such as [[Saberback|magic]].

Unsurprisingly, Predacon society has a strong criminal element. Both [[Crazybolt|individual thieves]] and organised gangs are known. Some gangsters, such as [[Cryotek (RID)|Cryotek]], have become hideously powerful and bold enough to attack the Maximal government.

== Social status ==

The exact social status of the Predacons appears to be a second-class one, but there's no specifics. Megatron has referred to the Maximals as ''ruling'' the Predacons on several occasions {{storylink|Code of Hero}} and once, in a melodramatic moment, said that they were slaves. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part III)}} Dinobot, meanwhile, thinks little of Maximal justice {{storylink|The Probe}} and believes that the Maximals use [[Maximal Torture Chamber|torture devices]] on Predacons. {{storylink|Chain of Command}}

Some Maximals, like [[Optimus Primal]], consider there to be a long-standing peace between the two races, apparently unaware of Predacon frustrations. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}} Optimus has also been willing to offer a hand of friendship {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 2)}} or show respect {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 1)}} to individual Predacons. Many of the ''other'' Maximals we've seen, by contrast, appear to view the ''entirety'' of the Predacon population as inherently untrustworthy and dangerous (especially if that Maximal is [[Rattrap]]). Maximal soldiers on Cybertron have expressed ''enjoyment'' in finally being allowed to beat up on insurgent Predacons. {{storylink|The Ascending issue 2}}

That all said, the Predacons co-run the important governing body, the [[Bi-Partate Committee for State Affairs]]. {{storylink|The Gathering}}

== Bases of operation ==
It is even unknown where exactly the Predacons are based.

The Tripredacus Council holds meetings aboard a space station, [[Predacon Command Outpost One]].

While one would presume the Predacons also had some sort of presence on Cybertron itself, there's evidence to the contrary. After the Beast Warriors' return to Cybertron following the events of Beast Wars, [[Optimus Primal]], Megatron, and others refer frequently to the missing population as Maximals only. This seems to suggest that they expected the number of Predacons on the planet to be negligible, if not zero. The only notable mention of Predacons in the series comes when [[Rattrap]] wonders what the murderous [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] would have been like if he'd been reformatted from a Predacon instead of the Maximal [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]].

{{note|In real life terms the Predacons were excluded from the ''[[Beast Machines (franchise)|Beast Machines]]'' show and toy line for fear of confusing children with a third faction. ''Beast Machines'' story editor and head writer [[Robert N. Skir]] suggests in his FAQ pages that the Predacons suffered the same fate as the Maximals, though that leaves their absence rather odd.}}

==Note==
Most of the Predacons' [[Alternate mode|alternate modes]] from ''[[Beast Wars II (franchise)|Beast Wars II]]'' are vehicles instead of animals. Meanwhile, the Predacons from ''[[Beast Wars Neo (franchise)|Beast Wars Neo]]'' transform into prehistoric reptiles and animals such as Dinosaurs, Pterosaurs, and ammonites.

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Beast Era]]
[[Category:Beast Wars]]
[[Category:Beast Wars II]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Neo]]
[[Category:Factions]]
[[Category:Predacons]]

Heater

2010-06-23T04:47:12Z

98.212.255.236: /* Notes */

{{factions|decepticon}}
:''Heater is a [[Decepticon]]-allied [[Nebulos|Nebulan]] from the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Heater dt.jpg|right|200px|thumb|You wanna buy some death sticks?]]

'''Heater''' prefers to take the path of least resistance. Legitimate work is too much of a hassle, so he made a living by shilling illegal pleasure pods; when the [[Nebulos|Nebulan]] authorities closed in, he escaped the rigors of prison by joining the Decepticons. Subjected to the [[Targetmaster]] process, Heater was binary-bonded with [[Quake (G1)|Quake]] and gained the ability to transform into a [[photon pistol]]. His laziness and criminal tendencies have not endeared him to [[Tiptop]], Quake's other partner.

{{TOCclear}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
* '''Quake w/ Tiptop and Heater''' (Targetmaster, 1988)

:Heater, like all the "double" Targetmaster Nebulans, is one of the smallest and least complicated Transformers. Fold the barrel away, and stand him up. His back has a peg-hole that allows him to combine with Heater (or any other Targetmaster or weapon with a 5mm peg) to create a super-weapon. He was only available in a set with Quake and Heater.

: No version of this character or mold was released in Japan.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1988/Decepticon/Quake/quake.htm More information on Heater (with Quake & Tiptop) at TFU.info]''

==Notes==
* Neither Tiptop nor Heater make an explicit appearance in the Marvel comic, but Quake's tank mode has extra gun on his toy's Targetmaster [[hardpoint]] in issues [[On the Edge of Extinction!|75]] and [[End of the Road! (US)|80]]. In issue 80 the extra gun looks like a simplified Heater design and his main turret might be Tiptop. Whether or not these are genuine appearances of Quake's Targetmasters is unclear.

==External links==
*[http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Quake Quake, Tiptop, and Heater's ''Universe'' profile at NFTA.net]

[[Category:Decepticons]]
[[Category:Generation 1 characters]]
[[Category:Nebulans]]
[[Category:Targetmasters]]
[[Category:Toy-only characters]]

Transformers Animated timeline

2010-04-24T11:18:56Z

98.212.255.236: /* "A thousand stellar cycles" ago */

This timeline covers '''the history of the ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]]'' [[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|cartoon''' continuity]], including the mini-comic "[[The Arrival]]", which is set firmly during the first and second seasons of the cartoon, and the reference book ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac|The AllSpark Almanac]]''. The dates given are relative to the 22nd Century.<ref>The packaging blurb on the "[[Transform and Roll Out]]" DVD refers to the movie taking place in the 22nd Century. Additionally, in "[[Blast from the Past]]", [[Isaac Sumdac|Professor Sumdac]] mentions that his updates to [[Dino Drive]]'s animatronic dinosaurs will "bring Dino Drive into the 22nd Century".</ref> Stellar cycles are the Cybertronian equivalent of Earth years, and judging by how freely the terms are interchanged, they seem to be of at least roughly equal length. However, as the timeframes for some events are given in only vague terms, the exact ordering of portions of the timeline is only a "best guess".

:{{note|Events that are presented only in "The Arrival" and ''The AllSpark Almanac'' are in italics. As with a few of the episodes, the comic's stories can often be placed at any point within the first season of the cartoon with little or no impact on the overall continuity, so their placing in this timeline is largely arbitrary.}}
[[Image:TFA TFandRollout Autobots.jpg|thumb|400px|]]

=="10 billion years" ago==
[[Image:MagnusHammer Animated.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
*Before time began, there was the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]].
*The [[Transformer]] race is "born". {{storylink|Blast from the Past}}<ref>In "[[Blast from the Past]]", [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] stated that "we've been around for 10 billion years". It is not made explicit, but from the context, it seems as if he was referring to the Transformer race as a whole.</ref>
*''One of the Transformers uses a huge lightning-powered hammer to forge a container for the AllSpark. This hammer then becomes a [[Magnus Hammer|status symbol]] to be wielded by each [[Magnus]] of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac|The AllSpark Almanac}}''
{{-}}

=="Many millions of years" ago==
[[Image:TFA Space Bridge.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
*The Transformers split into two factions over custody of the AllSpark. The [[Great War (Animated)|Great War]] ensues. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}}
*In a bid to keep it out of [[Decepticon]] hands, the [[Autobot]]s throw the AllSpark through a [[space bridge]] to "some far-flung corner of the galaxy where no-one would ever find it". {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}}

*''A young [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] meets [[Oil Slick (Animated)|Oil Slick]] on the battlefield at [[Hydrax Plateau]], infected with [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|Cosmic Rust]], and they make an antidote together. Oil Slick double-crosses Ratchet and leaves him for dead, but Ratchet manages to keep hold of the antidote he just made, and takes it to be analyzed at the [[Ministry of Science]]. {{storylink|The Arrival issue 3|'Bots of Science}}''<ref>"[[The Arrival issue 3|'Bots of Science]]" takes place at "the height of the Autobot/Decepticon Great War(s)", which indicates that it's at a time when Megatron is leading the 'Cons, before he left them in search of the AllSpark.</ref>
{{-}}

=="4 million stellar cycles" ago==
[[Image:Ratchetanimatedthrill.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] begins his search for the missing [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]]. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}} {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 2}}
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] begins attempting to destroy Megatron and usurp his position as leader of the [[Decepticon]]s. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part II}}

*The bounty hunter [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] is hired by Megatron to abduct [[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]], who holds the activation codes for [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Project: Omega]] within her processor. He finds her on the battlefield together with field tech [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]], and captures them both. {{storylink|The Thrill of the Hunt}}
*Lockdown takes Ratchet's EMP generator as a trophy, but Ratchet fights him for it, causing it to overload. Ratchet and Arcee manage to escape amidst the chaos, but Arcee's memory banks are wiped by the overloading EMP generator and she is left unaware of her own identity or status. {{storylink|The Thrill of the Hunt}}

[[Image:TransWarpedOmegaBirth.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
*Ratchet takes Arcee back to the [[Metroplex (Animated)|Metroplex]] where he is forced to perform open-processor surgery on her to try and retrieve the codes. He unwittingly triggers a failsafe in which the codes are transmitted directly from her processor to his. [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] is then activated, with Ratchet himself replacing Arcee as his designated "mentor-bot". {{storylink|TransWarped}}

*The Autobots believe the damage done to Arcee's circuitry to be "completely irreversible", and she is left lying offline in a hospital bed in [[Cybertron Central Infirmary]]. {{storylink|This Is Why I Hate Machines}}
{{-}}

=="2 million stellar cycles" ago==
*[[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] sacrifices his [[spark]] to win the [[Great War (Animated)|Great War]] and is put into [[Teletran-1|modified stasis]] thereafter. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part II}}

==Over "a million stellar cycles" ago==
[[Image:FiveServosOfDoom-Yoketron.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
*A delinquent [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] attempts to avoid fighting in the Great War, but is caught by [[Warpath (Animated)|Warpath]]. He is taken to see [[Yoketron|Master Yoketron]] who accepts him as a student of the [[Cyber-Ninja Corps]] in the hopes of teaching him discipline through [[Circuit-Su]]. In the final stage of his training, Prowl is sent on an [[optics quest]] to "find his [[spark]]". {{storylink|Five Servos of Doom}}

*[[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]], himself a former student of the Cyber-Ninja Corps, leads an attack on Yoketron's dojo in order to steal the [[protoform]]s being protected within for Megatron. {{storylink|Five Servos of Doom}}
*Having made no progress on his optics quest, Prowl returns to Yoketron for guidance only to find him lying mortally wounded. After an unsuccessful attempt to save his master's life, Prowl leaves [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] with the intention to finish his optics quest and thereby complete his training. {{storylink|Five Servos of Doom}}<ref>Between them, [[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] and [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] say that nobody has seen [[Yoketron]] for a million stellar cycles in "[[Five Servos of Doom]]". Prowl also says that he had been on his [[optics quest]] for a million stellar cycles by the time he met the Autobot repair crew in "[[Endgame, Part I]]".</ref>

*The [[Great War (Animated)|Great War]] finally ends with the [[Decepticon]]s defeated. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}} ''{{storylink|Dispatches}}''<ref>The history vid at the start of "[[Transform and Roll Out]], Part 1" refers to the [[Great War (Animated)|Great War]] as having taken place "many millions of years ago". In the same episode, however, both [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] place it as having happened "centuries ago". On top of this, in "[[Dispatches]]", Sentinel Prime claims that "this peace has lasted over a million stellar cycles". It seems that nobody really knows when the Great War happened, but seeing as a million years = ten thousand centuries, and "many millions of years" is indeed "over a million", the statements are not strictly contradictory.</ref>

=="A few thousand stellar cycles" ago==
*''[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] last performs drill sergeant duty. {{storylink|First (and Second) in Flight}}''
:{{note|This seems to conflict with other events in the timeline. Possibly Sentinel was exaggerating how long it had been in order to cover for his mistake. It's not like [[Jetfire (Animated)|the]] [[Jetstorm (Animated)|twins]] would know any better.}}

=="A thousand stellar cycles" ago==
[[Image:Alongcameaspiderthreefriends.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
*''A young cadet named [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus]] scores higher on his combat simulator test than any [[Autobot]] in the history of the [[Autobot Academy|Academy]]. {{storylink|The Arrival issue 5|Survival Skills}}''
*Optimus and his fellow Academy bots, [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel]] and Elita-1, explore an alien planet in search of a crashed Decepticon ship and its store of energon. After a battle with indigenous giant spiders, the guys escape, but Elita is left behind where she unwillingly absorbs the spiders' organic element and metamorphoses into [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]]. Optimus returns to the scene after things have died down a bit, but detects no [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]ian [[energy signature]]. Blackarachnia doesn't reveal herself either, leading him to assume she is dead. The Decepticons later drop by, and she joins their ranks. {{storylink|Along Came a Spider}} {{storylink|Endgame, Part I}}<ref>In "[[Along Came a Spider]]", [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] says that she waited "for a thousand stellar cycles" to purge her organic half.</ref>
*Optimus and Sentinel are brought before [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] on charges of trespassing on an organic planet, thus breaking Cybertronian law and causing the apparent demise of Elita-1. Sentinel blames Optimus for everything and, as the senior cadet, Optimus accepts full responsibility. As a result, he is expelled from the Academy and made ineligible for service in the Elite Guard. {{storylink|Endgame, Part I}}
[[Image:TFA Elita-1 mutation.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
*Sentinel, on the other hand, is promoted to the rank of [[Minor (rank)|Minor]] and becomes the drill sergeant of the [[Autobot boot camp]], where he gives the recruits their names and punishes them with lots of [[Transform-up]]s. Jerk. {{storylink|Autoboot Camp}}

*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]], [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]], [[Ironhide (Animated)|Ironhide]] and [[Wasp]] enroll in the Autobot boot camp together with a bot who calls himself [[Shockwave (Animated)|Longarm]]. {{storylink|Autoboot Camp}}
*Bumblebee catches a traitor in his midst whom he mistakenly identifies as Wasp. Longarm manipulates the evidence to support this mistake and the little green bot is arrested as a spy, vowing revenge upon his yellow counterpart. Bumblebee, however, opts to take responsibility for Bulkhead injuring Sentinel Minor, and so doesn't reap any rewards for his detective work. {{storylink|Autoboot Camp}} {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part II}}
*After graduating from boot camp, Bulkhead becomes Cybertron's top space bridge expert by getting a higher score on his aptitude test than any Cybertronian scientist, and he and Bumblebee join Ratchet as the crew of a space bridge repair ship. {{storylink|Autoboot Camp}} {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part I}}
[[Image:Autobot Cadets.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
*Ultra Magnus pulls some strings for Optimus, giving him the position of [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] and command of his own space bridge repair ship, complete with a three-bot crew. {{storylink|Endgame, Part I}}

*Sentinel Minor joins the Elite Guard and is promoted again, this time to the rank of Prime.
*Longarm goes on to graduate from the Autobot Academy and become a member of [[Cybertron Intelligence]].
*[[Highbrow (Animated)|Highbrow]], the head of Cybertron Intelligence, mysteriously disappears. Longarm assumes the position he vacated and is promoted to Longarm Prime.
{{-}}

==50 years ago==
[[Image:TFA TFandRollout TheAllsparkdiscovered.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
*While maintaining a [[space bridge]] on a remote asteroid, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] and his crew of [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]], [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]], and [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] discover [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] meditating in a cave, still trying to complete the [[optics quest]] he started a million stellar cycles ago. When they accidentally destroy his ship, Prowl agrees to help the bots with their work in exchange for a ride home. {{storylink|Endgame, Part I}}

*The crew stumble upon the lost [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]] when it suddenly arrives through the space bridge they're maintaining. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}}
*The ''[[Nemesis (Animated)|Nemesis]]'' quickly arrives on the scene, and the [[Autobot]]s attempt to protect the AllSpark by taking it aboard [[Teletran-1|their ship]] and getting the hell out of Dodge. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}}
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] attacks the Autobot ship personally, but is his plans are sabotaged with the detonation of a bomb planted on his person by [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]]. The explosion is so great as to not only massively damage Megatron, but also both the 'Bot and 'Con ships. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}}
[[Image:TFA TFandRollout Arkatmosphere.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
*The AllSpark guides the damaged Autobot ship, including Megatron, through the nearest space bridge, which then promptly explodes. The Decepticons scatter, leaving Starscream alone with the ''Nemesis''. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}}
*The Autobot ship is warped to the vicinity of [[Earth]]'s [[moon (moon)|moon]] and enters the planet's atmosphere during which time it is separated from Megatron. The Autobots opt to go into stasis to brace for impact, and their ship comes to rest at the bottom of [[Lake Erie]]. Megatron meanwhile lands in pieces in a field near [[Isaac Sumdac]]'s family farm. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}} ''{{storylink|Dispatches}}''

*''[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] and [[Lugnut]] make their way back to the Decepticon refugee colony [[New Kaon]], where Blitzwing announces that "Megatron is no more", but Lugnut refuses to believe it. At the same time, Sentinel Prime is at the [[Autobot Memorial Plaza]] in [[Iacon (city-state)|Iacon City]] giving a markedly tepid eulogy for Optimus and his crew. Jerk. {{storylink|Dispatches}}''

*Unaware of Starscream's involvement, Blitzwing hires [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] to track down and capture Optimus Prime so that he may be held accountable for destroying Megatron. {{storylink|The Thrill of the Hunt}} ''{{storylink|The Arrival issue 4|A Few Loose Strands}}''

[[Image:TransWarpedProtoform.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
*Sumdac spends the next fifty years reverse-engineering the parts of Megatron that he salvaged and builds his own robotics company from the knowledge he obtains, eventually moving into [[Sumdac Tower]]. He decides to decorate his office with the Decepticon leader's giant severed head, and also uses his hand as a chair. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}} {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 2}} ''{{storylink|Dispatches}}''

*At some point, Sumdac stumbles upon a [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]ian [[protoform]]. It samples his DNA and thus becomes a Cybertronian-human hybrid. He adopts the protoform, names it [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]], and raises it as a normal human girl. {{storylink|TransWarped}}
{{-}}

==Present day (22nd Century)==
===Season one===
[[Image:TFA TFandRollout Sari followedmehome.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
*The [[Autobot]] repair crew awaken from stasis and fast become local heroes by saving the citizens of [[Detroit]] from various dangers. They meet [[Sari Sumdac]], who meets the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]], which turns her security key into [[AllSpark Key|an ultra-powerful MacGuffin]]. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}}
*Sari introduces the Autobots to their new home, an abandoned warehouse that her father acquired as part of a business deal and "doesn't even know he owns". {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}}
*Having tracked the AllSpark to within the solar system, the ''[[Nemesis (Animated)|Nemesis]]'' picks up some transmitted news broadcasts showing the Autobots in Detroit, and follows their point of origin. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}} ''{{storylink|Dispatches}}''
*''[[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] catches up with the ''Nemesis'', boards it, and manages to plant a tracking device on [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] before he kicks her out again. {{storylink|Dispatches}}''
[[Image:TFA TFandRollout Prime SS Allsparkactivates.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
*The ''Nemesis'' crash-lands on the Moon. {{storylink|Lost and Found (episode)|Lost and Found}} ''{{storylink|Dispatches}}''
*Starscream travels the final stretch to Earth and causes a whole heap of mayhem whilst loudly announcing the part he played in Megatron's downfall. The 'Screamer is sent packing by a burst of AllSpark energy, and [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] manages to [[the many deaths of Optimus Prime|get himself killed]] in the process. The Key comes to the rescue and brings Prime back to life by channeling another burst of the AllSpark's power. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}}

*''Blackarachnia arrives on the Moon and, sensing the AllSpark nearby, takes a look around the crashed ''Nemesis''. [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] shows up soon after and the pair of them come to blows, during which the bounty hunter loses consciousness. He awakens to find the techno-organic nowhere in sight and makes his way to Earth, unaware that she is stowing away aboard [[Death's Head (Animated)|his ship]]. {{storylink|Dispatches}} {{storylink|The Arrival issue 4|A Few Loose Strands}}''

*''Back on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], the [[Decepticon]]s and the [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Autobot Elite Guard]] also pick up a signal from the AllSpark, and begin preparations to leave for Earth. {{storylink|Dispatches}}''

*The Autobots first encounter the [[Angry Archer]] when his plan to steal money from an armoured security van is thwarted by Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Home Is Where the Spark Is}}
[[Image:TFA Nanosec Sumdac Megatron chill.JPG|thumb|150px|]]
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] develops a fascination with organic life. {{storylink|Home Is Where the Spark Is}} {{storylink|Nature Calls}}
*Thanks to Sari and her key, [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] awakens to find himself little more than a disembodied head imprisoned in [[Sumdac Tower]]. He patches himself into Sumdac's computer system, and through archived news footage he quickly learns of Starscream's betrayal and the close proximity of the AllSpark. He uses his position to control machinery all over the city. {{storylink|Home Is Where the Spark Is}}

*Prometheus Black experiments with bio-technologically enhanced humans, presenting the idea to [[Carmine Fanzone|Police Captain Fanzone]] as a possible alternative to Sumdac's robots, but his test-subject [[Colossus Rhodes]] goes berserk and has to be taken down by the Autobots. {{storylink|Total Meltdown}}
*Black's benefactor [[Porter C. Powell]] cuts his funding, and he trashes his lab in a fit of anger. The various acids and chemicals spilled turn him into [[Meltdown (Animated)|Meltdown]], and he vows to take revenge upon Sumdac and the Autobots. {{storylink|Total Meltdown}}

[[Image:Dinobotsrobotmode.JPG|thumb|150px|]]
*Megatron reveals to Prof. Sumdac that he has regained consciousness, and under the assumption that he is an Autobot, Sumdac tells him where he is and how he got there. Sumdac agrees to help rebuild Megatron, and the 'Con makes him promise not to tell the "other" Autobots about him until they have finished. {{storylink|Blast from the Past}}
*Megatron advises Sumdac on how to upgrade the animatronic dinosaurs from the [[Dino Drive]] theme park. Sari's key accidentally turns these dinosaurs into [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]]. {{storylink|Blast from the Past}}
*After they go on a rampage, the general consensus is that the Dinobots should be slagged. Instead, Prowl and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] secretly exile them to [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|a remote island]] where they figure out how to transform. {{storylink|Blast from the Past}} {{storylink|Survival of the Fittest}}

*''[[Powell Motorworks]] unveil the [[Bulkhead (vehicle)|Bulkhead]], much to the resentment of the ''real'' Bulkhead, who disguises himself and kidnaps Powell. He secretly films Powell admitting that his vehicles are "nothing but gas-guzzling death traps". The Bulkhead is swiftly pulled off of the market. {{storylink|The Arrival issue 4|The Insincerest Form of Flattery}}''

*Lockdown and Blackarachnia arrive on Earth, where the bounty hunter succeeds in capturing Optimus Prime, and contacts [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]]. {{storylink|The Thrill of the Hunt}}
[[Image:TFA Thrill Hunt Lockdown Optimus.JPG|thumb|150px|]]
*Lockdown manages to defeat all Autobots who come after him, except [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]], who calls upon previous experience to defeat him. Ratchet rescues Prime and reclaims the EMP generator that was taken from him 4 million years ago. {{storylink|The Thrill of the Hunt}}

*''Back on [[New Kaon]], [[Lugnut]] is not happy about Blitzwing dealing with a bounty hunter, and the two come to blows. [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]] is on-hand to sell them bigger and bigger weapons to use on each other. They eventually learn that the arms dealer has been manipulating them, and team up again to kick his skidplate before leving for Earth. {{storylink|The Arrival issue 5|Everything Must Go}}''

*[[Nanosec]] is contracted by Megatron to steal some [[Destronium]], but his going-really-fast gimmick quickly destabilises the chemical. [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] uses a pair of new prototype rocket boosters given to him by Sari to carry it into Earth's upper atmosphere, where it detonates safely. Nanosec suffers rapid premature aging and is left to rot in prison. {{storylink|Nanosec (episode)|Nanosec}}

*''[[Stiletto (Animated)|Stiletto]] is also hired by Megatron to steal a laser scalpel and an experimental metal alloy, which she uses to make a lovely pair of shoes with very sharp heels. She decides to test out her pointy shoes by using them to destroy [[Ambassador Bridge]], but the Autobots stop her. {{storylink|The Arrival issue 3|Stiletto}}''

[[Image:Blackarach anim beast.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
*Sari teaches the Autobots about the fine human tradition of Halloween. {{storylink|Along Came a Spider}}
*[[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] kidnaps Sari. Optimus comes to the rescue, and learns of Blackarachnia's true identity. {{storylink|Along Came a Spider}}

*''The Angry Archer is back and looking for a new set of wheels. During an attempt to steal a car from [[Motor City Motors]] he is caught by Bumblebee, Prowl and the supernatural vigilante [[Wraith|The Wraith]]. The 'Bots innocently uncover the secret that The Wraith is merely an ordinary human using holograms to appear spooky, and as a result he loses the respect of people and criminals alike. He then flips out and tries to use those same holograms to frame Bumblebee for causing a riot, but is stopped by the Autobots and sent to a mental institution. {{storylink|The Arrival issue 2|Attention Surplus Disorder}}''

*''Starscream awakens in a forest to find himself in [[stasis lock]] and unable to move. [[Professor Princess]] turns up and he asks her to help him by pressing his manual reset switch. She instead responds by attacking and humiliating him, but that works equally well and he is soon up and on his way. {{storylink|The Arrival issue 2|Whatever Happened to Whatisname?}}''

*Professor Princess attacks Bulkhead and Sari outside a toy shop in town. Bulky decapitates her pet unicorn Powdered Sugar. {{storylink|Sound and Fury}}
[[Image:Soundw anim.JPG|thumb|150px|]]
*Megatron "helps" Sumdac create a present for Sari: a musical robot named [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]]. After a few upgrades from Sari's key, Soundwave eventually gains sentience and begins a brief robot revolt against the humans, which is thwarted by the Autobots. {{storylink|Sound and Fury}}

*Blitzwing and [[Lugnut]] arrive on Earth's moon, having tracked the AllSpark's signature. They see the crashed ''Nemesis'', and reason that Megatron must be somewhere near, so travel the final stretch to Earth. {{storylink|Lost and Found (episode)|Lost and Found}}
*Megatron sees all. He contacts Lugnut and has he and Blitzwing go after the AllSpark. {{storylink|Lost and Found (episode)|Lost and Found}}
*To avoid putting more humans in danger, the Autobots plan to use Sari's key to bring [[Teletran-1|their ship]] back online and take the AllSpark away from Earth. Ratchet starts by reactivating some of the ship's defences and using them to defeat the two Decepticons, explaining that "even with the key, it'll take a while for the ship to become fully operational". {{storylink|Lost and Found (episode)|Lost and Found}}
*Starscream appears and offers to help Lugnut and Blitzwing, and all he asks in return is their undying allegiance. Sounds fair. {{storylink|Lost and Found (episode)|Lost and Found}}

*Meltdown, having taken refuge on Dinobot Island, uses his acid to manipulate the Dinobots. They kidnap Sari for him, whom he intends to use as his test-subject in a new experiment to make human Transformers. {{storylink|Survival of the Fittest}}
[[Image:Henrymastersonandhead.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
*Prowl, Bulkhead and Captain Fanzone manage to save Sari and regain the trust of the Dinobots. Meltdown and Colossus Rhodes are taken into police custody. {{storylink|Survival of the Fittest}}

*A newly hired Sumdac employee, Henry Masterson, is fired for building [[Headmaster unit|technology for warfare use]], not to mention endangering citizens with a demonstration of said technology. A bitter Masterson vows to take revenge in the guise of the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]]. {{storylink|Headmaster (episode)|Headmaster}}
*Masterson steals Bulkhead's body and wreaks all sorts of havoc, culminating in a threat to "frag the entire state of Michigan" by blowing up the solar power plant. The Autobots defeat him, reclaim Bulkhead's body, and stop the power plant from exploding, but Masterson escapes with the Headmaster unit. {{storylink|Headmaster (episode)|Headmaster}}

*Sari, Prowl and Bumblebee go camping in the mountains on the outskirts of Detroit, and as luck would have it a monster made of [[space barnacles]] with a [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]ian energy signature shows up. It takes control of both of the Autobots, but the spud-faced nipper manages to kill it and rescue her friends. {{storylink|Nature Calls}}
*Sari's father traces the Cybertronian energy signature and finds what was at the heart of the barnacle monster; another part of Megatron. {{storylink|Nature Calls}}

[[Image:Megatron Rising Megs entrance.JPG|thumb|150px|]]
*Prof. Sumdac uncovers the rest of Megatron's body nearby, and gets to work on restoring the Decepticon leader to his former glory, still under the assumption that he is an Autobot. Megatron contacts Lugnut again and orders him to steal the AllSpark Key. Having only just finished repairing themselves after their scrap with the 'Bot ship, he and Blitzwing go for it, while Starscream opts instead to track down the source of the transmission. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 1}}
*Prowl reveals the whereabouts of the Dinobots to Prime, who flips out and confiscates the AllSpark Key from Sari. She runs away, followed by Bumblebee, but is kidnapped by Blackarachnia (again). The two establish a rapport over similar feelings towards Optimus and Sari agrees to lead Blackarachnia to the AllSpark. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 1}} {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 2}}
*Ratchet is told to take the Key back to the Autobot ship while Prime goes off with Bulkhead and Prowl to try and recruit the Dinobots to their cause. Blitzwing and Lugnut ambush Ratchet, stealing the Key along with his right hand. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 1}}
[[Image:PayThePiper.JPG|thumb|150px|]]
*Starscream finds Megatron in his weakened state in Sumdac Tower. Bumblebee sees Starscream and thinks he may have abducted Sari. He calls for backup before charging in to attack, but succeeds only in distracting Starscream long enough for Megatron to use the building's defence system against them both. Blitzwing and Lugnut turn up and Prof. Sumdac learns of Megatron's true nature. They use the AllSpark Key on Megatron's head, which in turn restores and upgrades his body. Prime, Prowl and Bulkhead show up just in time to see a new, powerful Megatron... rising! {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 1}}

*The Autobots fight Megatron, lose, and retreat. Megatron uses the Key to kill Starscream before following it like a homing signal to find the AllSpark, with Blitzwing and Lugnut in tow. Sumdac confesses his sins to the Autobots, and helps repair them as penance. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 2}}
*Sari leads Blackarachnia to a frozen-over [[Lake Erie]], and keeps her distracted until Ratchet and the ship take off through the ice. Sari then escapes Blackarachnia's grip and is taken onboard the ship. Ratchet manages to get the ship to Sumdac Tower to pick up the other Autobots and Sari's father before the Decepticons attack. The 'Bots are shot down and crash on Dinobot Island, where they duke it out with the 'Cons. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 2}}
[[Image:Megatron Rising 2 All Spark Megs boom.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
*Prof. Sumdac tells Sari he has something important to tell her, but she doesn't listen and instead runs off to try and get her Key back. She asks the AllSpark for help, and it gives her a clue as to why it "chose" her, but she doesn't get it. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 2}}
*Megatron breaches the Autobots' defence line and succeeds in merging the AllSpark with his own [[spark]], but gets an electrical bitch-slap from Prof. Sumdac at the last moment and drops the AllSpark Key. Sari picks it up and gives it to Optimus, who uses it to overload the AllSpark. Megatron explodes and the AllSpark is dispersed across Detroit, but he survives. On top of that, he somehow managed to kidnap his former captor Prof. Sumdac amidst all the chaos. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 2}}
{{-}}

===Season two===
*[[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] washes up on [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]] and takes refuge in [[Meltdown (Animated)|Meltdown]]'s old laboratory. {{storylink|Black Friday (episode)|Black Friday}}

[[Image:Eliteguardleaveshuttle.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
*The rest of the [[Decepticon]]s set up camp inside an abandoned mine shaft, wherein their [[energy signature]]s are masked by the surrounding coal deposits. [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] commences his new plan to use schematics he stole from the [[Autobot]]s to create a [[space bridge]] of his own, with [[Isaac Sumdac|Prof. Sumdac]] reluctantly assisting to fill in the blanks. Sumdac is also drafted into creating [[signal dampener]]s for the 'Cons to mask their energy signatures even when outside of the base. {{storylink|The Elite Guard}} {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part I}}
*The [[Cybertron Elite Guard]] ''finally'' arrive on [[Earth]] expecting to take the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]] away with them. [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] fills them in on recent events, but because they detect no Decepticon energy sigantures, they are sceptical to believe him without proof. {{storylink|The Elite Guard}}
*[[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] is placed in charge of [[Sumdac Systems]] in her father's absence. As chairman of the board, [[Porter C. Powell]] resents this, so he does a little research on the kid. He discovers that not only is she not in Prof. Sumdac's will, but also that there is no legal record of her existence whatsoever. Using this knowledge, Powell is elected CEO of the company and kicks Sari out of her home in [[Sumdac Tower]]. She goes to live with the Autobots instead. {{storylink|The Elite Guard}} {{storylink|The Return of the Headmaster}}
[[Image:Tooyoungtodie.JPG|thumb|150px|]]
*The 'Bots and 'Cons both learn that the AllSpark still exists when its fragments are found to be the cause of various robot malfunctions. {{storylink|The Elite Guard}}

*Powell's first act as CEO of Sumdac Systems is to re-hire [[Headmaster (Animated)|Henry Masterson]], who promptly sets an ambush for the Autobots and steals [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]]'s body. Optimus helps restore the jerk to normal, and is actually thanked for doing so, but Masterson avoids being arrested thanks to Powell. {{storylink|The Return of the Headmaster}}

*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] receives reports of Decepticon uprisings from "all along the rim of the galaxy". Still having no proof that Megatron is on Earth, the Elite Guard plan to leave the planet taking Optimus' team with them. {{storylink|Mission Accomplished}}
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] is brought back online by an AllSpark fragment embedded in his forehead, which keeps him alive as he fails several times to eliminate Megatron. The 'Screamer eventually resorts to setting a trap using another AllSpark fragment as bait, which draws the attention of the Autobots. The Elite Guard arrest the 'Con and take him with them back to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], and since he is living proof of Decepticons on Earth, Optimus and his team are given permission to stay behind to keep the remaining AllSpark fragments out of their enemies' hands. {{storylink|Mission Accomplished}}

[[Image:Wreck-garisgoodforonlyonething.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
*A new (hilarious) robot is born out of the union between an AllSpark fragment and a garbage truck. He causes several mishaps, including innocently assiting in the [[Angry Archer]]'s latest exploits, who gives him the name [[Wreck-Gar (Animated)|Wreck-Gar]]. Wreck-Gar (sort of) learns the error of his ways, though, and saves [[Detroit]] from the threat of over-consumptive [[nanite|microbots]]. {{storylink|Garbage In, Garbage Out}}

*The Elite Guardsman [[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]] is posted on Earth undercover to keep tabs on the 'Bots and 'Cons, but falls under the control of [[Master Disaster]] and is forced to take part in the illegal street races he hosts. Bumblebee sees the mysterious self-driving blue car on TV and thinks that it may be a Decepticon. He and Sari free Blurr from the manipulation of Master Disaster, who gets arrested for hosting the illegal races. The blue car drives off into the sunset, its identity still a mystery. {{storylink|Velocity}}

[[Image:Constructobots smoking.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
*Two new oil-guzzling bots are created by AllSpark fragments embedded within construction vehicles, and they name themselves [[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] and [[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mix]]. They initially befriend Bulkhead, but after causing a whole heap of trouble for him and the Autobots, they defect to the 'Con team, where they are immediately put to work on Megatron's space bridge project and fitted with their own signal dampeners. They return to the Autobots' warehouse to steal the AllSpark, where Bulkhead feeds them poisoned oil that scrambles their memory circuits, and they wander off somewhere. {{storylink|Rise of the Constructicons}}

*Starscream escapes captivity aboard the ''[[Steelhaven (Animated)|Steelhaven]]'' and makes his way back to the crashed ''[[Nemesis (Animated)|Nemesis]]'', wherein he uses Megatron's cache of stolen protoforms to create several [[Starscream clone (Animated)|clones]] of himself. {{storylink|A Fistful of Energon}} ''{{storylink|First (and Second) in Flight}}''

*''The 'Bots at the [[Ministry of Science]] use data they acquired by observing Starscream's Decepticon programming to launch [[Safeguard (Animated)|Project: Safeguard]], in which a pair of critically damaged Autobot [[twin]]s are rebuilt and given new, flying [[alternate mode|alt-modes]]. Sentinel reprises his role as [[Autobot boot camp|boot camp]] instructor to train the twins, and bestows them with the names [[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] and <s>Jetfire</s> [[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]]. {{storylink|First (and Second) in Flight}}''

[[Image:Lotta starscreams.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
*Ultra Magnus sends a message to the Earthbound Autobots warning them of Starscream's escape, which is intercepted by Megatron. The Decepticon leader quickly puts a price on the head of the treacherous 'Screamer, which is picked up by none other than [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]]. [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] goes a bit loopy and teams up with the bounty hunter, from whom he receives some serious modifications in the form of a samurai-styled armour upgrade. Together, Prowl and Lockdown apprehend the [[Clone number 2716057|first]] [[Clone number 3370318|two]] 'Screamer clones to have been given life, which are revealed to have been rigged to explode shortly after capture. Prowl sacrifices the flying parts of his new armour to send them skyward so they can detonate at a safe distance above the city, and Lockdown escapes amongst the hubbub. Prowl renounces his new mods when they cause him to endanger the organic lifeforms he reveres so much. {{storylink|A Fistful of Energon}}

*An unhinged [[Wasp]] also escapes his captivity and swears revenge upon Bumblebot for causing his wrongful imprisonment many moons ago. {{storylink|Autoboot Camp}} ''{{storylink|First (and Second) in Flight}}''

[[Image:SUV.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
*''Jetfire and Jetstorm ably prove their capabilities in a combat simulator, and they are inducted into the Elite Guard as junior officers. Ultra Magnus wastes no time in sending them on their first mission — assisting Jazz and Sentinel Prime as they track down the renegade Wasp. {{storylink|First (and Second) in Flight}}''

*[[Slo-Mo]] recruits the Angry Archer, [[Nanosec]], and [[Professor Princess]] (with a newly re-capitated Powdered Sugar) to form the [[Society of Ultimate Villainy]], supported by the intergalactic arms dealer [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]]. The Decepticon instructs the Society to steal various items and build a time-freezing weapon for him before double-cossing them. Pissed off, they team up with [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] and thwart his plans to sell the weapon to Megatron. The weapon is ultimately used against Swindle himself, leaving him stuck in vehicle mode, completely immobile, and with a flat tyre. {{storylink|SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy}}

*Ultra Magnus contacts Optimus' team again to let them know about the fugitive Wasp's current situation, and soon after, [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] and Bumblebee intercept a transmission between Megatron and the real Decepticon spy. Still assuming it to be Wasp, they go out to search for the Earthbound 'Cons, but soon give up and instead report the message to [[Shockwave (Animated)|the head of Autobot Intelligence]]. {{storylink|Autoboot Camp}}

[[Image:TFA_Black_Friday_Meltdown_Bee.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
*Blackarachnia finds Meltdown's research notes and has the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobot]]s spring him from prison so that he may attempt to cure her of her "organic contamination". After seeing [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] and co. on the security camera footage, Optimus, Prowl and Bumblebee make their way to Dinobot Island where all three are captured by Spider-Lady. She injects two of the Autobots with her deadly venom, and promises to give Prime the antidote only if he goes with Grimlock to retrieve Meltdown's [[genetic modifier]] from the renamed Powell Tower. With modifier in hand, Meltdown plans to double-cross Blackarachnia, but is almost killed when the gadget zaps him during a fight with Optimus. Blackarachnia makes a clean getaway, but leaves Prime the anitidote needed to save his friends anyway. {{storylink|Black Friday (episode)|Black Friday}}

*The amnestic [[Constructicon (Animated)|Constructicon]]s show up on a local news broadcast. The Autobots, and [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]], head out to look for them, but succeed only in keeping each other busy. Meanwhile, Scrapper and Mix follow a leaking Bumblebee's oil trail straight to the Autobots' warehouse base, where Sari is the only one there to stop them. She uses the AllSpark Key together with Prowl's training doohickey until they run away screaming. Blitzwing picks them up and takes them back to Megatron, who makes them into full-fledged Decepticons. {{storylink|Sari, No One's Home}} {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part I}}

[[Image:AniBlurr-bust-ABTC.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
*Megatron abducts Bulkhead and uses the [[Headmaster unit]] to threaten him into helping the Constructicons complete his space bridge. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part I}}
*Blurr shows up again and finally reveals his identity after Bumblebee blows his cover. He informs the Autobots of Megatron's space bridge project, and Prof. Sumdac's involvement therein, before leading Optimus, Prowl, and Bumblebee to the Decepticon base where they are ambushed by Blitzwing and Lugnut, who are quickly incapacitated by the speedy blue bot. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part I}}
*Starscream donates some pieces of his AllSpark fragment to give life to [[Skywarp (Animated)|another]] [[Thundercracker (Animated)|bunch]] [[Sunstorm (Animated)|of]] [[Ramjet (Animated)|his]] [[Slipstream (Animated)|clones]] and leads them in an attack on the Decepticon base. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part I}}

*During the big fight, the Autobots are incapacitated, Blurr, Skywarp and Thundercracker are sent through the space bridge, and Prof. Sumdac decapitates Starscream with the Headmaster unit. The remaining clones pledge their allegience to Megatron, and Longarm Prime reveals himself to the 'Bots as the Decepticon spy Shockwave. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part II}}
[[Image:TFA ABTC sacrifice.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
*Ratchet and Sari, using the AllSpark fragments retrieved so far, revive the [[Teletran-1|Autobot ship's]] [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|true identity]], and attack the Decepticons. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part II}}
*Megatron overloads the space bridge by plugging Starscream's AllSpark-fragment-powered head into it, and they are both dragged into the warp field. Omega Supreme sacrifices himself for the sake of the Autobots (again) by pulling the space bridge apart as he passes through it. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part II}}
*Sari discovers that she is more than meets the eye. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part II}}
{{-}}

===Season three===
[[Image:TFAni TransWarped Screamer Hotwire OmegaSupreme.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
*[[Oil Slick (Animated)|Oil Slick]] infects [[Rodimus Prime (Animated)|Rodimus Prime]] with [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|Cosmic Rust]] during a fight between their respective teams over [[space bridge 687-030]]. {{storylink|TransWarped}}
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] and [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]]'s head materialise in a remote corner of the universe and are soon apprehended by [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]]. He transforms back into [[Teletran-1|his vehicle mode]] and uses his personal [[transwarp]] [[transwarp drive|drive]] to transport the [[Decepticon]]s to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] for a fair trial. Unfortunately, the amount of effort needed puts Omega into "sleep mode" and the 'Cons take him under their control by plugging the 'Screamer directly into his circuits. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part II}} {{storylink|TransWarped}}
*[[Headmaster (Animated)|Henry Masterson]] finds and takes control of the [[Headmaster unit]] attached to Starscream's body and causes a bunch of trouble. However, he brings about his own undoing when he tries to transform, which detaches the Headmaster unit and sends the 'Screamer's body flying into the [[Detroit River]]. Masterson is arrested, and the Headmaster unit is taken back to rest in Sumdac Tower. {{storylink|TransWarped}} {{storylink|Three's a Crowd}}
[[Image:TransWarpedSariFocus.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
*[[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]] escapes [[Thundercracker (Animated)|the]] [[Skywarp (Animated)|clones]] and quickly makes his way back to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. He discovers Longarm Prime's [[Shockwave (Animated)|true identity]], and is slagged as a result. {{storylink|TransWarped}}
*[[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] learns of her origins as a Cybertronian [[protoform]] and uses the [[AllSpark Key]] to upgrade herself, which drains it of its power and sends her temporarily berserk. {{storylink|TransWarped}}
*The Decepticon-controlled Omega Supreme warps to Earth looking to slag some [[Autobot]]s, but the 'Bots are able to randomise his transwarp jumps, sending him and his passengers warping around space randomly. {{storylink|TransWarped}}

*[[Isaac Sumdac|Prof. Sumdac]] disables the [[signal dampener]]s he was previously forced to create for the Decepticons, and he and Bulkhead start to rebuild Megatron's space bridge inside [[Sumdac Tower]] with the [[Constructicon (Animated)|Constructicon]]s' help. An accidental merging of the Headmaster unit, an [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]] fragment and a forklift truck creates [[Dirt Boss (Animated)|Dirt Boss]], who leads [[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] and [[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]] in a host of oil-thefts around [[Detroit]] until the Autobots intercept them at the [[Fossil Fuel]] refinery. {{storylink|Three's a Crowd}}

[[Image:TFA-ThisIsWhyIHateMachines-UltraMagnusSparkSupport.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
*Still on the lam as an alleged Decepticon spy, [[Wasp]] arrives on Earth, closely followed by [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]], [[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]], and the the [[Jetfire (Animated)|Jet]] [[Jetstorm (Animated)|twins]]. The crazy little green dude switches places with Bumblebot in an attempt to have him imprisoned in his stead, but the Autobots reveal the deception, and clear Wasp's name while they're at it. {{storylink|Where Is Thy Sting?}}
*The [[Cybertron Elite Guard]] finally learn the identity of the true spy, but before [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] can be arrested he attacks and critically injures Ultra Magnus and makes off with the [[Magnus Hammer]]. {{storylink|Where Is Thy Sting?}} {{storylink|Five Servos of Doom}}

*Sentinel Prime secretly contracts [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] to catch the Decepticons on Earth for him. [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]] (still stasis-locked in vehicle mode), [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]], and [[Sunstorm (Animated)|the sycophantic Starscream clone]] quickly find themselves in the ''[[Steelhaven (Animated)|Steelhaven]]'''s brig, soon joined by [[Lugnut]]. A suspicious Prowl uncovers the truth by following Sentinel as he goes to collect the bounty hunter's latest acquisition, [[Ramjet (Animated)|the liar clone]], where the ninja-bot learns of Lockdown's involvement in [[Yoketron]]'s death. The two fight it out, and Prowl claims another set of samurai armour mods together with his former master's helmet, but Lockdown ultimately escapes. {{storylink|Five Servos of Doom}}

[[Image:PredaconsRising-WaspinatorBlackarachnia.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
*Wasp is picked up by [[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] and taken to [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]], where [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] uses transwarp technology to turn him into Waspinator, planning to later experiment on removing his [[technorganic|techno-organic]] element. Sentinel, Optimus, Bumblebee and the jet twins closely follow, and the jerk learns the fate of Elita-1. After a brief tussle, both of the techno-organic bots are warped to a mysterious place teeming with organic wildlife. Optimus convinces Sentinel to return to Cybertron and take his place as acting [[Magnus]]. {{storylink|Predacons Rising}}

*Using patents he acquired as CEO of Sumdac Systems, Porter C. Powell mass-produces the [[Sound Wave]] toy just in time for [[Christmas]]. The original [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]] also resurfaces, and abducts the Autobots as they are all taking a [[humanization#Sleep|stasis nap]]. He takes them to his secret lair, conveniently located directly below their own warehouse base, where he hooks them up to a virtual reality machine, makes them dream that their minds have been transferred into human bodies, and attempts to reprogramme them into Decepticons. {{storylink|Human Error, Part I}}

[[Image:TFA Human Error Part 1 Automen.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
*Whilst he keeps the 'Bots incapacitated, Soundwave also leads an army of his tiny lookalikes in hypnotising the humans of Detroit. Unfortunately for him this doesn't include Sari, who recruits [[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]], [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]], and [[Wreck-Gar (Animated)|Wreck-Gar]] to her cause. The [[Substitute Autobot]]s go after Soundwave, and they manage to free the ''real'' Autobots from his control. Prime eventually slags the Decepticon with [[Laserbeak (Animated)|his own weapon]], but a small part of him survives and escapes thanks to the birdbot. {{storylink|Human Error, Part II}}

*En route to Cybertron, the ''Steelhaven'' passes through an electrical storm, which pulls Swindle out of his stasis lock. He quickly frees and re-arms his fellow Decepticons, and they hijack the Elite Guard's flagship. Back on Earth, the Autobots finish building the space bridge atop Sumdac Tower, and thanks to Sari's newly found expertise, they connect it to Swindle's personal transwarp field. Optimus uses this connection to board the ''Steelhaven'', and he and Jazz set a trap and re-capture the rogue 'Cons, except for Swindle, who escapes with a pile of loot, and Lugnut, who is left floating in space until he is picked up by Megatron in Omega Supreme. The Elite Guard then fly all the way back to Earth to drop off Prime before finally making it back to Cybertron, where Sentinel officially adopts the position of Magnus. {{storylink|Decepticon Air}}

[[Image:TFA-Endgame-LugnutsSupreme.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
*Megatron manages to stop Omega Supreme from warping randomly, transform him back to robot mode, and take him into orbit around Cybertron. Meanwhile, Ratchet is using the Sumdac Tower space bridge to locate Omega when he and [[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] are accidentally transwapred to the mechanical planet, where they encounter Shockwave and unwittingly lead him to where [[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]] is being kept. The Decepticon spy makes off with the robot dame and boards Omega Supreme, who promptly transwarps away. Ratchet takes posession of the [[Magnus Hammer]] and he and Fanzone warp back to Earth, followed by Jazz. {{storylink|This Is Why I Hate Machines}}

*The Decepticons station Omega Supreme on the Earth's moon, where Shockwave manages to bring Arcee back online and Megatron uses her activation code together with Starscream's cloning lab to create the [[Lugnut Supreme]]s. The Autobots track Omega's energy signature, and Ratchet, Sari and Prof. Sumdac create a jetpack upgrade to help Optimus fight the Decepticon leader. Meanwhile, Prowl strives to finally complete his cyber-ninja training and discovers his ability to pull AllSpark fragments together using processor-over-matter. {{Storylink|Endgame, Part I}}

[[Image:TFAni EndgamePart1 Autobots Ready.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
*Megatron leads the Lugnut Supremes to Earth and orders them to attack Sumdac Tower. Optimus uses his new upgrade together with the Magnus Hammer to fight Megatron, while Prowl and Jazz use processor-over-matter together to pull together AllSpark fragments, including the one that was keeping Starscream alive. Meanwhile, Ratchet, Bumblebee, Bulkhead and Sari warp to the Moon where they restore Arcee's personality and re-awaken Omega, reverting the Lugnut Supremes personalities to their default as Starscream clones. Prowl sacrifices his spark by merging with the newly rebuilt AllSpark, destroying the giant clones and greatly damaging Megatron. The Autobots take the remaining Decepticons prisoner aboard Omega Supreme, and take them back to Cybertron. {{storylink|Endgame, Part II}}

*[['Til all are one]].
{{-}}

==See also==
*[[Units of time]]

==Footnotes==
{{reflist|1}}

[[Category:Animated]]
[[Category:Chronologies]]

Bulkhead (Animated)

2010-04-24T11:04:33Z

98.212.255.236: /* Notes */

{{factions|autobot}}
{{picsneeded|Cartoon and comic 'caps}}
{{disambig3|Bulkhead}}
:''Bulkhead is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:AniBulkheadPromoModel.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] called; he wants his head back.]]
The biggest and strongest of [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]]'s crew, '''Bulkhead''' appears to be little more than a big, dumb lummox at first glance. The second and third glances don't do much to improve that impression. Raised on a backwater [[Energon (fuel)|energon]] farm, he joined the Autobot academy to achieve the lofty goal of becoming a lowly [[space bridge]] technician rather than a warrior. He also has an unfortunate tendency to break stuff by accident due to his sheer strength and natural clumsiness. He's wrecked major thoroughfares and toppled skyscrapers in his zeal to be ''helpful''; when he gets angry, he's capable of berserker charges that even the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]] have learned to respect and fear. His penchant for being a little too eager to please others and getting a little too emotional at times further leads him to act without thinking. Add in a seeming lack of skills beyond "destruction", and it does not paint a pretty picture.

But despite all these shortcomings, one is hard-pressed to find a bot with a bigger heart, and he has astounding (if sometimes well-hidden) depths. He hates being thought of as the clumsy brute of the team, which has bred a certain amount of careful forethought and cautiousness. He's endlessly loyal to and protective of his friends, especially his best buddy [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] and the [[human]] girl [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]], even if their impulsive behavior is sometimes annoying. Since coming to [[Earth]], he has discovered a love of art and the urge to express his true feelings through it. He's not very good at it, but he keeps trying anyways. Perhaps most surprising of all is that he is [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s foremost expert in space bridge technology, even though he may not be able to build one himself without accidentally breaking at least half the components.

{{quote|You guys got it easy. All people want me to do is break stuff. I've got a sensitive side too, you know... but breaking stuff '''is''' kinda fun.|Bulkhead meditates on his lot in life|"[[Home Is Where the Spark Is]]"}}

:''Japanese name'': '''Ironhide''' (アイアンハイド ''Aianhaido'')
:''Russian name'': '''Tverdoloby''' ('''Твердолобый''', "Hard Head")

==Fiction==
===''Animated'' cartoon===
{{Idw-tfa}}
:''Voice actor:'' [[Bill Fagerbakke]] (English), [[Kenta Miyake]] (Japanese), [[Tilo Schmitz]] (German), [[Ireneusz Załóg]] (Polish), [[Lorenzo Scattorin]] (Italian), [[Fabio Moura]] (Portuguese)

[[Image:Autobot Cadets.jpg|thumb|left|250px-Autobot Cadets.jpg|Auditions for the new Transformers series are now closed...]]
Bulkhead was originally an energon farmer and attended [[Autobot boot camp]] in order to qualify as a space bridge engineer. It was there that he first met Bumblebee and their trainer, [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Minor]]. To begin with, Bumblebee had no interest in being friends with the gentle giant, insulting him with the nickname "mudflap". A friendship blossomed after Bulkhead saved Bumblebee from some "malfunctioning" turrets, dropping a building on Sentinel in the process. In order to prevent Bulkhead from being expelled, 'Bee took the blame, and they both ended up on space bridge detail. {{storylink|Autoboot Camp}}

[[Image:Ani crew.JPG|250px|thumb|right|ROAD TRIP!!!]]
Eventually, they were placed under [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime's]] command. While repairing a space bridge, the team discovered the long-lost [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]]. However, the [[Decepticon|Decepticons]] soon arrived, prompting Bulkhead to mention that he had never seen a Decepticon ship up close. (No one had and lived, as [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] pointed out.) Bulkhead did his best to hang on while the Autobots drove their ship through the space bridge. Coming out of warp, they went headlong toward [[Earth]], and he joined his fellow 'bots in heading into stasis to avoid the impact shock of an unpleasant landing.

After emerging from stasis and his [[reformatting]] into a terrestrial six-wheeled APC, Bulkhead accompanied the other Autobots to investigate a large, cybernetic creature that was menacing the local lifeforms (which they assumed were robots like themselves). Bulkhead requested help from a group of local drones, then noticed [[Sari Sumdac]] trying to take her keycard away from her robot dog, [[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]]. Assuming Sari was the pet, Bulkhead greeted her—which promptly sent her running and screaming. Way to make first contact there, big guy.

[[Image:Bulkh alt.JPG|200px|thumb|left|Let's see [[wikipedia:Grave Digger (truck)|Grave Digger]] beat this!]]
After [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] arrived to take the AllSpark, the Autobots engaged him in a fierce game of "Keep-away". At one point, Bulkhead tried to catch the AllSpark, shouting "I got it." Starscream snagged the AllSpark instead, but Bulkhead knocked the [[Seeker (body-type)|Decepticon flier]] out of the air with his wrecking ball, causing him to drop the AllSpark. It's not nice to contradict Bulkhead. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}}

Later, in Autobot HQ, he said he had some problems, because all humans wanted from him was to break stuff. After all, he had his sensitive side as well (even if breaking stuff was fun). When [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] attacked the Autobots' base, Bulkhead got in touch with his inner breaker, confirming that smashing stuff IS fun! Megatron had different plans for him, though, and Bulkhead discovered it's not as much fun to BE smashed. After Bulkhead was saved, he tried to catch a [[Pocketbot|tiny machine]] that looked like it might be the culprit. Prime hoped to study it and find out where it came from, but Bulkhead smashed the little critter to pieces when he grabbed it. {{storylink|Home Is Where the Spark Is}}

[[Image:TFA Blast Past Bulkhead Tutor Bot.JPG|250px|thumb|right|The pizza's ready!]]
After that [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] tried to train Bulkhead to be more subtle in his actions, to assess a situation, choose the right move, then execute it with grace and precision. This didn't meet with any real success, as Bulkhead's antics damaged the base and caused him to fall on Prowl. Moving to an island in Lake Erie, Bulkhead tried again. He knocked down some trees which fell on Prowl. Things actually got worse when Bulkhead tried to use Prowl's methods against the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]], a trio of animatronics run amok. Prowl wisely advised Bulkhead to stop doing what Prowl would do and instead do what Bulkhead himself would do. Bulkhead quickly discovered that his blunt, powerhouse approach had its place and time for proper use, charging and knocking down [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]], hitting [[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] out of the air, and throwing [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] into a pit of molten tar. Afterward, the Dinobots were due to be melted down. However, Prowl suspected the Dinobots were actually alive, not mere machines, so he enlisted Bulkhead's help in secretly transporting them from their prison to the deserted island on Lake Erie. There they could live undisturbed and perhaps get themselves under control. Prowl had realized that just because something was big and lumbering and destructive was no reason to give up on it, and Bulkhead knew just what he meant. {{storylink|Blast from the Past}}

When Bumblebee had his bout with [[Colossus Rhodes]] that escalated into a parking lot brawl, Bulkhead arrived with the others to stop the mad giant and tease Bumblebee about his size. Bulkhead's size proved a liability when he got caught in an opening in [[Sumdac Tower]]'s defense shield, making him a sitting (but not defenseless) duck for an upgraded Rhodes, using his wrecking ball to send the brute flying. When the shield was deactivated he was the first into the tower, scooping up [[Meltdown (Animated)|Meltdown]] in his fist... a very bad mistake, since the villain was made of acid. His action gave the other Autobots time to defeat Meltdown, so it turned out okay. {{storylink|Total Meltdown}}

On a shopping trip for Sari's birthday present, Bulkhead worked with Sari to rein in the pesky [[Professor Princess]]. The next day, Sari's birthday party began poorly, as the guests were all children of Sumdac Industries employees, who found Sari too weird for their tastes. The Autobots' arrival made things a little more interesting, but klutzy Bulkhead soon found himself ignored, alongside Sari, as the kids went for rides with the other Autobots (even Ratchet). Bulkhead wanted to give Sari her gift, a xylophone, but was too embarrassed to do so when he saw Dr. Sumdac's gift, a musical robot named [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]]. For the next several days, Sari's attention was drawn away from her friend as she spent her free time plugging her key into the toy to upgrade it. Bulkhead realized that there was something off about Soundwave, but his attempts to prove it just forced a wedge between Sari and himself. Megatron's machinations to increase the split between them didn't help. It turned out the big guy was right on the money, however, as Soundwave was a creation of Megatron's that gained sentience through the key. Soundwave took control of the machines of Detroit and captured Sari. When Bulkhead came to her rescue, Soundwave attempted to convince Bulkhead of the inferiority of humans. For a few minutes, it seemed Bulkhead was on his side, but with a wink to Sari, he punched Soundwave so hard that the Decepticon shattered into his component parts. Sari apologized, and the pair played with Bulkhead's gift, albeit after Sari nearly broke her hand punching Bulkhead's fist. {{storylink|Sound and Fury}}

Soon afterwards, trouble arrived in the form of [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] and [[Lugnut]]. Answering their challenge, the Autobots confronted the pair in a construction yard. Bulkhead charged Lugnut and the two engaged in a grapple, but even Bulkhead's power wasn't enough against the massive Decepticon, who threw him aside. The second round didn't go too well either, as Lugnut never had a chance to fight before the Decepticons were defeated by the Autobot ship's main cannon. {{storylink|Lost and Found (episode)|Lost and Found}}

After Sari was abducted by the Dinobots, Prowl and Bulkhead went to [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]] to investigate. What they found was Meltdown, who damaged Bulkhead to the point of unconsciousness and trapped Prowl and [[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] (who had been tailing them) underground. Bulkhead spent the rest of the episode out cold until Sari was able to restore him. On the boat ride home, Sari showed she could take care of herself by kicking Bulkhead, who pretended to be hurt and accidentally fell into the ship's hold. {{storylink|Survival of the Fittest}}

[[Image:Caged bulkhead.jpg|200px|thumb|left|And now we know how the caged Bulkhead sings...]]
After destroying a good portion of a city block trying to stop a missile impact, Sari suggested to Bulkhead that he explore his more creative talents to show the citizens of Detroit that he wasn't [[Sixshot|an engine of destruction]]. Bulkhead had difficulty making his creations (his paint brushes kept snapping between his fingers) and panicked when he learned that Sari had arranged an art show for him. (Girl has connections.) While lamenting his lot in life, he was knocked out cold by a sudden electrical surge. When he came back online, he found that his body had been stolen. As Bumblebee attempted to help him finish his art pieces in time for the show, the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] used Bulkhead's body to take control of a solar fusion plant, intending to detonate it unless he was paid a hefty ransom. Optimus used the ransom delivery to sneak the Autobots into the plant, where they defeated the Headmaster and reattached Bulkhead to his body...backwards. As the reactor reached critical, Bulkhead came up with a drone that would set the rods back, but the drone melted in the process. Not to be daunted, Bulkhead added it to his art collection, showing the citizens of Detroit his [[Slogism|warzone art]] without them even knowing it. {{storylink|Headmaster (episode)|Headmaster}}

When Decepticon energy signals were detected, the Autobots quickly realized that they were outnumbered. Bulkhead mentioned that the Dinobots might be able to help, not aware that Prowl hadn't told Optimus they had moved them to Dinobot Island. Prime was furious and ordered the two to take him there at once. After searching the island, the Autobots found the Dinobots. They were unwilling to help, so the Autobots left, unsure of their next move. When Bumblebee contacted Prime, saying that Starscream was at Sumdac Tower, he ordered him to stand down. When they arrived at the tower, they saw Bumblebee fighting Starscream. Prime dryly noted that disobeying orders was becoming a habit, but Bulkhead wasn't too insulted. He was too busy being shocked by [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] bursting through Sumdac Tower. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 1}}

Quickly regaining his composure, Bulkhead charged Megatron, only to have his wrecking ball severed and be thrown into a building. After the short battle, Sumdac told them how he had rebuilt Megatron. Bulkhead sounded as if he was about to crush the professor, but Prime told him that it was unimportant. Using excess key energy in Sumdac's equipment, the Autobots repaired themselves, and Prime apologized for his harsh words. Ratchet and Sari came by in the ship, picking up the Autobots, but they were shot down over Dinobot Island. During the subsequent battle, Bulkhead brought down [[Lugnut]]. The zealous Decepticon was stronger than Bulkhead, but as he activated [[Punch of Kill Everything|his punch]], Bulkhead used his wrecking ball to detonate it, sending Lugnut flying. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 2}}

While repairing a damaged overpass, Bulkhead became stuck in some cement, but hid it to avoid being embarrassed. He was nearly destroyed when he used outdated, unstable fixative, but was saved by two newly sentient machines named [[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] and [[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]]. Once they helped him finish the repair work he'd been doing, Bulkhead reluctantly went with them for an oil break, though he wasn't sure it was okay to take it straight from a tanker ship. He WAS sure the rest of the Autobots would like his new friends. The crass construction workers did not impress the other Autobots, however, and things only got worse when a game of flattened-oil-can frisbee severed Sari's pigtails (and nearly her head), leading Prime to evict the two. The next day, Bulkhead went looking for his friends, discovering that they had stolen parts for something Megatron was building. When Bulkhead told them that the Decepticons were [[wikipedia:Men in Black (film)|the scum of the universe]], the two went to challenge the Decepticons, without telling Bulkhead where to find them. The other Autobots were concerned that Scrapper and Mixmaster would sell them out, but Bulkhead still defended them. Unfortunately, the newly dubbed [[Constructicon (Animated)|Constructicons]] ''did'' side with the Decepticons, taking Bumblebee hostage and demanding the AllSpark fragments the Autobots had. Bulkhead gave them the fragments and a cup of oil for the road, but he had spiked the oil with the outdated fixative from the other day. The subsequent explosion scrambled their memory circuits, and Bulkhead drove the amnesiac Transformers away, admitting that he had been wrong to trust them. {{storylink|Rise of the Constructicons}}

After [[Wasp]] escaped, Bulkhead tagged along with Bumblebee in an attempt to track a leaked signal, but 'Bee's attitude became unbearable, and Bulkhead stormed off. The kindhearted bot couldn't stay away, however, and helped Bumblebee out of a minor scrape. Bumblebee apologised, but Bulkhead shook it off; their friendship had rock-solid foundations. Reconciled, the two headed back to base, having missed a rather conspicuous mine shaft entrance. {{storylink|Autoboot Camp}}

[[Image:TFA ABTC1 Bulkhead Sumdac.JPG|thumb|left|Merry Christmas!]]
Bulkhead later made an abstract painting of Sari in the style of Picasso, but the other Autobots' suggestions ended up ruining the painting. He and Sari took a walk to clear his head, and Bumblebee came and genuinely tried to apologize. This went rather poorly, and got even worse when Megatron arrived. He kidnapped Bulkhead and took him to his base. Megatron revealed that [[Shockwave (Animated)|his double agent]] had learned that Bulkhead was Cybertron's top space bridge technician, and forced Bulkhead to help the Decepticons repair a space bridge they had reverse engineered. If Bulkhead refused, Megatron would use a Headmaster unit to steal his body and kill all of Bulkhead's friends, starting with Professor Sumdac. Bulkhead agreed to help, but Professor Sumdac believed that Bulkhead was trying to sabotage the device, and told Bulkhead to let him give the instructions to avoid sounding preposterous. Furious at everyone doubting his skill, Bulkhead actually ''fixed'' the space bridge, allowing Megatron to teleport the Decepticons to an underdefended Cybertron. See Bulkhead, this is why people don't take you seriously. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part I}}

During a three-way battle between the Autobots, the Decepticons, and Starscream's [[Starscream clone (Animated)|clones]], Bulkhead tried to shut down the space bridge, but was locked with [[stasis cuffs]] by a [[Slipstream (Animated)|female clone]]. After Megatron explained his plans and how Bulkhead had helped. the other Autobots expressed confusion at his skills, and Bulkhead explained that he had read all the space bridge schematics on the energon farm. Unfortunately, power problems arose, which Megatron tried to fix with by adding Starscream's AllSpark powered head into the power core. Unfortunately, this caused an overload which Bulkhead theorized would suck up all of Michigan. Fortunately, [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] arrived and allowed himself to be sucked into the portal. When the Autobots escaped, Bulkhead theorized that Omega was merely transported to another section of space, and had hope that he was still alive. Unfortunately, any effort to locate Omega was put on hold when Sari noticed that the skin of her arm had been torn...revealing robotic circuitry underneath! {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part II}}

While Bumblebee and Bulkhead were surprised and concerned about Sari's revealed techno-organic nature, they remained focused on the more imminent problem; namely that their old friend Longarm was really a Decepticon spy. However, because Omega Supreme was transwarped to another part of the galaxy, they no longer had Teletran-1 and thus had no way to contact Cybertron. A suggestion from Optimus gave Bulkhead the idea of building their own Space Bridge, seeing as Bulkhead was the Space Bridge genius (a title Bumblebee claimed he'd never get used to). Bulkhead theorized that he might be able to put something together if they salvaged enough parts. The two of them quickly left to dig any useful parts out of the ruins of the mine, namely the [[plasmadynamic thruster]] (the component that generates the transwarp field) and the recon beacon generator (the component that allows one to lock on a specific area to transwarp to). Bulkhead found the recon beacon generator (after Bumblebee nearly tossed it away) and Bumblebee was about to give him the plasma dynamic thruster when it caught a stray transwarp signal (presumably from Omega Supreme's earlier transwarp) and was sent to another part of the galaxy. When Bulkhead turned around, Bumblebee was gone. Hearing a noise, he investigated, thinking it was his little buddy. But it was actually Henry Masterson who had found both his lost [[Headmaster unit]] and Starscream's discarded body (definitely not little and not Bulkhead's buddy). Masterson then soundly trashed Bulkhead and left him buried under a pile of rocks.

Later, Ratchet found him and brought him back to the plant. Ratchet was about to work on repairing Bulkhead when Sari beat him to it, much to Ratchet's annoyance. When Bumblebee's energy signature could not be found on Earth, Bulkhead realized that he wasn't on Earth. The plasmadynamic thruster must have caught a stray transwarp field and sent Bumblebee to another part of the galaxy. In theory, Bulkhead could retrieve him with the recon beacon generator, provided he could get it working. Ratchet was about to attempt to do so when Sari beat him to the punch again. A little while later, Bulkhead detected a stray transwarp field. Using the recon beacon generator, Bulkhead managed to reel Bumblebee back to Earth, inside the belly of a [[rock creature|giant rock alien]]. The alien, noticeably ticked about being exposed to the bright light of the [[sun]], went on a rampage in Detroit. Of course, Bulkhead couldn't just smash the alien with his wrecking balls since Bumblebee was inside it. However, Sari once again provided assistance with her new upgraded form and neatly disposed of the rock alien and rescued Bumblebee. But then her body became overloaded with Allspark energy and she started going on an uncontrollable rampage, causing every electronic device she touched to explode. When Bumblebee was stabbed by Sari in an attempt to stop her, Bulkhead, Prowl, and Optimus worked together to remove the Key from her system. However, its energy had been completely drained into Sari, making both the Key useless and Sari still unable to control herself. Bulkhead suggested that she tried to hold it in like when she had to go to the 'sleep-room'. Sari attempted this, but this only caused the initiation of a self-destruct sequence. Fortunately, Ratchet was able to temporarily shut her down with his EMP generator.

Later, the group was at the plant, mulling over the events of the day, including Optimus revealing the Autobots' secret base to Professor Sumdac. When Bumblebee threatened to transwarp again, Bulkhead took the plasmadynamic thruster from Bumblebee's backpack and turned it off. But then Omega Supreme appeared, under the control of Megatron. The group headed for the river to keep Megatron from damaging more of the city. Bulkhead and Bumblebee acted as decoys while Prowl and Optimus worked on freeing Omega from Megatron's control. Their plan worked, only for Starscream's head, which Megatron was using as a battery, to take over Omega's body and toss out Prowl and Optimus. With them unable to get back in and Starscream threatening to transwarp to Cybertron and use Omega to take it over, Bumblebee and Bulkead got the idea of using the plasma dynamic thruster on Omega Supreme. With a little teamwork from them and Optimus Prime, they attached the plasma dynamic thruster to Omega Supreme, causing him to go on an endless and random transwarp cycle throughout the galaxy. However, they still needed to find a way to contact Cybertron about Shockwave. {{storylink|TransWarped}}

[[Image:TFAni Threes a Crowd Stop Hitting Yourself.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Stop hitting yourself. Stop hitting yourself. Stop hitting yourself!]]
Soon afterwards, Bulkhead teamed with Prof. Sumdac to build a space bridge at Sumdac Tower. Sumdac was willing to make up to the Autobots for unwillingly helping the Decepticons during his long captivity, though he kept slowing down work by continuously mentioning Megatron and insisting the confiscated Headmaster Unit was staring at him. Eventually, the two of them got the power core assembled and loaded on a green and purple forklift. Bulkhead inserted an Allspark fragment into the power core for a source of energy. Prof. Sumdac warned Bulkhead that it might [[A Bridge Too Close, Part II|overload it]]. Bulkhead reassured the Professor that he knew what he was doing when it came to space bridges. Unfortunately, his leaning on the forklift caused too much pressure, and the floor gave out. Bulkhead managed to save the Professor, but the forklift, the power core, and the Headmaster Unit fell down through three floors. While Sumdac went to rest from his near brush with death, Bulkhead went to find some structural experts. Fortunately, he knew just the bots for the job.

Bulkhead found Mixmaster and Scrapper at an automobile disassembly factory, drinking motor oil and hooting at the stripping vehicles. The two Constructicons were less than pleased to see Bulkhead, as evidenced when Scrapper pinned him against the wall. Bulkhead managed to talk them into helping him, seeing as how the other Decepticons weren't going to turn up for them any time soon. The two construction bots agreed, since there wasn't any rule against moonlighting, but Megatron could never know about this. Bulkhead reassured them Megatron would never hear of it. After all, it wasn't like the two of them would be talking any time soon.

When they returned to Sumdac Tower, the Constructicons went to work, mentioning this was going to cost some serious overtime. Bulkhead told them to take all the time they needed. He was almost able to persuade them to switch to the Autobots when Scrapper pulled up the forklift from before, surprisingly in good condition despite its crashing through three floors. However, the materials that had fallen down before had been fused together by the Allspark, creating a grumpy new Constructicon named [[Dirt Boss (Animated)|Dirt Boss]]. Dirt Boss quickly took command and cowed Scrapper and Mixmaster into submission, using a cerebro-shell to force Scrapper to hit himself. Bulkhead tried to contact Prime about this new problem, but Optimus and the other Autobots were busy with Lugnut. Brought back into the lab by the commotion, Prof. Sumdac was upset to see the Constructicons, due to his unhappy dealings with them, and demanded that they leave at once. Dirt Boss didn't take too kindly to that and was about to squish the Professor, so Bulkhead quickly told Dirt Boss that Sumdac worked for him. Bulkhead then feigned anger at Sumdac, ordering him to build the plasmadynamic thruster or else. However, Sumdac didn't notice Bulkhead's conspiratorial winks and thought his ire was real.

Dirt Boss then took Mixmaster and Scrapper out into the city, where they started stealing oil so they could hold the city for ransom. Bulkhead tried to talk Mixmaster and Scrapper out of following Dirt Boss, but the two of them were too interested in gaining oil to listen. Mixmaster even stuck Bulkhead's feet to the ground with his cement. Later, Captain Fanzone inquired whether the "rude, 30-foot robots" were friends of Bulkhead's. Bulkhead tried to convince the Captain that Mix and Scrap were good bots, just misprogrammed, but Fanzone was only concerned about machines acting up his town.

Bulkhead followed the Constructicons back to the disassembly factory, where Dirt Boss was chewing out the other two about "drinking the profits". Prof. Sumdac then found Bulkhead and handed over the plasmadynamic thruster that the Autobot had so firmly demanded. Bulkhead told the Professor that he'd just been acting so the other bots wouldn't hurt Isaac. When said bots appeared behind him, Bulkhead had to put on his act once again, but now Sumdac was in on it. Dirt Boss then told of his plan to destroy the fossil-fuel refinery so they would have the only source of oil in Detroit. Bulkhead finally decided this had gone too far and tried to stop them. Unfortunately, his plan wasn't very well thought-out, and he got his wrecking ball stuck in Mixmaster's cement-cannon. The Constructicons simply dragged him along, with Bulkhead protesting all the way.

When the Constructicons got to the refinery, Bulkhead nearly won Mixmaster and Scrapper over by reminding them that if they destroyed the place, they wouldn't be able to get more oil. But Dirt Boss, having had enough of Bulkhead's mouth, used a cerebro-shell to order Mixmaster to take Bulkhead offline. As the two were still stuck together, this led to a rather awkward battle. Bulkhead managed to open his comm-link so the other Autobots would hear him in trouble. When Scrapper noticed this, he took the cerebro-shell out of Mixmaster and plugged into Bulkhead. Dirt Boss then ordered Bulkhead to light the oil tank and blow up the refinery, even though this would also destroy Mixmaster, who was stuck to Bulkhead. But when the other Autobots came, Dirt Boss had Bulkhead attack them instead, using Mixmaster as a wrecking ball. Eventually, Ratchet was able to remove the cerebro-shell. Bulkhead then separated himself from Mixmaster by using the spilled oil as a lubricant. One swing from his wrecking ball sent Mixmaster flying, but Mix fell onto Scrapper, and the sparks from their collision lit the oil. When the fire proved impossible to contain, Prof. Sumdac came up with the idea of transporting it with the plasmadynamic thruster. Bulkhead reprogrammed the thruster for a shorter distance and tossed it on top of the oil tank. The tank, as well as the Constructicons who were on top of it, as transwarped over Lake Erie near Dinobot Island, where it exploded harmlessly. The Autobots still needed to cart away Lugnut, but discovered that he had been freed by [[Ramjet (Animated)|someone]]. {{storylink|Three's a Crowd}}

When Wasp came to Earth, he attack Bumblebee and switched identities with him, via an [[electronic paint job]] concealed in the switched helmets that also altered their voice synthesizers. Even Bulkhead was confused by the clever disguising and nearly smashed Bumblebee with his wrecking ball, presumably to get even for Wasp's bullying at boot camp. Fortunately, Bumblebee was able to make Bulkhead realize who he really was by reminding how he took the fall for knocking that building on top of Sentinel Prime. Bulkhead realized the truth at the last second and bounced (yes, you read that right, ''bounced'', accompanied with squeaky footsteps too) over and hugged Bumblebee. But then they were attacked by a [[Jetfire (Animated)|new]] [[Jetstorm (Animated)|pair]] of flying Autobots, who thought that Bumblebee was Wasp and, since they also thought Wasp was a traitor, Bulkhead and Prowl were too. The minor misunderstanding was quickly settled when Optimus Prime, Jazz, Ratchet, and Sentinel Prime appeared and Bulkhead explained how he knew Wasp is really Bumblebee (with a squeaky bouncing dance thrown in too). When they went back to the plant, Wasp had already boned up on everything regarding Bumblebee on the computer files and thus an information quiz was therefore useless. However, Bulkhead knew one way to prove who was the real Bumblebee: a death match of [[Ninja Gladiator]] between the two suspected Autobots, on account that Bumblebee is "the best player around". Wasp, not knowing any fighting moves from his long time in the Stockades, panicked and threatened to slag Bumblebee. When Wasp claimed he used to be a good bot before Bumblebee ruined him, Bulkhead countered that he was always mean to him and Bumblebee, thus while not being a traitor, Wasp was never a good bot. Wasp then shot the lights out and made a break for it. Bulkhead found him outside lying on the ground and jumped on top of him, punching him repeatedly. Only to find that Wasp had switched identities again and Bulkhead had pounded Bumblebee. Oops. {{storylink|Where Is Thy Sting?}}

Bulkhead later witnessed Optimus Prime tell Jetfire & Jetstorm to stop taunting Sentinel behind his back ,but later was told to roll on home along with Bumblebee and Prowl by Ratchet, so Optimus & Sentinel could speak in private.{{storylink|Predacons Rising}}

On Christmas Eve, Bulkhead & Bumblebee were trying to figure out what they got for Christmas, when Sari told them that if they peeked, they would end up on Santa's naughty list. Later, when all of the Autobots had drank oil nog that Sari had made (which was altered by one of Soundwave's toys), all of the Autobots, along with Bulkhead, suddenly felt very tired, and decide to take a stasis nap. When Bulkhead and the other Autobots wake up the next morning, they aren't the same as before, as they have been turned human, and their is no rationale explaination. Prime decides that the Autobots need to get to Sumdac Tower, as they think Professor Sundac could figure out what happened. On the way to Sumdac Tower, Bulkhead's stomach begins to growl, so Optimus decides that their "Human bodies need some refueling". They decide to go to a nearby Burger-bot, where Bulkhead proceeds to "stuff his face" with hamburgers. Bulkhead later feels this strange sense in his butt, and thinks he has some kind of malfunction, and heads off for the bathroom. As soon as he gets back, the Autobots hear a noise outside, which turns out to be a Decepticon attack. When Starscream transforms to robot mode and attacks, Bulkhead tries to punch his leg, but ends up severly injuring his hand in the process. He laters helps trasport Optimus to a paramedic when his leg is broken when Starscream slams him against the wall. When Prime states that the Autonots need to get to Sumdac Tower, Bulkhead asks how they're going to get there, and takes a liking to their mode of transportation when they actually get on it, which is a city bus. When the Autobots finally get to the Sumdac Tower entrance, they look up and see none other than...CYBERTRON! Not only that, but right after it settles, Decepticons start swarming from it, and it seems that all hope is lost. However, Prime & Prowl soon figure out that none of what has happened to them that episode was real, and that the Decepticon attack wasn't real. The Autobots proceed to defeat the virtual Decepticons, and manage to transform themselves back into their Cybertronian forms, but Bulkhead isn't able to transform as easily as the others. Just then, a giant arm emerges from the ground, along with Soundwave's head, and the Autobots are then attacked by a surge of electricity. {{storylink|Human Error, Part I}}

Bulkhead later tries to use his wrecking-ball arm to escape from being reprogramed by the virtual Soundwave, but ends up being freed because Sari damaged Soundwave's system. When Soundwave manages to fix his machine, the Autobots are transformed back into humans. Bulkhead then proceeds to use a traffic light he found to trash the virtual city, in an attempt to escape the virtual reality, but Ratchet then tells him that it doesn't work that way, and that they needed to find "Soundwave's interface". Just then, Bumblebee spots Soundwave's vehicle mode (but in the colors of Electrostatic Soundwave), and Prime orders the Autobots to go after the vehicle in some conveniently-placed vehicles. Bulkhead, along with the rest of the Autobots, EPICLY FAILS at driving, and ends up raming several vehicles. They eventually corner the vehicle in a drive-in movie theater parking-lot, but discover they'd just fallen into a trap, and Soundwave succeeds in reprograming the Autobots. The Soundwave-controlled Bulkhead laters goes up against Scrapper, who ends up defeating him by freezing him with a fire hydrant. Bulkhead is later freed from Soundwave's control, and joins the rest of the Autobots in watching the Disposal Droids (and [[Wreck-Gar (Animated) |Wreck-Gar]]) clean up the city.{{storylink|Human Error, Part II}}

When Bulkhead and Sumdac eventually finish the space-bridge that they'd been building (which they finished in record time), they soon get into an argument about whose fault it is that the space-bridge isn't already operational, which is later settled by Sari, who eventually gets the space-bridge operational. Later, when Optimus gets a message from Sentinel that he's in trouble, Bulkhead locates a transwarp field on the Elite Guard Flagship that they could use to transwarp Prime to the ship, but they don't know how to lock the space-bridge onto it. When Sari gets it connected, Bulkhead is not sure if they will be able to transwarp Prime back to Earth, but Prime insists on going. When the transwarp field starts to get further away from the ship, Bulkhead seriously doubts he can transwarp Prime back, but it's revealed he doesn't need to when Prime is dropped off on Earth by Sentinel.{{storylink|Decepticon Air}}

Bulkhead eventually helps Bumblebee transwarp to the moon in order to spy on the Decepticons, and learn of their ultimate plan for Omega Supreme. When Bumblebee manages to open Arcee's com-link, which will allow them to listen in on the Decepticons, they hear that the Decepticons are almost ready and warn the others.{{storylink|Endgame, Part I}}

When the [[Lugnut Supreme]]s attack Detroit, Prime orders Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and Ratchet to go to the moon and sever the connection to the clones, and Sari ends up coming with them. When they arrive on the moon, the Autobots are attacked by Shockwave, and Bumblebee and Bulkhead take him on, while Ratchet and Sari get Arcee inside of the real Omega Supreme. Bulkhead and Bumblebee eventually manage to defeat Shockwave, and end up arresting him. They then take Sari to the part of the Nemesis where the protoforms are held, so she can see where she came from, and what she is. Bulkhead later is onboard Omega Supreme when he battles the Starscream Supremes, and is present when it is revealed that Prowl sacrificed himself in order to save the city. Just after it was revealed that Prowl had died, Megatron attacked Optimus, and Bulkhead witnessed Optimus ultimately defeat and arrest Megatron. Bulkhead later joins the Autobots when they go back to Cybertron, and helps carry Prowl's coffin in their return victory/funeral parade.{{storylink|Endgame, Part II}}

===Animated shorts===

[[Image:BulkheadandGrimlock.gif|thumb|right|300px|Where did that tree disappear to anyway?]]
[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] attempted to jump over him and the other Autobots as part of stunt.{{storylink|Evel Knievel Jump}}
On some day, Bulkhead saw a mime performance along with Sari and Bumblebee. Sari had to explain to the two confused Autobots what a mime was. After Bumblebee successfully upstaged said mime, the audience applauded. He decided to join them and clapped so loud that he pretty much scared everyone away. {{storylink|Mime Time}}

He played fetch with Grimlock, using a tree. Grimlock liked that.{{storylink|Bulkhead Plays with Grimlock}}
At some point, Ratchet was performing surgery on him. Sari helped.{{storylink|Ratchet Performs Surgery on Bulkhead }}

===Titan Magazines===
[[Hasbro|Toy companies]] have made an action figure of him! {{storylink|Animated Comic issue 3|Crossroads!}}

The Dinobots saved him and the others from [[Starscream clone (Animated)|Starscream clones]], which was good. They then didn't leave and Bulkhead's sleeping space was taken up by Grimlock, which was not good. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 17|Dino-MIGHT!}}

Later, the Autobots were buried by the villain [[Quake-Maker]]. Bulkhead's great strength freed them from the ground, and then he ''vanished completely'' from the battle. {{storylink|Animated Comic issue 1|Burnout}}

On his day off, Bulkhead was dragged to a basketball game by Sari, Prowl and [[Afterburn]]. Bulkhead didn't see the point of the game and was being mistaken for a litter bin by the humans. Luckily a demented supervillain attacked Detroit and they had to leave the game—but as a diversionary tactic, the evil [[Crossroads]] blackmailed Detroit into trying to destroy the Autobots! The Autobots saw through this and intercepted the villain at [[Sumdac Tower]], with Bulkhead taking down reprogrammed security drones. After beating the villain, Bulkhead now enjoyed basketball and happily watched the game ''for no reason''. {{storylink|Animated Comic issue 3|Crossroads!}}

When the Decepticons raided the Autobot base, Bulkhead joined the gang in successfully driving them back out. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 24|Megatron's Revenge}}

When Prowl and Bumblebee decided to have a race to see who was fastest, Bulkhead was eager to join in, much to Bumblebee's mockery. Nevertheless, off Bulkhead went... and, thanks to the other two being distracted by Decepticons, he ''won'' and was officially King of Speed. Optimus and Ratchet lifted him up in a display of victory (their shoulders hurt!). {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 25|The Race}}

==Toys==
===Animated===
[[Image:TFAnimated Voyager Bulkhead toy.jpg|300px|thumb|right|And the world wants his kibble to turn into a chair.]]
* '''Bulkhead''' (Voyager, 2008)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TA-03'''
:Bulkhead transforms from an armored, six-wheeled military-type van into a robot mode that is a bit on the short side for a Voyager, due to the stout, stocky nature of the character. The toy features two "[[automorph]]"-style gimmicks in its transformation: after flipping down the back doors, pulling down on them retracts a pair of black tabs holding his arms into pace, allowing them to spring forward into position; and moving his chest into place automatically causes a panel to flip over, exposing his head.

:The figure's left arm contains the character's signature gimmick, his wrecking ball. A concealed lever activates a pressure-launch system that fires the ball, which is attached to Bulkhead's arm by a sturdy string. Bulkhead's right arm, meanwhile, features a rather strange gimmick: after straightening the arm at the elbow, pressing the black lever on the upper arm causes Bulkhead's forearm to flip upwards. It ''might'' be an uppercut or some other sort of punch attack, but whatever this feature is supposed to be, it is not mentioned in either the toy's instructions, or on its packaging.

:No, his kibble can't transform into a chair. ''Aww''.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Autobot/Bulkhead/bulkhead.htm More information on Voyager Bulkhead at TFU.info]

{{-}}{{anchor|Mudbuster}}
[[Image:AnimatedVoyMudbusterBulkhead.jpg|thumb|300px|Bulkhead, el Hijo del Acero. LUUUCHAAARAAAAN!]]
* '''Mudbuster Bulkhead''' (Voyager, 20??)

: A [[redeco]] of the original Bulkhead in green and black, with caution stripes on the sides of the vehicle. As with nearly all new ''Animated'' figures after February 2009, it is on indefinite hiatus.

{{uncertaintoy}}

{{-}}{{anchor|Leader}}
[[Image:TFAnimated Leader Bulkhead toy.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Tired of being known as "the big guy with a gentle heart", Bulkhead became more trigger happy than [[Triggerhappy]].]]
* '''Bulkhead''' (Leader, 2008)
**''Accessories'': 4 "air torpedoes"

: This version of Bulkhead is decidedly more heavily armed than others, with the most distinctive additions to his arsenal coming in the form of a double-barreled turret for his vehicle mode, two missile racks (one per arm, each holding two removable "air torpedoes"), and a buzzsaw in his right hand, which spins when a black tab on his forearm is pressed. He ''doesn't'' have a wrecking ball, but his other hand does feature a "grabby" action, allowing you to clench and open his fingers by sliding a tab in his arm.

:Bulkhead is outfitted with a significant array of electronic light and sound gimmicks. Pressing the Autobot insignia on his chest in robot mode causes his head to turn, his mouth to open , as he speaks one of three sound clips—"Sorry, my bad," "You can do it, buddy!", and "Time for the big guns!"—accompanied by flashing yellow lights in his chest, shoulders and eyes. During transformation, when the vehicle mode turret is snapped into or out of place, the classic transformation sound effect plays as his lights flash. In vehicle mode, pressing the Autobot insignia activates a siren noise, which lasts as long as the button is held down and is accompanied by flashing red LEDs that illuminate his vehicle's light bar. Bulkhead also comes packaged with the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] unit, which can fit over the figure's head, altering his sound and changing his yellow lights to red. Once in place, the Headmaster will scream "Ownage! Total ownage!", and all of Bulkhead's lights flash, illuminating the villain's translucent horns. This is the Headmaster's only phrase; pressing Bulkhead's insignia repeats the effects. The Headmaster accessory fits over all other Leader class figures.

: The packaging photography and lineart indicate that Bulkhead's electronic lights shine a more [[Show-accuracy|show-accurate]] blue (well, accurate for his eyes, anyway). The final produced toy has yellow lights instead, because blue LEDs are apparently really expensive.

: ''This'' version of Bulkhead ''can'' transform his kibble into a chair! Hooray!

{{note|[[Derrick J. Wyatt]] has remarked that the additional weaponry this toy possesses is supposed to represent the alterations the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] would have made if he had possessed the body longer.}}

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Autobot/LeaderBulkhead/bulkhead.htm More information on Leader Bulkhead at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|Activator}}
[[Image:TFAnimated Activators Bulkhead.jpg|300px|thumb|right|"Whoa, I thought I was super-deformed ''before''..."]]
* '''Bulkhead''' (Activator, 2008)

: [[Activators]] Bulkhead can autotransform from a compressed version of a SWAT military van into his robot form when the middle siren bar is pressed. The vehicle mode lacks the back section's doors and bumper to better accommodate the gimmick, which leaves his robot mode's hands sticking out.

: His kibble is unable to become a chair as well. '''''Awww'''''. Unless you take the back-piece and switch it round and have him sit on it in a kind of... warped way.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Autobot/ActBulkhead/bulkhead.htm More information on Activators Bulkhead at TFU.info]

{{-}}{{anchor|BumperBattler}}
[[Image:BumperBattlers Bulkhead toy.JPG|250px|thumb|right|Bulkhead now knows how [[Han Solo]] feels.]]

* '''Bulkhead''' (Bumper Battler, 2008)

: Bulkhead is part of the second wave of [[Bumper Battlers]]. Pressing on the vehicle mode's front bumper activates electronic noises and pops up the roof, revealing a relief of Bulkhead's robot form. Pressing on the Autobot [[faction symbol]] on the hood activates a randomly-assembled collection of sound effects and voice samples.

: His face is disturbingly goofy.

* '''Workzone Bulkhead''' (Bumper Battler, 2009)

: A [[redeco]] of Bumper Battlers Bulkhead. Alongside [[Jazz (Animated)|Stealth Ninja Jazz]], it saw release in Australian stores, but whether it will ever arrive in North America is unknown.

==Notes==
[[Image:RedBulkhead.jpg|thumb|right|Bulkred. Redhead? [[Big Red]]! Wyatt totally got paid for this.]]

* Bulkhead's design and demeanor likely owe themselves to Crunch from ''[[wikipedia:Mighty Orbots|Mighty Orbots]]'', a series [[Derrick J. Wyatt]] has admitted as being an inspiration.

* [[wikipedia:Patrick Star|Another]] big lug with a [[Bill Fagerbakke|similar]] voice, Bulkhead is best friends with a [[wikipedia:SpongeBob SquarePants (character)|little]] [[Bumblebee (Animated)|yellow guy]]. Obviously this analogy [[Tom Kenny|only goes]] [[Starscream (Animated)|so far]].

* Upon seeing a red [[Prototype|test shot]] of Bulkhead's ''Voyager''-class toy, Derrick J. Wyatt recolored a Bulkhead character model in the test shot's colors—on company time!<ref>http://derrickjwyatt.blogspot.com/2007/09/bulkhead-toy.html</ref>

* While Bulkhead's Earth form features no continuous tracks, he still has them on his feet, like in his Cybertron form. This is probably an animation error that stayed in the show. The toy's legs are more developed, as the front wheels form the backs of the feet. The leader class toy, though, is show-accurate in the sense that flipping out his feet will reveal the tracks.

* After his reformatting into his APC mode, Bulkhead's robot mode [[kibble]] changes from the ''front'' of his vehicle mode (where it forms the scoop of the bulldozer) to the ''back'', where it forms the doors of the truck.
[[Image:Bulkheadchair.jpg|250px|thumb|right|The next step in Transformers evolution is here!]]

* Bulkhead can form his [[kibble]] into a chair. This is awesome.

* Bulkhead has a storage place in his chest which opens in at least two ways, like a drawer and/or like a door.

* Bulkhead's eyes can extend from his face and act as a microscope, as shown in "[[Rise of the Constructicons]]". This is slightly strange, but also awesome.

* In spite of the visual differences, it would appear that rather than simply swapping out his hands for his signature wrecking balls, Bulkhead's hands actually transform to ''become'' the wrecking balls. Although most episodes show his hand simply retract and then be replaced by the ball, a few instances show it actually stay in place, blur and change into the ball. Furthermore, in cases where Bulkhead has had the tether-line of his wrecking ball severed, he remains conspicuously handless until the ball is re-attached, such as in "[[Transform and Roll Out]]" and "[[Megatron Rising - Part 2]]".

* Bulkhead's vehicle mode design was used as the basis for [[Blurr (G1)|Generation 1 Blurr]]'s personal transport in [[Spotlight: Blurr]].

* Of all the vehicles that Teletran 1 scanned, the SWAT vehicle Bulkhead was reformatted into was the only one that didn't match his color scheme.

*For the Japanese release of ''Animated'', Bulkhead was renamed "Ironhide" to keep the names of the primary ''Animated'' Autobots consistent with the names of the primary ''[[Transformers (2007)|Movie]]'' Autobots. ''Animated'' [[Ironhide (Animated)|Ironhide]] will tentatively be renamed "Armorhide" to escape confusion.

*[[TakaraTomy]] marketing director [[Masahiko Yamazaki]] has stated that Bulkhead actually ''is'' [[Ironhide (Movie)|Movie Ironhide]], as Animated was supposedly to be reworked in order to take place within Movie continuity, and and Bulkhead would have his "world view" modified appropriately. The actual ''dub'' of the series seems to contradict Yamazaki's statements, as Bulkhead remains a big dumb lug as opposed to a psychotic gun enthusiast. In fact, he's played off as even ''dumber'' than in the English version, being prone to screaming things such as "Mommy!" when frightened. Thus far, the only change to his "world view" to make him more similar to Movie Ironhide has been a brief statement in his [http://www.takaratomy.co.jp/products/TF/products/animated/ta03.html TakaraTomy online bio], which says that he is "something of a weapons specialist".

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Artists]]
[[Category:Autobots]]
[[Category:Animated characters]]
[[Category:Demolitions specialists]]
[[Category:Engineers]]

Razorclaw (disambiguation)

2009-10-21T05:06:38Z

98.212.255.236:

Know that the name '''Razorclaw / Razor Claw''' has been applied to several different ''Transformers'' characters.

{{disamb|y=1986|[[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] the [[Decepticon]] [[Predacon (G1)|Predacon]] lion from [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]].}}

{{disamb|y=1997|[[Razorclaw (BW)|Razorclaw]] the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] fiddler crab from ''[[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]]''.}}

{{disamb|y=2000|[[Razor Claw]] the [[Mutant (BW)|Mutant]] velociraptor/wolverine from ''Beast Wars''.}}

{{disamb|y=2003|[[Razorclaw (Universe)|Razorclaw]] the Decepticon alternate-universe incarnation of [[Tigerhawk]] from ''[[Universe (2003 franchise)|Universe]]''.}}

{{disamb|y=2006|[[Razorclaw (Cybertron)|Razorclaw]] the Decepticon-allied [[Sky Attack Mini-Con Team|Sky Attack Team]] [[Mini-Con]] stealth bomber from ''[[Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]]''.}}

{{disamb|y=2008|[[Razorclaw (SG)|Razorclaw]] the heroic Decepticon [[Micromaster]] wolf from "[[Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]".}}

Know also that Razorclaw should not be confused with...

*[[Lazorbeak]] the Predacon pterodactyl from ''Beast Wars''.

*[[Razor-Sharp]] the [[Action Master partner]] to [[Banzai-Tron (G1)|Banzai-Tron]] from Generation 1.

*[[Razorbeast]] the [[Maximal]] wild boar from ''Beast Wars''.

*[[Razorkukku]] the Autobot-allied [[Beastformer]] from ''[[The Headmasters (franchise)|The Headmasters]]''.

*[[Rockbuster]] the Maximal crab who is visually identical to the Predacon crab Razorclaw (well, one version of him, anyway).

{{disambig}}

Lio Convoy (BW)

2009-09-04T05:43:11Z

98.212.255.236: /* External Links */

{{factions|maximal|autobot}}
:''Lio Convoy is a [[Maximal]] in the [[Beast Era]] portion of the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]]. He is sometimes known as '''Leo Prime'''.''

[[Image:LioConvoy01.jpg|right|250px|thumb|He's no Leoric.]]
A high-ranking member of the Maximals, '''Lio Convoy''' is honest to his core and possesses the strong sense of right and wrong that one expects from a robot with "[[Convoy]]" in his name. In part he's a tough, hard, career-military robot, but he doesn't let that side of his nature totally dominate who he is. There is a very humane, even gentle side to him as well, and there are times when one can't help but suspect his seriousness has a hidden smile behind it. Though Lio Convoy dislikes fighting for its own sake, for a just cause he is more than willing to throw himself into the fray. He believes that through combat one can gain insight and understanding of an opponent's true character and thought processes.

==Fiction==
===Cartoon continuity===
====''Beast Wars II'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Hozumi Gōda]] (Japanese)

[[Image:Lioconvoy preformat.jpg|left|150px|thumb|"TRUKK NOT LYON!"]]
Receiving a mysterious SOS signal from within an asteroid field, Maximal Supreme Commander Convoy investigated alongside his deputy, [[Apache]]. Entering the field in small one-man reconaissance crafts, the pair discovered that the signal was coming from a small planetoid that suddenly began bearing down on them in a collision course. Realising that the whole affair had been a trap laid by the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] Emperor [[Galvatron (BWII)|Galvatron]], Convoy sprang into action and opened fire on the planetoid, which exploded dramatically. {{storylink|The New Forces Arrive!|The New Forces Arrive!}} While the blast hurled Apache to safety, however, Convoy took the brunt of the explosion and was cast into the depths of the cosmos, eventually crash landing on the planet [[Gaea]]. When he regained consciousness, his body had already been weakened and corroded by the hazardous atmosphere of the planet, and he would surely have died had not a white lion come upon his prone form. The lion carried Convoy to a cave brimming with the power of [[Angolmois]] energy, which restored and revitalized Convoy. Convoy then scanned the lion's form for use as a beast mode to protect him from Gaea's atmosphere, and redubbed himself "Lio Convoy".

As coincidence would have it, Galvatron and his Predacons had also come to Gaea to harness its Angolmois energy, and Lio Convoy's unit had followed them, but wound up on the losing end of the battle that resulted. Staying in lion mode the whole time, Lio Convoy bounded onto the scene and freed his troops from the energy web that was paralyzing them, then led them back to the crashed wreck of their ship, the ''[[Yukikaze (BWII)|Yukikaze]]'', where he revealed his identity to them (although Apache had already figured it out). Stranded on Gaea, the team dedicated themselves to stopping Galvatron's evil plans for the Angolmois energy. {{storylink|White Lion, Run!|White Lion, Run!}}

Lio Convoy was later reunited with his "son", [[Lio Junior]]. While Lio Convoy was first recovering from Predacon attack, the Spirit of Gaea copied his Leadership Matrix and infused it within Lio Junior, resulting in Lio Junior's belief that he was Lio Convoy's offspring. Lio Convoy wasn't very eager to be weighed down by a son, and Lio Junior spent the bulk of the series trying desperately to earn his acceptance.

[[Image:Lioconvoyinemminentdomain.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Continuity migraine.]]
At one point, an alien machine that could warp time and space crashed onto Gaea. The Predacons used it to summon the unstoppable mobile fortress, [[Majin Zarak]], and quickly trashed most of the Maximals. [[Magnaboss II|Magnaboss]] (the combined form of Lio Junior, [[Santon]] and [[Skywarp (BWII)|Skywarp]]) managed to summon [[Optimus Primal]] to their aid with the machine.

Primal and Lio Convoy teamed up to battle Majin Zarak, who turned out to be a sentient robot and not just a battle station. Together, they combined the power of their Energon Matrices to [[Spontaneous recoloration|upgrade]] themselves into Burning Convoy and Flash Lio Convoy.

[[Image:Flashlioconvoy.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Ooh, shiny.]]
With Primal's enhanced strength and Lio Convoy's super speed, they weakened Majin Zarak. They then unleashed the power within their Matrices into a "Double Matrix Blast" which finished off the monster.

Lio Convoy had many more wacky adventures on Gaea, including but not limited to: [[Black Lio Convoy|Evil Clones]], [[Seacon (BWII)|Space Pirates]], and [[Jointron|Feisty Mexican Robot Insects]]. Eventually, Galvatron summoned [[Nemesis (BWII)|Nemesis]], an artificial planet, to suck all the Angolmois energy out of Gaea. The Maximals followed the Predacons to Nemesis and Lio Convoy managed to infiltrate Nemesis with the help of [[Scuba]] and the [[Tako Tank]]. Inside, Lio Convoy faced Galvatron but could not defeat the Predacon Emperor of Destruction, who was now powered by Angolmois energy. Lio Junior soon arrived to rescue his daddy and the pair, with the help of "good" Angolmois energy, merged into the Great Green Warrior. They did battle with Galvatron and eventually defeated him, sealing the Angolmois energy into capsules and firing them off into space. Galvatron then revealed his big surprise and used his [[Galva-Matrix]] to cause Nemesis to explode. Lio Convoy and the rest of the Maximals then fell into a wormhole.

====''Beast Wars Neo'' cartoon====
After having their Angolmois capsules stolen by the [[Blendtron|Blendtrons]], [[Big Convoy]] and his Maximal new recruits were sucked into a wormhole while chasing their enemies. They came across Lio Convoy (whom they all had presumed dead) who explained to them that the Angolmois energy was really the lifeforce of [[Unicron]]. Lio Convoy used all his power to free the Maximals from the wormhole, though he remained trapped inside.

[[Image:Neo35 greenwarrior.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Maximals. Now flavored in mint.]]
Lio Convoy eventually escaped from the wormhole and aided Big Convoy, the Maximals and [[Magmatron]] in the final battle against Unicron. After Big Convoy blew Unicron away with his Matrix Buster, the Maximals and Predacons formed an alliance of true unity and worked together to restore Cybertron. All of Lio Convoy's Maximal troops who were trapped inside the wormhole with him were eventually released and joined in the restoration of their homeworld.

====''Robot Masters''====
=====Cartoon=====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Masayuki Katō]] (Japanese)

{{storylink|Fight! The Group of the Strongest Commanders!|Fight! The Group of the Strongest Commanders!}}
{{storylink|The Lio Convoy Typhoon Enters (episode)|The Lio Convoy Typhoon Enters}}

=====Online comic=====
===''Beast Wars II'' comic===
He gets drunk for no apparent reason and ends up trashing Apache's room.

{{charstubfiction}}

===IDW ''Beast Wars'' comics===
[[Image:Lioconvoy gathering.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Hey, look, he turns into Liger Zero!]]
There is a slight otherworldliness about Commander-in-Chief Lio Convoy, a sense that he is operating on a bigger picture and serving a higher power. Upon landing on a planet, he immediately becomes in tune with its natural harmonics and becomes determined to defend that world. He has sheer belief in his pre-ordained cause, backed up by a Matrix that gives him power from the very core of Cybertron. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 17|Transformers Comic issue 17}}

Prior to the end of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]] and the signing of the [[Pax Cybertronia]], Lio Convoy commanded a crew of Maximals who traveled to the planet [[Gaea]] and battled [[Galvatron (BWII)|Galvatron]] and his forces. {{storylink|Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook}}

Years later, during peace-time, the ever-vigilant Lio Convoy sat on the [[Bi-Partate Committee for State Affairs]], but was also a member of a secret black-ops intelligence unit known as the [[Pack]]. During a conversation with [[Razorbeast]] that was officially off-the-record, he reminded his fellow Maximal that their unit didn't exist and that the [[Maximal Imperium]] didn't sanction their operations. He warned Razorbeast that if he was caught while undercover in [[Magmatron]]'s command, he would be disavowed. {{storylink|The Gathering issue 1|The Gathering #1}}

Unfortunately, Lio Convoy believed that Magmatron was the true enemy, while [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] was just a loose cannon. (Real good job of threat assessment there.) After Razorbeast's transwarp booster-sent distress message was strengthened by Magmatron, it reached Lio Convoy, who, despite his earlier warning, mobilized the Pack at once to race to Razorbeast's rescue. {{storylink|The Ascending issue 1|The Ascending #1}}

While Razorbeast's Maximals were fighting the Predacons to a standstill (in no small part thanks to the powerhouses [[Torca]] and [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]]), the Pack arrived and looked to turn the tide of battle quickly in the favor of all that is clean and fresh. Lio Convoy himself transformed and confronted [[Drill Bit (BW)|Drill Bit]] and some other Pred thugs, who were unimpressed by his unnervingly LARGE beast mode. Lio Convoy accepted this and whipped out his cannons. THEN they were impressed. When [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] revealed himself to the Maximals, Lio Convoy and Razorbeast were quick to turn their guns on him, right up until [[Rartorata]] showed his ugly mug. The [[Blendtron]] injected Razorbeast with a load of Angolmois, turning the Maximal into a raging berserker locked in beast mode. {{storylink|The Ascending issue 2|The Ascending #2}}

[[Image:Lio V Ravage.jpg|left|180px|thumb|[[Rumble (G1)| RUMBLE]]! WAS! [[FIRRIB |RED]]!]]
Reminding the Pack that they take care of their own and clean up their own messes, Lio Convoy engaged the enemy. Once they had subdued Razorbeast's mutated form with crude vines and stakes, Convoy discovered that his comrade was still within the monstrous beast and fighting a losing battle against the Angolmois that was corrupting his mind. Ravage informed the Maximal commander of the urgency of what Magmatron had showed him, and the Maximals prepared to board Lio Convoy's transwarp cruiser. The cruiser's takeoff was then threatened by the arrival of the other two Blendtrons. Razorbeast broke from his restraints and charged into battle against the servants of Unicron, telling Convoy to escape while he held the line. Setting the transwarp coordinates to the time and place Ravage had received from Magmatron, the cruiser emerged in the midst of [[Big Convoy]]'s battle with Shokaract. However it was shot down upon the arrival of [[Antagony]] and Shokaract's heralds. {{storylink|The Ascending issue 3|The Ascending #3}}

Luckily Lio and the rest of The Pack survived the crash and were able to join up with Big Convoy. After briefly explaining the seriousness of the situation to Big Convoy, Lio provided [[Bump]] with a sample of Angolmois so he could synthesize an antidote. After a brief spat of posturing by [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] and Ravage, Lio took part in a frontal assault on Shokaract to serve as a distraction while [[Snarl (BW)| Snarl]] and [[Prowl II|Prowl]] enacted the real plan. Once Shokaract decided to call it a day after his heart to heart talk with Magmatron and in the wake of the devastating battle Lio Convoy received the antidote from Bump and started on rebuilding a devastated Cybertron. {{storylink|The Ascending issue 4|The Ascending #4}}

==Toys==
===Beast Wars===
[[Image:BWII LioConvoy toy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight]]
* '''Lio Convoy''' (Ultra, 1998)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-16'''
**''Accessories:'' Six missiles, two launchers

: Lio Convoy transforms into an organic white lion articulated at the legs and head. In this mode, one can activate flip-out blades in each foreleg and spring-loaded missile launchers hidden in his mane. The head/mane can also open up and spin around via push-lever gear mechanism as part of a spinning attack gimmick ''thing''. A button on top of his head opens his beast-mode jaw. He can only store two of his six missiles in beast mode...and they stick out of his mane, looking a little goofy.

[[Image:LioConvoyMatrix1.jpg|left|100px|thumb|"Pssst! Hey, buddy! Wanna buy a MacGuffin?"]]
:In robot mode, Lio Convoy's chest design and colours closely resemble ''Generation 1'' [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], even sporting a non-removable [[Energon Matrix]] sculpted into his chest, underneath his left chest panel (which also has a heat-sensitive Maximal [[rubsign]]). All of his flip-out beast mode weapons can be used in robot mode, and his missile launchers can be removed and held in either of his hands.

:Hasbro offered Lio Convoy as an [[exclusive]] on its now-defunct [[Hasbro Collectors]] website in 2000.

: This mold was used to make [[Black Lio Convoy]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1998/Cybertron/LioConvoy/lioconvoy.htm More information on Lio Convoy at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|Flash}}
* '''Flash Lio Convoy''' (Ultra, 1998)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-16'''
**''Accessories:'' Six missiles, two launchers

:The first [[redeco]] of Lio Convoy in his "Flash" color scheme, which replaces most of his secondary colors with metal-flake gold and silver.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1998/Cybertron/FlashLioConvoy/flashlioconvoy.htm More information on Flash Lio Convoy at TFU.info]''

===Robot Masters===
[[Image:RMLioConvoy toy.jpg|right|200px|thumb|I'm adorable!]]
* '''Lio Convoy''' (Deluxe, 2005)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''RM-22'''

: ''[[Robot Masters]]'' Lio Convoy is a scaled-down, simplified, all-new, Deluxe-sized Lio Convoy. Though he retains most of the original Lio Convoy's articulation, he lacks the spring-loaded [[Gimmick|gimmicks]] such as his spinning mane and missile launchers, and is of lower sculpted detail.

: Instead of spring-loaded weapons, Lio Convoy comes with a whopping five non-firing blasters. His beast-mode mane has peg-holes to attach four of the weapons, simulating his bigger toy's attack-beast mode. The smaller handgun has several mounting points on it for adding the other guns, resulting in a superweapon.

: This mold was also used to make the ''Robot Masters'' version of [[Black Lio Convoy]].

::*[http://www.tfu.info/2005/Cybertron/LioConvoy/lioconvoy.htm ''More information on ''Robot Masters'' Lio Convoy at TFU.info'']

{{-}}{{anchor|RMDVD}}
[[Image:RMLioConvoy DVD toy.jpg|right|150px|thumb|I'm unobtainable!]]
* '''Lio Convoy + DVD''' (Deluxe, 2005)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''RM-23'''
**''Accessories'': 2 large cannons, 2 small cannons, handgun

: This more limited-edition (yet still normal retail) redeco of Lio Convoy features a shiny metallic paint deco for his red parts. He also comes with a DVD with the third part of the short ''Robot Masters'' CGI-animated storyline.

::*[http://www.tfu.info/2005/Cybertron/DVDLioConvoy/lioconvoy.htm ''More information on ''Robot Masters'' DVD Lio Convoy at TFU.info'']

{{-}}
===Classics===
[[Image:Classics LeoPrime LOC.jpg|right|175px|thumb|This toy has caused untold years of war.]]
* '''Leo Prime''' (Legends, 2007)
* '''Leo Prime''' (Legends, "Cybertron Collection", 2008)

: An unusual addition to the ''[[Classics (2006)|Classics]]'' line, Leo Prime is a redeco of the ''[[Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]''-series [[Legends Class|Legends of Cybertron]] [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]] toy, transforming into a robotic lion (well, liger, really). He was originally part of the first wave of ''Classics'' Legends, then later re-released in a wave with—even more unusually—the ''Cybertron''-series characters [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]], [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Soundwave (Cybertron)|Soundwave]], all of whom (Leo Prime included) had the words "Cybertron Collection" added to the standard ''Classics'' package design.

: This mold was also used to make 2008's ''[[Universe (2008 franchise)|Universe]]'' [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]].

::*[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Autobot/ClassicsLeoPrime/leoprime.htm ''More information on ''Classics'' Leo Prime at TFU.info'']

{{-}}
===Universe (2008)===
[[Image:Leoprimeuniversevoyager.jpg|right|300px|thumb|In the same zoo as Primal Prime.]]
* '''Leo Prime''' (Voyager, 2009)
**''Accessories:'' Tail/whip, Key

: A [[retool]] of ''[[Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' [[Leobreaker]] with a new head and [[Redeco|redecoed]] in blue and red, Leo Prime transforms into a mechanical lion. Unlike previous releases of this mold, the electronics were removed and the battery cover is riveted closed. Each forelimb/arm has a Cyber-Key-released spring-loaded claw, and his tail becomes a blade-whip for robot mode. He can still transform into a "Savage Claw Mode", becoming a massive clawed arm that can attach to the Leader-class ''Cybertron'' [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] toys, usable on either side of their torsos. He comes with a silver-bordered blue Jungle Planet-type Cyber Key. His packaging designates him a [[Maximal]] despite the Autobot symbol on his chest.

: The original version of this mold was also used to create [[Nemesis Breaker]] and retooled to make [[BotCon 2009]] [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]].

==Notes==
* Before [[scanning]], Lio Convoy's name was simply "Convoy".
* In ''The Ascending'', Lio Convoy's beast mode, like Grimlock's, is [[Scale|huge compared to the real thing]].
* Lio's beast mode is probably based on the main character of the classic manga, ''[[wikipedia:Jungle_Emperor_Leo|Jungle Emperor Leo]]'', better known to the English speaking world as ''Kimba the White Lion''.
* The fact that his Legends-class toy was repackaged into the "Cybertron Collection" could be interpreted to mean the character has some connection to the [[Unicron Trilogy]]. Odd as it is, there is a minor precedent: The Unicron Trilogy character [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] has adopted a disguise based on [[Sky Shadow (Cybertron)|a Decepticon hero who somehow took part in the Beast Wars]].
* [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]'s [[Generation 1 cartoon timeline (Japan)|2007 Japanese Generation 1 cartoon timeline]] says that ''Beast Wars II'' took place thousands of years after ''Beast Wars'', meaning Optimus Primal predates him. In IDW's continuity, events similar to ''Beast Wars II'' happened in the ''past'', and Convoy predates ''Optimus'' (though not by such a long time).

==External Links==
[http://tfu.info/1998/Cybertron/LioConvoy/lioconvoy.htm Lio Convoy at TFU.info]

[[Category:Autobots]]
[[Category:Beast Wars characters]]
[[Category:Beast Wars II characters]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Neo characters]]
[[Category:Classics characters]]
[[Category:Japanese-original characters]]
[[Category:Maximals]]
[[Category:Maximal leaders]]
[[Category:Pack]]
[[Category:Robot Masters characters]]
[[Category:Universe (2008)]]

To sell toys

2009-09-04T05:28:09Z

98.212.255.236: /* Death */

[[Image:MarvelUS-19.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Hasbro wasn't quite sure whether to advertise this expensive toy until the fans forced their hand.]]

To understand ''Transformers'' fiction, it is important to understand that it exists '''to sell toys.''' [[Hasbro]] and [[TakaraTomy]] are toy companies, and they are primarily interested in continuing to sell [[Toy|toys]] to children and adults. The cartoons, comic books, etc., mostly exist to make this happen. To be sure, they normally [[Transformers (2007)#Reception|make a profit in their own right]], but this is regarded as mere gravy.

The "to sell toys" effect often distorts the fiction in interesting ways. Primarily, since you can't usually sell someone the same toy twice<ref>Except for repaints of [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]].</ref>, Hasbro and Takara constantly introduce new toys, and often require the creators of the fiction to introduce the new characters into ongoing storylines. Older characters (whose toys are no longer being sold) are shoved aside to make room.

Another effect of "to sell toys" is when the toys have gimmicks which must be explained in the fiction. Sometimes ([[Mini-Con]]s) this is relatively easy, while other times it requires a lot of imagination on the part of the writers (the in-comic explanations for the [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] and [[Targetmaster]]s are kinda wonky).

The UK [[Transformers (Titan Magazine)|movie-based ''Transformers'' comic]] takes this to more blatant heights. Not only do the movie toys like [[Clocker (Movie)|Clocker]] and [[Skyblast (Movie)|Skyblast]] appear in strips, not only has the editor told readers in "Mech Mail" that all the toys are great and should be bought... but there is a specific four-page feature every week called ''Top Gear'', which exists solely to promote the newest Transformers merchandise. This has led to readers being told how great [[Optimash Prime]] was.

==Casting==
===Huge casts===
[[Image:CosmicRust-BigGroup.jpg|right|300px|thumb|[[Pokeformers|Gotta catch 'em all!]]]]
Hasbro makes a lot of toys at once, and they generally want all of them to appear in their fiction. This can force writers to bring in vast numbers of characters all at once, sometimes with awkward results. Examples include:

* The first issue of the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Generation 1 comics]], "[[The Transformers (issue)|The Transformers]]", in which ''twenty-eight'' different robots appeared and introduced themselves, even though only a handful are important to the plot.

* The 1987 ''[[Headmasters (comic)|Headmasters]]'' Limited Series, which introduced over ''sixty'' characters in the course of four issues, including all the first waves of [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] and [[Targetmaster]]s, all their [[Nebulos|Nebulan]] partners, the [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]], [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcons]], and [[Monsterbot]]s.

* The cartoon episode "[[The Rebirth]]" likewise abruptly introduced a deluge of the 1987 toyline characters, mostly the same ones seen in ''Headmasters''.

* In the first four episodes of ''[[Robots in Disguise (cartoon)|Robots in Disguise]]'', eighteen characters are introduced in quick succession.

* From #9 onwards, [[Transformers (Titan Magazine)|Titan's movie-based ''Transformers'']] has heavily bumped up the cast with new toys. In one example, #17 brought in nine new toys in eleven pages; only one of the five Decepticons got any real focus or dialogue.

===Random casting===
The Hasbro-induced need to show all the toys can also cause stories to suddenly focus on a new character, sometimes dropping ongoing plot threads about older ones. Examples include:

* Season 2 of the cartoon introduced many new characters/buyable toys with no explanation; despite never having been seen before, the story treats them as though they have [[Beachcomber (G1)|been there]] [[Perceptor (G1)|the whole]] [[Tracks (G1)|time]].

[[Image:Decepticonpretenders-behold.jpg|right|200px|thumb|After seven issues, it's finally time for these six dudes to do something!]]
[[Image:Optimusprimeg1preearthmarvel2.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Apparently, the Triggerbots didn't make much of an impression on Prime.]]

* The comic issue "[[Pretender to the Throne!]]" suddenly introduces a dozen Autobots and Decepticons that we've never met before, and follows their adventures. The story adds nothing to the long-range plot that couldn't have been accomplished by using existing characters; these teams were added to the mix to promote their new toys.

* Many issues of the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel comic]] had cover blurbs in the form "Introducing the _______!", where the blank was whatever the latest line of toys was. The following issues specifically introduce new toys on the cover: [[Repeat Performance!|#8]], [[The Next Best Thing to Being There!|#10]], [[Brainstorm!|#11]], [[Command Performances!|#19]], [[Aerialbots over America!|#21]], [[Crater Critters|#29]], [[The Cure!|#30]], [[Pretender to the Throne!|#40]], [[People Power!|#42]], [[Ca$h and Car-nage!|#46]], [[Club Con!|#47]], and [[Yesterday's Heroes!|#60]]. Throw in a few covers where new characters were pictured but not named, and that's 1/5th of the series.

* In [[Spacehikers!|issue #36]] of the Marvel comics, when [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] decides that he needs help in dealing with [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]]'s inept leadership, he doesn't turn to any of the ''dozens'' of Autobots aboard the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'', which include two combiner teams and Omega Supreme. No, he has to call in his "old buddy"/new toy, [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]].

* In the prelude to the [[Underbase Saga]], [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] were the lead characters in a story set before the Transformers came to [[Earth]]. But rather than palling around with the likes of Jazz or Prowl, they are instead shown alongside the newest "gimmick" characters, the [[Triggercon]]s and the [[Triggerbot]]s.

* [[Mainframe Entertainment]] planned to use [[Wolfang (Maximal)|Wolfang]] in ''Beast Wars'', but [[Tigatron]] appeared instead because he had an upcoming toy, and to save money as his CGI model was only a slight tweak of [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]]'s.

* Rather than revealing stuff about the [[Vok]] and [[Tarantulas]], a long-running subplot, "[[Other Victories]]" spends much of its time telling us how great [[Tigerhawk]] is and how we should buy his toy.

* The [[First (and Second) in Flight|sixth issue]] of ''[[The Arrival]]'' stops following the regular cast so it can flag the awesome cool out-now-in-shops [[Safeguard (Animated)|Safeguard]] toy.

* Prominent generals in [[Transformers (Titan Magazine)|Titan's movieverse]] Decepticon army change frequently and without any acknowledgment as new toys jostle for (and gain) space.

===Limited casting===
On the opposite side of things, Hasbro doesn't want to pay to depict characters that aren't selling toys. This can force a story, particularly an animated cartoon, to have a smaller cast than it otherwise might.

* The early episodes of [[Armada (cartoon)|''Armada'']] featured only the toys available on the shelves. This resulted in two ridiculously small teams going to [[Earth]] for the all-important mission of gathering Mini-Cons, rather inexplicable in story terms.

* [[Armada (Dreamwave comic)|Both the Dreamwave]] and [[Armada (Panini comic)|Panini comics]] suffered exactly the same problem, but it gets worse: [[First Encounter|the first ''Armada'' episode]] reused models of older Transformers as generic background guys to bump numbers up. The comics ''didn't''. So Megatron apparently conquers all of planet Cybertron with an army of three guys, whereas the city/planet defending Autobots are just five blokes.

* Dreamwave would also [[Dreamwave Armada issue 10|feature a scene on Cybertron]], where the ''only'' Autobot who seemed to exist was [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]].

==Plot==
===Forced explication===
{{main|Introdump}}

Rather than simply showing up in the background, new toy/characters often overtly introduce themselves, often with a ridiculous description of their special abilities. The Marvel comic is rife with examples, but it shows up across numerous fictions.

* Again, [[The Transformers (issue)|''Transformers'' #1]] has two huge splash pages in which 28 characters do nothing but stand around and tell each other who they are and what they can do.

* The two-part Generation 1 cartoon episode "[[Dinobot Island, Part 1|Dinobot Island]]" features many new 1985 characters getting their own short little introductory scene, often with a characteristic bit of self-description ([[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]]: "I'd rather stay in my stunning auto mode!" [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]]: "I'm ''always'' ready for action!" [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]]: "Wow, like, I hope we don't destroy this place before we can study it!")

* "[[The Rebirth]]" has ''three different sequences'' in which large new groups of characters form a lineup and introduce themselves to viewers one after another. Strangely enough, much of this screen- and dialogue-time is given over to Nebulan partners; the "main" Transformer characters get no such introductions, even though they are the items kids would have to purchase to acquire the Nebulan accessories. For instance, [[Spasma]], [[Monzo]], and [[Peacemaker]] (all speaking characters) are introduced by name as part of various lineups, but their in-store hosts [[Apeface]], [[Weirdwolf]], and [[Pointblank]] are never named (and Weirdwolf never even speaks).

* "[[Beast Wars (Part 1)]]" has the Maximals walk on one-by-one admiring their beast modes, loudly explaining their names and showing character traits. This also gives the impression they deliberately changed their names to fit these new beast modes for no apparent reason (and, more oddly, Dinobot was ''already called that'').

===Gimmicks===
When the toys can do something special, fiction writers must often go out of their way to show the gimmick in action.

* The Headmaster gimmick got [[Headmasters (comic)|an entire Limited Series comic book]] devoted to it.

* The comic issue "[[Pretender to the Throne!]]" features [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] proudly creating the [[Pretender]]s, gloating that they will hide the Decepticons' identities from the Autobots "until it is too late". Not only does the plan not actually work, it's also a plot point with absolutely zero lead-in or build-up—at no point has Scorponok ever expressed concern about his troops being detected by the Autobots, and we've never even met the Pretender characters before. It was brought about solely because the new toys had to be jammed into the story. (The, uh, story of returning Optimus Prime's character to the comic book because he had [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#PMOP|a new toy]].)

* [[Rotor Force]] made their debut in "[[New Dawn]]", and both here and in subsequent ''Generation 2'' issues would primarily fight enemies not with guns like everyone else, but by firing their giant rotors at them. Page 3 of ''New Dawn'' actually shows them having to ''stop and reattach their rotors'' before they can carry on fighting.

* ''[[Robots in Disguise (franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[Megatron (RID)|Megatron]] had six alternate modes and the cartoon really wanted you to see them, which is why [[Battle Protocol|his first appearance]] is as ''a giant hand for no reason''. It gets sillier when he turns into Galvatron and gains four more modes. In "[[Mistaken Identity]]", he turns into his "Iron Mammoth" form when facing off against [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|a hostile Fortress Maximus]] even though he doesn't ''do'' anything in his form except stand there ''as he was already doing''.

* [[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] and [[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] are the only Autobot jets in the ''Animated'' line. (Not counting the toyless [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]].) To fully big this up, their origin story has it that there have ''never been'' any flying Autobots before, despite them having been in (and won) a long and bitter war with enemies who ''often fly''.

The [[Unicron Trilogy]], noted for its gimmicks in all three toylines, was particularly notorious in this regard:

* The quest for power-enhancing [[Mini-Con]]s practically defined the plot of the ''[[Armada (cartoon)|Armada]]'' cartoon, with both factions out to recruit or capture all the Mini-Cons.

* [[Powerlinx|Powerlinxing]] is shown again and again and again in ''[[Energon (cartoon)|Energon]]'', despite having comparatively little relevance to most episode plotlines.

* Cyber key powerups are likewise shown repeatedly in ''[[Cybertron (cartoon)|Cybertron]].''

* All three series were also marked by lengthy transformation sequences which highlighted the gimmicks in very toy-accurate animation (and also made production cheaper, thanks to [[Stock footage|recycled footage]]).

===Strange developments===
Shoehorning loads of new characters with new powers can compel the writers to do things with the plot that, in all probability, they otherwise wouldn't.

* Marvel UK had to promote the [[Special Teams]] toys ''before'' they knew how they'd be appearing in the US reprints. To get around this, [[Simon Furman]] wrote a story arc titled ''[[Second Generation!]]'', where [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster Witwicky]], Optimus and Shockwave <strike>watched an advert</strike> saw a Matrix-induced vision of the Special Teams.

* In the US Marvel comics, the simultaneous introduction of the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] and [[Stunticon]]s and the introduction of the Pretenders both saw a lot of rigamarole involved in explaining why both the Autobots and the Decepticons had new members with identical numbers/gimmicks at the same time.

* Season 3 of the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]] almost completely ignored the characters of the previous two seasons that were no longer on toy shelves. The 1985 Autobot cars, for example, are not seen at all. [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] and the 1985 Mini-Vehicles, by contrast, show up now and again, as their toys were still shipping. Even Starscream, who was ''dead'', managed to get a couple of Season 3 episodes all to himself; again, his toy sold through 1986.

* The first thirteen issues of the ''[[Armada (Dreamwave comic)|Armada]]'' comic were focused around the Mini-Cons, with plots often revolving around their desire to be seen as equals and not be enslaved. Then without ''any'' prior set-up, the last five issues turn into a dimension-spanning battle against [[Unicron]]—who had just had a new and expensive toy.

* "[[A Fistful of Energon]]" has [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] learn not to use upgrades, and gives up using powerful samurai armour. But whoops, Hasbro thought "hey, we could make a toy out of that armour"! And so in [[Five Servos of Doom|a later episode]], Prowl ''regains'' it and the show hurriedly claims that the upgrade is fine ''now'' cos Prowl realizes now that it's the Autobot, not the upgrade.

* The [[France|French]] decided to be good sports and start using propeller-driven nuclear bombers again, just so [[Octane|Tankor]] could be used ([[All Hail Megatron issue 11]]).

* [[The Fallen]] has an agent on Earth, sent to assassinate two Autobots, and that agent...[[Ransack (ROTF)|takes the form of a 100-year-old plane]], which is just going to mess up any attempts at being covert. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.4|Learning Curve}} At least, unlike [[All Hail Megatron|another comtemporary comic series]], the oldness of the alt-mode was pointed out.

===Awkward continuity===

Sometimes the requirement to feature new toys can be so strong that continuity takes a major backseat and stories are produced that feature combinations of characters that make the story very difficult to slot into the main continuity. The Marvel UK comic was especially prone to this as it could not always foresee where, when and how characters would be introduced:

* The ''[[Transformers Annual 1986]]'' contains many stories featuring toys from the 1985 release long before they were formally introduced in the regular comic, often interacting with other characters who would be out of action by then. As a result few of the stories easily fit the continuity of the weekly comic.
* The demands of Hasbro UK for the [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] and [[Targetmaster]]s to be featured heavily even before the US ''[[Headmasters (comic)|Headmasters]]'' mini-series was available meant that both the ''[[Transformers Annual 1988]]'' and the regular strip "[[Worlds Apart!]]" contain a slightly different set of events that are odds with the mini-series.
* The requirement to give prominence to the rereleased toys in the [[Classics (Europe)|Classics]] range resulted in one the biggest continuity trainwrecks of all, [[Earthforce]]. Nearly two decades later fans are still uncertain where it fits in continuity, and even [[Simon Furman]] admits to being unsure.<ref>"Looking back, as I try my hardest not to do, it's very hard to tie the Earthforce stories into a specific time frame (in terms of the US continuity), because (if I'm brutally honest) I didn't try too hard to make it work in the first place. By that point, I was just trying to tell a bunch of fun UK stories that didn't necessarily impact on the larger (US) storyline. How was I to know 15 or so years later people would be trying to reconcile it all?" [http://transfans.net/interviews_furman.php TransFans.net - Interviews: Simon Furman - Part 1 'The Past'].</ref>

===Power levels===
In order to make new characters seem more ''totally awesome'', they're often depicted as ultra-powerful in their initial appearances. Once they become old news, they frequently seem to lose their super-charged abilities.

* The Generation 1 cartoon introduced [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] as the ultimate threat. Once newer combiner teams came along, however, he was less of a threat, easily defeated at various times by [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]], [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]] and even [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]].

[[Image:Buzzsawyikes4.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Buzzsaw reminds Omega Supreme he's not a new toy any more.]]

* The Marvel comics feature [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] as nigh-invulnerable and ultimately powerful in [[Command Performances!|his début issue]]. Just [[Dark Star (issue)|two years later]], he's getting his butt handed to him by the likes of [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]].

* In her first appearance on the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon, [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] effortlessly blasts [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] to pieces. She never displays such a level of power again.

* Similarly, [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]] was presented as a huge threat when he first appeared, but just a few episodes later, he seems just slightly tougher than the average Predacon (save for a few notable occasions).

* [[Sky-Byte]] was actually a credible threat for his first couple of episodes.

* The [[Commandos]] were far more powerful and competent than the Predacons, who were made even ''less'' powerful and competent as episodes went on. Remarkably, this was actually used in the plot, with Megatron focusing on the new toys while the Predacons became underdogs trying to get their old status back and one-up the new guys.

* ''Any'' new toy character in the Unicron Trilogy cartoons is almost guaranteed to win the day's battle.

* [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Tidal Wave]] was a staggering behemoth as big as the sky in his introduction. By the time of the ''Energon'' cartoon, he's just this slightly tall guy (despite the fact he had a new toy at the beginning of the series).

* When the newly redecoed Jetfire and Optimus combine in Dreamwave's Armada comic, they are so powerful ''they can hurt Unicron himself''.

* [[Jungle Planet (Cybertron)|Jungle Planet]] ruler [[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]] was incredibly powerful when he was first introduced, but later on, he's getting slaps on the wrist by [[Lori]] and [[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]], and schooled by [[Bud Hansen|Bud]], ultimately becoming more of a sympathetic comedic bumbler than a credible threat.

* The Decepticons in ''Animated'' started off as being so horrifically powerful that the entire Autobot team had to take on a ''single'' one. By Season 3, this no longer happens. Uniquely, this was ''deliberate'' by the writers: they wanted to show the Decepticons as supreme threats, and have the Autobots gradually being better at dealing with them.

===New bodies===
There's rarely a compelling reason for a Transformer to get an a brand-new body in fiction; it's simply to promote a new toy. It has become a default way to keep a popular character on shelves, rather than having to kill them off and introduce a new character to keep moving toys. Sometimes fiction writers are able to work these alterations in elegantly... sometimes not.

[[Image:Bumblebeeskindeep.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Ratchet pulls a Kitty Pryde on Bumblebee.]]

* [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] was rebuilt and upgraded into Goldbug following his near-destruction... and is later rebuilt back into Bumblebee to sell the [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#Pretender|new Classic Pretender toy]]. The reason given is that [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] deliberately downgraded Goldbug against his will because he liked his old form better, something Bumblebee is strangely fine with.

* Season 2 of ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' introduced the new [[Transmetal]] toys in short order, requiring some strange sci-fi waffling to explain why members of both teams suddenly got special new bodies. The writers had originally planned to introduce these changes gradually, across the length of Season 2, but Hasbro ordered them to be brought in immediately. (The slow-and-gradual notion would eventually appear during Season 3.)

* The [[Unicron Trilogy]] cartoons feature [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] getting recolored and renamed "Galvatron" ''three times''; at the start of each subsequent series, he's turned back into Megatron but with a different body. This is due to Hasbro's wanting to keep the [[Trademark]]s "Megatron" and "Galvatron" as well as to sell more toys.

* Several times during the Unicron Trilogy, characters get new paint jobs as part of some magical power-up enhancement. These new color schemes exist solely to promote redecorated toys like "[[Ironhide (Energon)|Energon Ironhide]]" or "[[Hot Shot (Armada)/toys|Powerlinx Hot Shot]]". Even the comics got in on the action, introducing the redecorated versions of [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] and [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus]] during the Unicron arc.

* The three future members of the [[Cybertron Defense Team]] get shot up by Megatron, then transmogrify through the power of [[Burning Justice|BLAZING HEART OF JUSTICE]] into new forms. These new forms, of course, were just hitting shelves at a toy store near you.

* In the course of the [[Transformers (2007)|live-action movie]], [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] gets irritated at a slight against his alternate mode, and scans a new form. Voila, suddenly he's got ''two'' toys on the shelf!

* When [[IDW Publishing|IDW]]'s ''Transformers'' comic originally came out, there were no Generation 1-themed toys to flog, and many characters were given altered designs for the series. Then along came ''[[Universe (2008 franchise)|Universe]]'', featuring new toys of Generation 1 characters, and suddenly multiple characters get new, toy-accurate bodies in ''[[All Hail Megatron]]'', for no apparent in-story reason.

* [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] was originally grey, but when he was reunited with the ''Animated'' Decepticons, he changed his colours to purple while referring to it as his proper look. Why he changed colouration to go undercover was not explained, but it may have something to do with a purple-coloured Shockwave toy being out when that episode aired.

* In ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'', [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]] start out as an old ice cream truck combiner but after a disastrous mission [[NEST]] decides to upgrade them to new individual [[General Motors]] vehicles. New toys ''and'' product placement!

===Abrupt conclusions===
[[Image:MarvelUSG2-12.jpg|right|150px|thumb|It's the end of the road for Transformers Generation 2! That can't bode well for the toyline.]]

Just as ''Transformers'' fiction lives at Hasbro's pleasure, so too does it die. Falling sales, a change of plans, and standard [[rebranding]] can all cause a storyline to come to a sudden end when Hasbro decides to pull the plug.

* The American Generation 1 cartoon got a somewhat rushed conclusion in the form of "[[The Rebirth]]", rather than a full fourth season.

* The Generation 1 comics were nearly canceled at [[On the Edge of Extinction!|issue #75]], but granted a reprieve. The stay of execution was only temporary, however; with the Generation 1 toyline ending, the comic was terminated a mere five issues later, resulting in a rather hasty concluding plotline.

* Hasbro was only willing to support the [[Generation 2 (Marvel Comics)|''Generation 2'' comic]] for twelve issues, unless it proved an unqualified (perhaps phenomenal) success. Aware of this from the start, writer Simon Furman was able to plot a story arc that reached its finale as the series ended (and poked fun at it with a character whose name is a pun on "[[Jhiaxus (G2)|Gee, axe us]]".)

* The writers of the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon reportedly never had any idea if they'd be back for another season. When the axe fell with Season 3, they had only three episodes left to wrap up the whole series.

* Hasbro nearly killed off the just-begun comic series ''The Wreckers'' in 2001, wishing instead for [[3H Productions|3H]] to focus on a ''[[Universe (2003 comic)|Universe]]'' comic advertising its current toyline.

* With ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' coming out in June, Titan had to end their alternate universe storyline in May so they could tie in early—an issue earlier than planned. The main strip handled this, with the notable exception of [[Jazz (Movie)#Titan Magazines Transformers movie comics|the Jazz plot arc]] going completely unresolved, but it played havoc with working out the IDW reprints!

* Even though ''[[Cybertron (cartoon)|Cybertron]]'' wasn't abruptly canceled, Kids WB ended the series on the cliffhanger of the episode "[[Revelation (episode)|Revelation]]", leaving millions of kids tuning in next time only to get a re-run of ''Xiaolin Showdown''. The reason? The Cybertron Defense Team toys hadn't hit stores yet.

{{-}}

==Death==
[[Image:Tftm1986a.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Guess who's no longer in the Mini Vehicles case assortment?]]
[[Image:Newyorkunderbase.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Publisher's clearing house.]]
[[Image:BW Scorponok Terrorsaur deaths.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Scorponok, Terrorsaur, we're condemning you to a fiery death 'cause Waspinator has a bigger fan club.]]
===Killing off old product===
The most obvious To Sell Toys effect comes from the temporary nature of retail sales. Even in the 1980s, toys rarely stayed on the shelves past two years; today that timespan is much smaller. Once a toy is no longer selling, Hasbro has no interest in supporting fiction about that character—especially when there's newer toys to promote. Therefore, writers are often compelled to remove characters from the story by killing them off. Sometimes this happens through carefully developed story arcs, but it's easier to do it with huge, apocalyptic battles with massive numbers of casualties.

This has become less common in recent years, as Hasbro has come to realize that their target audiences can actually get attached to certain characters, and might not enjoy seeing them die random, brutal, meaningless deaths.

* In ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', numerous main characters are killed or changed in the movie's first 30 minutes, including [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], and [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]]. They are replaced by a slew of new characters; in fact, the poster for the movie shows ''only'' new characters.

* Numerous characters are killed in the Marvel UK comics saga "[[Time Wars]]". The Grim Reaper seemed to spare either popular characters (Megatron and [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]) or newer characters ([[Carnivac (G1)|Carnivac]], [[Catilla]] and [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], for example.)

* The [[Underbase Saga]] features a super-powerful [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] killing literally ''dozens'' of characters; some place the count over fifty. The survivors were mostly from the [[Pretender]], [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]], and [[Targetmaster]] ranks, those being the then-current toy lines. However, the explanation (Underbase power didn't affect those TFs with organic components) caused that even the [[Seacon (G1)|Seacons]], new toys at the time, met their end.

* The climactic [[On the Edge of Extinction!|battle with Unicron]] 25 issues later killed off many of the Underbase survivors, whose shelf run had ended.

* With its enormously expensive CGI animation, ''Beast Wars'' was particularly vulnerable to toy-based interference. The expense of creating and animating a CGI body model meant that the character roster had to remain fairly constant; the introduction of all-new characters usually required the removal of an equal number of pre-existing characters. And so, [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] and [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] die just in time for the arrival of [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] and [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]]. (Frustrated with the situation, the writers carefully planned out<ref>http://www.builtstlouis.net/tf/manic/m-botcon.html</ref> the demise of [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]], anticipating that someone would have to be removed to make way for [[Rampage (BW)|newer characters]].) [[Tigerhawk]] was introduced and then killed off within three episodes, due to corporate uncertainty about whether the toy would actually be produced.

* ''[[The Reign of Starscream]]'' would end up killing a large number of Autobots in one issue, after their toys had been around for a while; as they'd not made an appearance in the comics until this mini, this is both an example of Huge Cast ''and'' Product Clearing. {{storylink|The Reign of Starscream issue 3}} It would then go on to bump off some Decepticons, while its sequel ''Alliance'' slaughtered ''hordes'' of Decepticons with old toys. Mowry is the new Furman... {{storylink|Alliance (comic)}}

===Hi-and-die===
[[Image:Chuffer cof.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Likely dialog: "SHEEEAAGH!!"]]
Kids don't want to buy a toy of a character who's dead. So if the plot calls for someone to die, smart money bets on the character who has a toy as the survivor. The guy without a toy, who you've never heard of before? Toast. This is the Transformers version of ''Star Trek's'' infamous [[wikipedia:redshirt_syndrome|redshirt syndrome]].

* This approach was particularly common in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#UK comics|UK comics]]. Characters created specifically so they could be killed off include Wrecker leader [[Impactor]], Autobot/zombie food [[Chuffer]], Tailgate's Autobot trainee buddies/mutant fodder [[Subsea]] and [[Flattop (Autobot)|Flattop]], and the sixth member of the "Magnificent Six", [[Stampede]].

* The US comics also used this approach on occasion, as with [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]]'s poignantly adorable buddy [[Scrounge (G1)|Scrounge]].

* The ''Energon'' cartoon introduced [[Padlock]], whose purpose was to die at [[Shockblast (Energon)|Shockblast]]'s hands, proving motivation for toy-character [[Wing Saber]].

* ''Animated'' chucked in [[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]] so Ratchet could have a tragic past where he failed to save someone. (And ''then'' she got a toy!)

* The [[Transformers Animated (Titan)|Animated comic]] wants to do a story arc about an Autobot who's really a spy and then have him killed. Quick, [[Afterburn|make someone up]]!

===Resurrection===
Killing off a character isn't always toy-motivated; sometimes it's a dramatic plot development. But it can also be a problem if Hasbro decides to make a new toy of that character.

[[Image:Inferno dies agenda2.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Only a flesh wound!]]

* [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] has been resurrected [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|so many times]] that it's practically a defining character trait. His original revival in the cartoon didn't correspond to any actual toy release, but the Marvel comic brought him back specifically to advertise his [[Powermaster]] form. A second death-and-revival introduced his [[Action Master]] body. And a ''third'' death-and-revival in ''Generation 2'' brought him into his [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#G2Hero|Hero]] toy form.

* Numerous "dead" characters were brought back into the Marvel comic series when their Classics and/or Action Master versions were released. Many were "deactivated" rather than outright dead; however, very few ''non'' Action Master characters showed up alongside them.

* The series writers for ''Beast Wars'' considered [[Optimus Primal]] dead and gone at the end of Season 1. Hasbro, however, had a [[Transmetal]] Optimus Primal toy to promote, and so he was returned to life in Season 2. Hasbro wanted him brought back in the first minutes of the season premiere, but the writers managed to convince them that it would be better to do so at the ''end'' of the two-episode story.

* At the end of Season 2 of ''Beast Wars'', [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] was pretty clearly shown being killed—being ''disintegrated''—but in the next season appeared to have just been bruised and cracked, because Hasbro was not ready to have a Mega-scaled toy removed from the series.

* Pretty much ''nobody'' could successfully die in the [[Energon (cartoon)|''Energon'' cartoon]]. [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]], [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]], [[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]], [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Tidal Wave]], [[Wing Saber|Wing Dagger]], and [[Inferno (Energon)|Inferno]] all die and/or are resurrected from the dead during the course of the show.

* [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]] still had toys out in 2008. The [[bio]] for All Spark-Enhanced Autobot Jazz states he was brought back from near-death by the All Spark and is "more powerful than ever". Voila, Jazz comes back from the dead thanks to the All Spark in Titan's tie-in comic! {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 16|Dark Spark}} Optimus even uses the ''term'' "Autobot Jazz" in a later issue... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 21|Hard Target}}

==Notable exceptions==
There are, however, a few notable exception to the To Sell Toys effect:

===Toys not released in the relevant market===
Occasionally the ''Transformers'' fiction released in a particular country features characters whose toys were not released in that country. The Marvel UK comic featured two variants of this phenomenon:

* Characters inherited from the US strips. Some, such as [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]], [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] and the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]], were given fairly prominent roles in the US stories reprinted in the UK comic and so it was hard to ignore them completely in the UK originated material despite their toys not being around to need advertising. However the decision to develop the Predacons (even before their US appearances were reprinted), to have entire storylines focusing on Swoop, and also to keep Shockwave in continuity even after he'd been (supposedly) killed off in the US comic goes beyond this.

* Characters not featured in the US strips. Bizarrely the UK comic also made use of some characters such as [[Roadbuster]], [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]], [[Chop Shop]] and [[Venom (G1)|Venom]], despite their toys not being available on UK toy shelves. None of these characters were inherited from the US material.

Writer [[Simon Furman]] has since stated that when writing the stories he was generally unaware of which toys were unavailable in the UK: "We largely took our cue from what characters were being introduced into the US storyline. If there was a release schedule for the toys in the UK, we rarely saw it... But in the case of Swoop and the Predacons, I don't think I was consciously aware (at the time) that we were dealing with toys not generally available in the UK. They were just extant characters, and therefore fair game." <ref>[http://transfans.net/interviews_furman.php TransFans.net - Interviews: Simon Furman - Part 1 'The Past'].</ref>

===Post-Marvel comics===
[[Image:Infiltration 1b.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Hey, Runamuck, it's our first appearance on a comic book cover in twenty years!"<br>"Heh heh, now if only we could appear on toy store shelves..."]]

Both [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]] and [[IDW Publishing|IDW]] comics, the two recent holders of the license to publish ''Transformers'' comic books, sometimes produce comics using whichever toy line is current (e.g., Dreamwave's ''[[Armada (Dreamwave comic)|Armada]]'' comic or IDW's [[Transformers (2007)|2007 movie]] tie-ins), and sometimes publish comics using whatever characters they please (e.g., ''[[The War Within]]'' and ''[[Escalation (IDW)|Escalation]]''). The characters in their "discretionary" comics are often not currently available in toy form ([[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]], a current character in IDW's G1 continuity, hadn't had a toy on shelves in twenty years), sometimes are drawn with bodies that have ''never'' been toys (most of the ''War Within'' characters), and sometimes are toys that were never available outside of specific countries ([[Lio Convoy]] in IDW's ''Beast Wars'').

[[Chris Ryall]], IDW Editor-in-Chief and writer of the miniseries adapting the 2007 movie to comics, had stated on IDW's forums that Hasbro does not dictate what comics IDW must make ("Nope, no dictates at all from Hasbro. We put the plan together, send to them for approval.").<ref>http://idwpublishing.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=69377#69377</ref> Presumably that changed somewhat between the time of his statement and the launch of ''All Hail Megatron''.

==Footnotes==
<references/>

[[Category:Toys]]

Micro Change

2009-08-03T23:21:06Z

98.212.255.236:

[[Image:MicromanMicroChange.jpg|right|250px|thumb|<s>Micromasters</s> <s>Micro Machines</s> Micromen!]]
The '''''Micro Change''''' series was one of the two major [[Pre-Transformer|sources of molds]] for the original ''[[Generation 1 (franchise)|Transformers]]'' line.

''Micro Change'' was a subline of [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]'s successful ''[[Microman|New Microman]]'' line of the early '80s, which consisted of 3.75" action figures that were super-posable and vehicles and robots for use by them. The Microman figures, unlike all subsequent 3.75" action figures (except their Western counterpart the Micronauts, made by [[Wikipedia:Mego Corporation|Mego]] using licensed Microman molds) were on a 1:1 scale rather than representing full-sized [[human]]s/[[alien]]s/robots, so the transforming robots and vehicles they created had ordinary household objects (such as, um, handguns) as disguise modes. Many of the Micro Change figures came in multiple color schemes, many of which were eventually used for the Transformer line.

==Fiction==
By the time the Micro Change theme was introduced in 1983, the Microman story was told exclusively through text and manga pages in the toys' pack-in catalogues, with no tie-in fiction. This was no doubt part of the reason why Takara were willing to cancel the Microman line in favor of Transformers when [[Hasbro]] financed an [[The Transformers (cartoon)|animated series]] to [[To sell toys|promote]] their versions of the toys.

==Toys==
===1983===
* '''MC-01 Micross'''

:The first version was the blue cassette used for [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]]. A red version, used for [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]], came with Cassette Man. Towards the end of the line, a [[Enemy|red and blue version]] was released.

* '''MC-02 Jaguar'''

:The first version was used for [[Ravage (G1) toys|Ravage]]. A blue version was released at the end of the line, and was used for the e-Hobby figure [[Howlback]]. In 2007, Jaguar was redecoed into [[Glit]].

* '''MC-03 Condor'''

:The first version was used for [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]]. The blue second version was used for the [[E-Hobby]] figure [[Garboil]]. [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]]'s and [[Sundor]]'s decos were created for the Transformers line.

*'''MC-04 Mini Car Robo'''

:These all transformed into [[super deformed]] toy cars in the style of Takara's own [[Choro-Q]] line (imported to English-speaking markets as ''Penny Racers''). 01 - 03 were released in red, yellow, and blue and had license plate stickers on the back of the head panel. The other four were released in only one color scheme each, the same as their subsequent Transformers releases.
*'''01 Porsche Turbo 924''', Pre-[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]]
*'''02 Familia 1500 XG''', Pre-[[Bumper (G1)|Bumper]]
*'''03 Volkswagen Beetle''', Pre-[[Bumblebee (G1)/toys|Bumblebee]]
*'''04 4WD''', Pre-[[Gears]]
*'''05 Jeep''', Pre-[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]]
*'''06 Transam''', Pre-[[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]]
*'''07 Truck''', Pre-[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]]

*'''MC-05 Camera Robo Microx'''

:Pre-[[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]]

*'''MC-06 Watch Robo'''

:This figure transformed from a robot to a watch. It came in black, blue, chrome, and gold versions. The figure wasn't released in the Transformers line until ''[[Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' in 1993 as [[Autobot (G2)|Autobot]].

* '''MC-07 Gun Robo 1910 Browning'''

:Browning came with either red or blue robot parts, in addition to a gold chromed contest piece. The blue version was released as the Japanese exclusive [[Browning]].

* '''MC-08 Cassette Machine Battlebike'''

:The Battlebike transforms from a full-sized audio cassette into a motorbike vehicle for the included Microman figure. A [[redeco]] of this toy was released in the 1999 Microman line.

* '''MC-09 Cassette Machine Jetheli'''

:The Jetheli transforms from a full-sized audio cassette into a helicopter for the included Microman figure. A redeco of this toy was re-released in the 1999 Microman line.

* '''MC-10 Cassette Man'''

:Pre-TF [[Soundwave (G1) toys|Soundwave]] with "Cassette Man" molded on the cassette door. He came with fake earphones and microphone that were also included in Soundwave's Japanese release, and Pre-[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]]. Likewise, the Japanese Soundwave came with Rumble instead of [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]].

* '''MC-11 Gun Robo S&W Magnum 44'''

:This figure had a revolving chamber, and came with either a brown or gold hilt.

* '''MC-12 Gun Robo Walther P-38'''.

:Pre-Japanese [[Megatron (G1) toys|Megatron]]. This toy did not include any gun attachments, but had a gun, sword and plastic pellets. It came with blue inner arms and legs, and was either black with a brown grip, or grey with a black grip in gun mode. The grey version was used for all vintage Japanese Megatrons (The Goodbye Megatron set came with the U.N.C.L.E. scope). The toy's grey deco was used for the e-Hobby Megaplex figure.

* '''MC-13 Gun Robo Walther P-38 U.N.C.L.E.'''

:This figure came with all of MC-12's parts, as well as the gun extensions. Only one color scheme, silver with black handle in gun mode with red inner arms and legs, was released. This color scheme was used for all Hasbro releases of the original Megatron and the Japanese reissues. This toy was also released in both MC-12 colors as e-Hobby exclusives.

===1984===
* '''MC-14 Metal Man'''

:Pre-[[Eggbot]]. This figure transforms from a robot into a metallic ball. It came in silver and chrome versions. This mold wasn't used in Transformers until [[Beast Wars (toyline)|Beast Wars]]. In 2007, Metal Man was redecoed into [[Star Dust]].

* '''MC-15 Metal Leo'''

:Pre-[[Eggleo]]. This figure transforms from a lion into a metallic ball. It came in gold and chrome versions. This mold wasn't used in Transformers until [[Beast Wars (toyline)|Beast Wars]]. In 2007, Metal Leo was redecoed into [[Angela]].

* '''MC-16 Metal Hawk'''

:Pre-[[Eggbird]]. This figure transforms from a hawk into a metallic ball. It came in gold and chrome versions. This mold wasn't used in Transformers until Beast Wars. In 2007, Metal Hawk was redecoed into [[Zangetsu]].

* '''MC-17 Lock Robo Dial Man'''

:This figure transforms from a working dial lock to a robot.

* '''MC-18 Lock Robo Magneman'''

:This figure transforms from a working key lock to a robot.

* '''MC-19 Binocular Robo Scope Man'''

: This figure transforms from a pair of working binoculars into a robot.

* '''MC-20 Micro Scope'''

: Released in a primarily black deco, MC-20 was recolored into [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]]. The third tank mode could be used as a vehicle for a Microman figure. The toy's Micro Change deco was used for the e-hobby [[Magnificus]].

* '''MC-21 Radi-Cassette Robo'''

:This figure came with an AM radio in the form of a fake Micro cassette, and an earphone. One could listen to the radio through the earphone, or put the radio in the main toy's cassette deck. After moving the switch above the left speaker "on" and pressing "play", a pair of batteries in the toy's right leg would amplify the signal from the cassette. A knob to the right of the tape door could change the station, and a volume knob and a plug for headphones were located on the toy's left leg. Due to the speaker plug, the transforming micro cassettes could not fit in the tape door. They could, however, fit in a compartment in the toy's back. The earphone plug could also fit in the small hole on the stock of the toys gun, and the speaker could fit in the large hole at the gun's center. The toy came in either blue or red. The red deco was used for [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]].

===Unreleased===
* '''MC-22 Beam Robo'''

:This figure transforms from a working flashlight into a robot.

* '''Planet-Robot'''

:A transforming planet that only ever reached the design art stage. The design [[Unicron|did not go to waste]], however.

==External links==
*[http://www.microforever.com/1983microchange.htm Micro Change at Microman Forever.]
*[http://1501bc.com/pretf/microman.html Microman at The Pre-Transformer Page.]

[[Category:Franchises]]
[[Category:Japanese toylines]]

Ravage (G1)

2009-07-27T08:21:27Z

98.212.255.236: /* IDW comics continuity */

{{faction|decepticon|predacon}}
{{disambig3|Ravage}}
:''Ravage was a [[Decepticon]] [[Decepticon Mini-Cassette|cassette]], then a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]], and then a [[Decepticon]] again in the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] and [[Beast Era]] and then [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[Continuity family|continuity families]].''

[[Image:Ravageboxart.jpg|right|350px|thumb|This is every comic book panel Ravage has ever been in. Well, okay, sometimes they rotate him a bit.]]
No Decepticon has a stronger loyalty to [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] than '''Ravage'''. One of [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]'s most reliable [[Decepticon Mini-Cassette|spies]], Ravage believes unwaveringly in the Decepticon cause, and Megatron embodies that cause. To better serve Megatron and the Decepticons, Ravage has become the most efficient and deadly war machine under his command. He hides himself in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to strike with grim accuracy. His name is synonymous with stealth. His survivors are few.

Ravage's only weakness is bright light, which can temporarily blind him. Perhaps his absolute loyalty to Megatron can blind him as well.

Sometimes he's a talker, other times he just growls or hisses at anything that isn't Megatron or Soundwave.

At various times, Ravage has been referred to as '''Tripredacus Agent''', '''Tri-Predacus Agent''', or '''Kurohyō Man''' (クロヒョウマン "Black Panther Man"). It's all very confusing.

{{quote|Decepticons forever!|Ravage|"[[The Agenda (Part 2)]]"}}

:''Japanese name:'' '''Jaguar'''
:''French-Canadian name:'' '''Saboteur'''
:''Hungarian name:'' '''Romboló''' ("Ravager")
:''Italian name:'' '''Iena''' ("Hyena")
:''Portuguese name (Portugal comics):'' '''Raiva'''
:''Portuguese name (Brazil comics):'' '''Selvagem'''
:''Spanish name:'' '''Destructor'''
:''Chinese name (Taiwan):'' '''Pò-hùai''' (破壞, "Destroy"), '''Robin''' (''Beast Wars'')
:''Chinese name (China):'' '''Jiqi Gou''' (機器狗, "Mechanical Dog")

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
{{noteukonly}}
[[Image:Contentedfools.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Ravage, here in his first appearance, is the first Transformer to have dialogue in the first Transformers story.]]
''Ravage was a loyal bodyguard for the [[Overlord (rank)|Overlords]], the Autobots that once ruled all of Cybertron, for generations. He witnessed as their planet-wide rule crumbled into a loose collection of feuding city-states. Like ancient Rome, the last Overlord barely managed to hold together the autocracy through the gladiatorial games, which allowed the city-states to vent their frustrations over low fuel supplies on each other in scripted, controlled conflicts. A war broke out between [[Vos]] and [[Tarn]], however, and Ravage and his partner [[Nightstalker]] attempted to escort the Overlord to safety. Joined by the gladiators [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] and [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]], their journey was perilous. The Overlord was now an enfeebled mechanoid who required constant re-energization to survive, and constantly slowed them down. After Prime raced ahead to get help, Nightstalker self-destructed himself in a final loyal act to defend the Overlord, leaving the ruler alone with Megatron and Ravage. Though the Overlord was near death, Ravage refused to give the Overlord any of his energy, instead allying himself with Megatron, whom he believed would be the future ruler of Cybertron. {{storylink|State Games}}''

[[Image:Tellhimwhodefeatedyouthisday.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Holy crap, Ravage is HUGE!]]

As a member of Megatron's Decepticons, Ravage attempted to hijack the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] four million years ago, only to fail and fall into deactivation sleep until 1984. The detonation of the volcano, [[Mount St. Hilary]], reactivated the Autobots and Decepticons, unleashing their war on Earth. The two factions soon found themselves battling on the site of a drive-in movie theatre, where Ravage was able to distract [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] from determining the location of Bumblebee, who had gone missing. {{storylink|The Transformers (issue)|The Transformers}} The Decepticons found themselves in need of energy, so Megatron ordered Ravage to investigate [[Harrison Nuclear Power Plant]]. Jumping into one of the plant worker's cassette recorders, he learned not only of the energy-harnessing technology of this new world, but that its primary inhabitants were not the vehicles they transformed into, but their weird organic operators! Ravage and the other Decepticons immediately attacked Harrison Nuclear and claimed it for themselves. Afterwards, Ravage concealed himself within the boom box of [["O"]], the friend of [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster Witwicky]], and learned that Buster had allied himself with the Autobots. He quickly returned to Megatron to report this information, and the Decepticons launched another attack, this time on Buster's neighborhood. Ravage jumped [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]], and the reluctant Autobot wrestled with the Decepticon until Ravage was knocked away by [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]]. The Decepticons retreated after kidnapping Buster's father, [[Sparkplug Witwicky]]. {{storylink|Power Play!}} Ravage returned with his comrades to the Decepticons' [[Fortress Sinister|new base]], constructed out of materials salvaged from Harrison Nuclear, and coerced Sparkplug into converting Earth fuel into a substance they could use. Soon, their base was infiltrated by [[Gears]] and the amazing [[Spider-Man]], and although the latter was as fast and agile as Ravage, the former put Ravage out of the fight with a punch. {{storylink|Prisoner of War!}}

[[Image:RavageEnemyWithinColour.jpg|left|250px|thumb|He's so cute when he's angry.]]

''Shortly into their stay on Earth, the ever-treacherous [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] attempted to build up support against Megatron by demanding action when Megatron cautioned patience, knowing his fellow Decepticons were getting restless for battle. Fearing that an outright execution of Starscream would turn popular opinion against him, Megatron asked Ravage to spy on the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]] and find him an excuse to get rid of Starscream. Ravage was discovered, though, and critically injured by Starscream during their fight. Ravage managed to crawl home across the desert, however, and reported the betrayal to Megatron.''
''Having dishonored himself by attacking his fellow Decepticon, Starscream was forced to engage in a trial by combat with the Autobot [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]], who had fallen into a similar situation by unrelated circumstances. After defeating Brawn in combat and flying back to Decepticon headquarters to declare his victory, Starscream was shot down by the vengeful Ravage on Megatron's orders. Ravage reported the Autobots were responsible for the attack, and thus Megatron was able to galvanize the Decepticons for battle himself, effectively stealing Starscream's thunder and punishing the mutineer in the process. {{storylink|The Enemy Within!}}''

''As the Decepticons assaulted the Ark, Ravage fought against the magnetic Autobot [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]], employing his own electromagnetic shield to protect himself from his opponent's powers. When Optimus Prime attempted to awaken the ship's computer [[Auntie]] during the battle, however, she awoke in a scrambled state and turned against all the Transformers, using magnetic force to hold all the combatants against her hull... except for Ravage and Windcharger. Forced to work together for the benefit of both their armies, they managed to deactivate Auntie. {{storylink|Raiders of the Last Ark}}''

Megatron ordered Ravage to sneak into the Ark and provide him with news of the Autobots' fuel situation. Fortunately for the Decepticons, the Autobots had failed to find a source of fuel, so the time came to strike. During the Decepticons' immediate attack on the Ark, Ravage singled out Mirage, intent on finishing the job he had begun earlier. Ravage ignored Mirage's pleas for a peaceful discussion and removed Mirage's arm with his teeth. Mirage's resolve against the Decepticons strengthened, he blasted Ravage, removing him fully from the rest of the battle. {{storylink|The Last Stand}} The chance arrival of [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] was all that allowed ultimate Decepticon victory, and Ravage, his deposed leader Megatron, and several others were nursed back to full operating status. {{storylink|The New Order}} Though Megatron rebelled against his usurper, he failed, and Shockwave paraded Megatron's beaten form in front of Ravage and the other Decepticons. {{storylink|The Worse of Two Evils!}}

Ravage accompanied several other Decepticons, under the command of Soundwave, in an assault on the Autobots after they had been duped by a bogus Optimus Prime under Shockwave's control. Ravage, the impostor Prime, and the other Decepticons made short work of the Autobots until the real Prime was restored. The Autobot commander turned the tide easily and Ravage and the other Decepticons were defeated. {{storylink|Prime Time!}}

''While eavesdropping on the Autobots' arguments over whether or not to use the [[Matrix of Leadership|Creation Matrix]] to build an army of powerful superwarriors, Ravage's presence aboard the Ark was detected. The Decepticon spy made a run for it, but was caught in a web by Mirage and [[Hound (G1)|Hound]]. Ravage, however, is nearly impossible to kept locked up, and so he was able to quickly escape. Optimus Prime ordered Bumblebee to track him down, but Ravage's capture was part of a larger scheme, and he led Bumblebee right into a trap. {{storylink|Crisis of Command!}}''

[[Image:Laserbeakravageirobotmaster.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Ravage loves to play peek-a-boo.]]

While sitting in their [[alternate modes]] inside a [[Portland]], [[Oregon]], electronics store, Soundwave, Ravage, and Laserbeak awaited news of Megatron's location during their former leader's disappearance. After his fuel-deprived body froze in nearby [[Powder River Basin]], they left the store and brought fuel to Megatron. Here they successfully fought the American military and found a new ally, [[Donny Finkleberg]], who claimed to control the Transformers as the supervillain Robot-Master. {{storylink|I, Robot-Master!}} Megatron re-established his Decepticons in the basin, at the protests of Shockwave, while Ravage was given the duty of watching over Finkleberg. However, during a sudden Autobot attack, Ravage was distracted and Finkleberg was able to escape. {{storylink|Command Performances!}} Ravage tracked the human, despite Finkleberg's discarding of most of his smell by exchanging clothes, but after getting into a confrontation with the Autobot named [[Skids (G1)|Skids]], Ravage was sent tumbling down a mine shaft and rendered inoperative on impact. {{storylink|Showdown!}}

''Three years later, Ravage was awakened by a series of earth tremors, set off by the time storm raging throughout the universe. Finding much had changed since his deactivation, Ravage stumbled into the underground bunker of none other than [[Straxus (G1)|"Megatron"]] and [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]. Initially siding with his old leader(s?), during a battle with the [[Wrecker|Wreckers]], Ravage was surprised to learn that the presence of Galvatron and Scourge in the present was the source of the time storm. Though he was blasted by [[Carnivac (G1)|Carnivac]] (who had temporarily teamed up with the Wreckers), Ravage abandoned the battle and sought out the reclusive Shockwave. Shockwave was nearly catatonic over the irrationality of the time paradox that threatened to destroy them all, but Ravage managed to use logic to convince his former leader to come to his senses. At Ravage's suggestion, Shockwave gave up the body of [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]], tossing it into the timestorm, which ended the threat to the present and future. {{storylink|Time Wars}}''

[[Image:Megatrong1marveltwomegatrons.jpg|right|200px|thumb|A common lament.]]

''In the aftermath, he hooked up with Megatron and they returned to Cybertron to seek new fortunes. In the Decepticon capital city of [[Helex]], though, they found Autobots wandering around unmolested, and the area free of Decepticon supervision. After deposing the inadequate [[Triumverate]], Megatron established a new beachhead for his conquests, with Ravage by his side. {{storylink|The Fall and Rise of the Decepticon Empire}} Before long, though, Ravage's Megatron was destroyed by the original Megatron, who revealed that the Megatron from Time Wars was a reconstruction of Lord [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]]. {{storylink|Two Megatrons!}}''

[[Image:Weirdwolfthevoid.jpg|left|100px|thumb|Close your mouth, Ravage.]]

Ravage eventually resurfaced on Earth, working with Starscream and Shockwave in an auxiliary Decepticon army, planning to overthrow then-leader [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]. After recruiting more of Scorponok's disgruntled soldiers, including [[Triggerhappy]] and [[Mindwipe]], {{storylink|Eye of the Storm!}} Ravage returned with his fellow insurgents to an [[Nemesis (G1)|underwater headquarters]] to plan their attack. As Scorponok began to forge a very unpopular alliance with the Autobots due to the threat of [[Unicron]]'s coming, Ravage and the other Decepticon insurgents attacked the Decepticon base in [[New Jersey (Earth)|New Jersey]]. {{storylink|Surrender!}} Scorponok survived, and as he emerged from the wreckage, he swatted Ravage aside easily. {{storylink|...All This and Civil War 2}}

Their coup was interrupted when [[Primus]] summoned all the Transformers of Earth to Cybertron to do battle with Unicron. {{storylink|Out of Time!}} Ravage and the other teleported Transformers witnessed Primus, speaking through the body of [[Emirate Xaaron]], tell the history of their supernatural war with the Dark God. Ravage was last seen fleeing, along with several others, immediately after Unicron's approach. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}

====Marvel UK future timelines====
''In 2003, Ravage was on a routine mission to infiltrate the Ark when he came across [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]]'s huge new plans for a transforming fortress known as [[Autobot City|Autobot City: Earth]]. Upon hearing that [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] would be transporting a simulation tape of the City's blueprints to all the human leaders of Earth, Ravage skittered off to inform his [[Stunticon]] comrades so that they could intercept the information in transit. {{storylink|Ark Duty}}''

''Five years later, Ravage was seen on the field of battle with Soundwave, when the Decepticon commander desperately radioed the Autobots for assistance against their [[Quintesson]] attackers. {{storylink|Space Pirates!}}''

====Earthforce====
{{earthforcefiction}}
[[Image:Ravage uk258.png|left|100px|thumb|The smirking Ravage was a chatty catty in the Marvel comics.]]
''Ravage remained on the side of Shockwave and Starscream during the [[Decepticon Civil War]], fighting against his longtime commanders, Megatron and Soundwave. During a fight with the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], Ravage was faced off against [[Slag (G1)|Slag]]. Not... exactly... equal. Poor kitty ended up taking the horns to the hind quarters before the Decepticons retreated. {{storylink|Two Steps Back!}}''

''Ravage was seen at the [[Enclave]], when the two Decepticon factions met to discuss peace and common goals. Someone brought him a saucer of milk. Awwwwwww. {{storylink|The Bad Guy's Ball!}}''

''Sometime later, the Decepticon factions managed to combine under the joint leadership of Soundwave and Starscream. Ravage began operating out of Soundwave's chest compartment again, just like old times. {{storylink|Divide and Conquer!}}''
{{-}}

===Cartoon continuity===
====Generation 1 cartoon====
:''Voice Actor'': [[Frank Welker]] (English) [[Yutaka Shimaka]] (Japanese, when speaking)

[[Image:Ravageg1.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Ravage reveals his slef [sic] to humans.]]
One of the original team of Decepticons that accompanied [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] on the attack of the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] spacecraft, Ravage was reformatted by [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]] as an audiocassette to better blend in for operations based on Earth. Ravage served loyally as a Decepticon spy. He was one of the first Transformers to have been encountered by a human, as [[Joe (MTMTE)|workers]] investigating a destroyed power station fell afoul of Ravage who pounced upon them and frightened them away. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1}}

Shortly thereafter, Ravage accompanied Soundwave on an infiltration mission to gather data from Teletraan I. Though Soundwave was discovered, Ravage was captured in an energy net and held captive. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 2}} The Decepticon spy figured into a disinformation plot hatched by the Autobots, who purposely leaked the presence of a rocket fuel depository in the outlying desert. In truth, there was no rocket base—Autobot [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] projected a holographic illusion in the hopes of luring the Decepticons into a trap. The Autobots allowed Ravage to escape and report back to Megatron, who easily saw through the ruse. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 3}}

{{storylink|Transport to Oblivion}} {{storylink|Roll for It}} {{storylink|Divide and Conquer}} {{storylink|Fire in the Sky}} {{storylink|S.O.S. Dinobots}} {{storylink|Fire on the Mountain}} {{storylink|The Ultimate Doom, Part 1}} {{storylink|The Ultimate Doom, Part 2}} {{storylink|A Plague of Insecticons}}

[[Image:RavagePet.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Prrrrrrrrrr]]

During Megatron's gladiatorial match with [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]], Ravage was let out to watch his master battle their nemesis. Soundwave also petted him. This would be cute if it wasn't creepy. {{storylink|Heavy Metal War}}

{{storylink|Changing Gears}} {{storylink|The Immobilizer}} {{storylink|The Autobot Run}} {{storylink|Atlantis, Arise!}} {{storylink|The Core}} {{storylink|Dinobot Island, Part 1}} {{storylink|Auto Berserk}}

During one of the Decepticons' many trips to South America, Ravage got to meet up with a real jaguar. Despite his resemblance, the non-robotic jaguar did not take kindly to Ravage's presence and engaged him in a "cat-fight". Ravage used his rocket boosters to scare away his living look-alike. {{storylink|Microbots}}

During Megatron's attempt to convince the humans that the Decepticons were good and the Autobots were evil, Ravage was dispatched to track down [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] when the human searched for evidence that would exonerate the Autobots. Cornering the flesh creature in a studio control room, Ravage had a door closed on him, was electrocuted by a control panel, and had a shelf filled with video cassettes pushed onto him. {{storylink|Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1}} To make Ravage feel better, Soundwave took Ravage along with the other cassettes to a teen dance party, where Ravage was a big hit with the ladies. {{storylink|Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2}}

{{storylink|Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1}} {{storylink|A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court}} {{storylink|Make Tracks}}

[[Image:G1 cartoon Ravage wheel running.JPG|right|150px|thumb|There are so many things wrong with this.]]

Some time later, Ravage, along with [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]], and Soundwave, was transported to a planet with massive inhabitants, along with a group of Autobots, in a [[space bridge]] accident. The first creature they encountered, [[Aron]], thought the Decepticons were toys. Ravage attempted to escape, but Aron's cat [[Nitro]] chased after Ravage like a mouse (how embarrassing). Aron put him with his pet hamster, Blooper, in his cage. Instead of immediately asserting his dominance by killing the beast, Ravage went and ran on the creature's exercise wheel. When captured by scientists, they attempted to dissect the Transformers, but Ravage was able to pick his locks and free the Decepticons, who hijacked the Autobots light beam to head back to Earth... and landed in a lake filled with alligators. That was a very bad day for Ravage. {{storylink|Child's Play (episode)|Child's Play}}

{{storylink|The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1}}

[[Image:RavageRatbat.jpg|left|150px|thumb|The Bat The Cat The Pen-Oh, nevermind.]]

Ravage was still present with the Decepticons in 2005, During the Battle on Autobot City, he was dispatched along with Rumble, Frenzy, and Ratbat to take out Blaster's communication tower and instead were pitted against his own cassette Autobots. After the battle, Ravage helped fight for Soundwave's bid for leadership of the Decepticons. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

Ravage was still with the Decepticons after they were exiled to Chaar. One of his more notable adventures was when he, along with several other "primitive" Transformers, were summoned to fight Tornedron. Although Ravage was defeated by the energy monster, he and all the other drained transformers were restored back to normal thanks to the efforts of Grimlock. {{storylink|Call of the Primitives}}

{{charstubfiction}}

====Japanese cartoon continuity====
=====''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' comic=====
=====''Binaltech''=====
At some point in time after [[1985]], but before [[2005]], Ravage was captured by the [[Earth Defense Command|EDC]] and kept as a prisoner. He was then kept stasis-locked in cassette-mode inserted in his future/past self's tape deck, in order to provide his body with a [[Spark|"Life Essence Nucleus"]], as part of the [[Intelligence and Information Institute|I.I.I.'s]] "X-9 Revival Plan". The Ravage of the present remains unaware of his time-tossed doppelganger.

=====''The Headmasters'' cartoon=====
=====''The Headmasters'' comic=====
After Soundblaster crash-landed following his encounter with [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]]'s "Master Chrome Hurricane-Throw to the End of Hell" attack, Ravage and the other animal cassettes (minus [[Slugfest (G1)|Slugfest]] and [[Overkill (G1)|Overkill]]) stood stoically over his groggy form while [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] and [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] looked panicky. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 8|The Headmasters #8}}

===Kids Stuff Read-Along book===
Ravage immediately recognized what a hydro electric station was, a method of generating power used on Cybertron "way way back in the mists of time," when Transformers were not much more advanced in science than humans are now.

This suggests that Ravage is among the oldest of the Decepticons (even Megatron only feigned familiarity with this form of technology), or that he's a serious student of ancient energy generation techniques.

===''Beast Wars'' incarnation===
====Dawn of Future's Past====
Ravage is mentioned as being recruited along with fellow [[Mini-Cassette|Mini-Cassettes]] [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] by the Predacon [[Divebomb (G1)|Divebomb]], but for some reason left them soon afterwards to become an operative for the [[Tripredacus Council]].

====''15 Go! Go!''====
[[Image:TGGRavage.jpg|left|200px|thumb|It's a mystery!]]
After a mystery assailant badly damaged [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]], destroying vital data, the thinly-disguised (actually not-at-all-disguised) "Kurohyō Man" ("Black Panther Man") stationed on the artificial Earth satellite [[Nana]] ordered the mobile computers [[Teletraan 10]] and [[Teletraan 15]] to travel through time collecting data on Transformers of the past and future.

Although his plan was indeed to repair Teletraan I's databanks, Ravage had his own intentions for the information. He had traveled back from the future to the year 2005 in an attempt to use the "bio and tech specs" data stored inside the computer to manipulate the future and create a timeline free of "unnecessary conflict". When he was foiled by the unknown saboteur, he infiltrated the Autobots as Kurohyō Man and created the Information Control Center on Nana in order to control the recovery effort.

The bumbling Teletraan 15 (and eventually Teletraan 10 as well) resisted, escaping back in time using Ravage's Transwarp cruiser and becoming the very saboteur that caused her mission to begin. Though annoyed that his scheme had been thwarted, Ravage expressed pride in the independence of his underlings and graciously ejected them into space—a survivable situation for the pair and their [[Kiss Player]] cassette friends.
{{-}}
====''Beast Wars'' cartoon====
:''Voice Actor:'' [[Lee Tockar]] (English), [[Toshiyuki Morikawa]] (Japanese), [[Daois Cabezudo]] (Portuguese)

[[Image:BWRavage introduction.jpg|right|250px|thumb|"I vill ask you only vuhnce more... vhere are moose and skvirrel?"]]
Ravage is one of the few Decepticon warriors who was granted amnesty at the end of the Great War and reformatted into a Predacon, complete with [[Accents|classy Russian accent]]. He was sent by the [[Tripredacus Council]] to capture [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], clean up any messes he might have made, and deal with the rest of the beast warriors. (Whether this translated to "kill them all" in the minds of the Tripredacus Council is unclear, but that was apparently Ravage's intent.) Ravage made the trip to prehistoric Earth in a specially modified stealth [[transwarp cruiser]]. He successfully contacted the [[Maximal|Maximals]] and allied with them to capture Megatron. Due to the stealth capabilities of his ship, and the fact that [[Tarantulas]] was also an agent of the council, Ravage and the Maximals easily captured Megatron and imprisoned him. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 1)}}

Megatron, however, had one more card to play. He knew that Ravage wasn't going to let any of the beast warriors live, and also knew he had the one thing that would turn Ravage to his side. Using a fragment from the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]], Megatron showed Ravage something which shocked him—a message from [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], the leader of the Decepticons. As a safeguard against potential defeat, Megatron had left instructions for the descendants of the Decepticons to use transwarp technology to return to prehistoric Earth. Although the message cut out before it was finished, Megatron's plan worked: Ravage, moved by the sight of his former master, released Megatron. After Megatron explained the rest of the message, Ravage joined the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] and turned on the Maximals. Megatron and Ravage attacked Cheetor and Optimus, at which point he transformed into his old mini-cassette alt-mode, jumped into the tape player on his ship, and started playing wicked guitar solos. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}}

His latest treachery was short-lived. During the assault on the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'', [[Rattrap]] infiltrated his ship and caused an explosion that destroyed the vessel and Ravage himself. As the inferno headed toward the bridge, Ravage raised a fist and shouted, "Decepticons forever!" to whomever heard or cared. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part III)}}

His head, seemingly all that remained of him, was knocked into the water below the ''Axalon'' by one of Tarantulas's [[Arachnoid|spider-drones]]. {{storylink|Optimal Situation}}

====3H ''Universe'' comics====
[[Image:Ravageiguanusrazorclawpd2.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Ravage 3 Bodies Evolution!<ref>http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers.fanfic/msg/a5cd7fda89f12c7c?dmode=source&hl=en&pli=1</ref>]]

Even though the [[Maximal|Maximals]] had left Earth with [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]] were far from over! [[Tarantulas]]'s "death" was actually a cover for his return in a more powerful form that had ingested the power of the [[Vok]]! He revived Ravage into a new [[Transmetal 2]] body to help boost his forces, which also included [[Iguanus (BW)|Iguanus]] and [[Razorclaw (BW)|Razorclaw]], and prepared to begin the next stage of his evil plan. Meanwhile, the remnants of Ravage's previous body were recycled by the Vok to re-create [[Tigatron]]. {{storylink|Primeval Dawn Part 1}}

Soon, Ravage led an attack on [[Primal Prime]], the Vok's new champion, and managed to separate Prime from Tigatron, [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]], and [[Ramulus]]. Ravage boasted of his "dark cloak" which shrouded him from even Airazor's impressive sensor array, and unleashed a volley of missiles which knocked her out of the sky. Meanwhile, Tarantulas encountered Primal Prime far from the main battle, and after a heated battle, the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] itself was ripped from his chest by the undead [[Unicron's Spawn|spawn of Unicron]]. {{storylink|Primeval Dawn Part 2}}

[[Image:Ravagespittorpd3.jpg|left|300px|thumb|Transforms from catlike thing to catlike thing.]]

Back at Tarantulas' lair, with the Matrix in their possession, Ravage oversaw the construction of a [[transwarp]] portal that would transport them deep within the maw of their new master, [[Unicron]]! Their newly-born ally, [[Spittor (BW)|Spittor]], expressed frustration at their unwillingness to finish off the Maximals during the battle, and Ravage responded brutally. Ravage was immune to Spittor's deadly venom-covered surface, but Spittor was not likewise protected from Ravage's savage claws, so Spittor quickly quit complaining. Once the portal was completed, Tarantulas allowed them to attack the Maximals; Ravage and the others had served their purpose. Ravage led them to the Ark, but warned them to not disturb the [[Autobot|Autobots]] or [[Decepticon|Decepticons]] on board. But little did they know that the Vok themselves had taken control of Primal Prime's body, and remade it in their powerful image... {{storylink|Primeval Dawn Part 3}}

{{note|[[3H Productions]] dissolved before this storyline could be completed. Based on the subsequent ''Wreckers'' and ''[[Universe (2003 comic)|Universe]]'' storylines, it can be assumed that the Matrix of Leadership was restored to [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]'s body at the end of this altercation, that the Maximals were triumphant, and that Tarantulas somehow fled to return to Unicron. Ravage's fate is unknown.}}
{{-}}

====IDW ''Beast Wars'' comics====
While Ravage is considered by many to be loyal only to himself, his primary loyalty is actually to Megatron and the dream of Decepticon conquest. He views himself as carrying on where Megatron left off, scheming and operating constantly to end Cybertron's peace and bring back a conquering empire. Any plot and rebellion, you'll find Ravage there.

Also, he has psycho blasters, guns that ''give you seizures''. Don't mess with Ravage. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 15}}

[[Image:RavageTheGathering4.jpg|right|200px|thumb|[[IDW]] decided having his actual robot mode was a little too "Transformers"-y.]]
Magmatron recovered Ravage's heavily-damaged torso, which still contained his spark. He then inserted the spark into a blank [[protoform]], and Ravage was reborn. In his Transmetal 2 body, he and his fellow Predacons, under the command of Magmatron, sought out [[Razorbeast]]'s band of Maximals. Viewing from a safe distance, Ravage ordered his soldiers to engage. Additional Maximal forces arrived, however, and Ravage's forces were defeated. Ravage retreated into the wilderness. {{storylink|The Gathering}}

Subsequently, Ravage would utilize all the Predacons under his command in a desperate attack as a diversion while he crept into the Maximal base to steal the [[chronal phase facilitators]] left behind by Magmatron. He was confronted by Razorbeast, who guessed incorrectly that Ravage intended to use them to board the Autobot shuttle and return to Cybertron. Ravage corrected him by stating that he intended to free Megatron and eradicate the Maximal forces. His ambitions, however, were thwarted by [[Snarl (BW)|Snarl]] who caught him off guard and gave Razorbeast the opportunity to knock Ravage offline. {{storylink|The Ascending issue 1}}

It is not certain if Ravage's intentions for Megatron were another ruse or if he was ''actually'' out of his kitty mind regarding the tactical feasibility of this endeavor.

However, what WAS a ruse was Ravage being offline — as soon as he had been tied up by Razorbeast, the Maximal commander had to leave to help on the battlefield—upon which Ravage stopped playing dead and broke loose rather easily, managing to obtain the chronal displacement bands that Razorbeast had put him right next to after pointing them out. (A tactical genius, that Razorbeast.) However, upon activating the bands, Ravage was pulled into Chronospace by the trapped Magmatron, who warned him of the apocalypse that was to come, and ordered him to form a truce with the Maximals to fight this menace. And after hearing the warning, Ravage heeded the sage advice, sneaking out of the base while chronically displaced and re-emerging to the sight of several gun barrels from [[Lio Convoy]], Razorbeast, and the Pack. However, just as he explained the situation, [[Rartorata]] emerged from nowhere and turned Razorbeast into a [[ wikipedia:Princess Mononoke|Princess Mononoke]] homage. {{storylink|The Ascending issue 2}}

[[Image:Lio V Ravage.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Who's the big cat NOW?]]
After introducing himself to Lio Convoy, Ravage agreed with him on a truce until they dealt with the menace of [[Shokaract]]. Commandeering his Predacons, Ravage's forces defeated Rartorata and Ravage extracted a sample of [[Angolmois]] energy from the [[Blendtron]]. When he told Lio Convoy to abandon the Angolmois-infected Razorbeast, the Pack's leader warned him that if he made light of his friend's peril again, he'd personally de-spark him. Ravage boarded the Pack's ship and returned to Cybertron with them, on the way analyzing the Angolmois capsule, to come up with an vaccine. However, as he explained, none of them were qualified scientists for the task. After arriving on Cybertron, Shokaract blasted the Maximal ship out of the sky. {{storylink|The Ascending issue 3}}

Ravage survived the crash, along with the Pack, and visited Magmatron again. Magmatron told Ravage to chronally-displace Shokaract so he could "enlighten him". He then showed unusual concern for Razorbeast's Maximals, asking how they were doing. Ravage then returned to the battle and hit Shokaract's heralds with a grenade at an opportune moment. After Shokaract's suicide, Ravage found Magmatron returned and they all lived happily ever after.

Until [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] returned. {{storylink|The Ascending issue 4}}
{{-}}

====''Binaltech''====
The Government-run [[Intelligence and Information Institute]] (or Triple-I) unearthed a mysterious black box during an archaeological dig. After years of probing, the container, dubbed "Schrödinger's Box" by the group's scientists, was revealed to be the flight recorder of the Predacon Ravage's stealth ship, containing a copy of the feline's personality and memory engrams, deposited into his vessel before his final blaze of glory {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)|The Agenda (Part 2)}}. When the scientists found a way to communicate with this personality, it offered them its knowledge of future events in exchange for a new body. Triple-I agreed, and used a fake Binaltech project (filled under the pretense of "technological synthesis tests") to provide their part of the bargain. However, to truly bring the new Ravage to life, Triple-I stole the present-day Ravage—who had been captured by the [[Earth Defense Command]] and stasis-locked into his cassette mode—and implanted him into the new Ravage, thereby 'fusing' the old and new Ravages into one.

This new Ravage, however, had no intention of fulfilling his end of the bargain and, after eliminating his benefactors and learning to his shock that history did not change in his faction's favor, decided to rectify his mistake. First on his agenda was his former commander, Megatron; stealing an Autobot shuttle, he located and repaired the [[Kronosphere]] and—during a decisive battle between Megatron's and Optimus Prime's forces that would have normally ended with the Autobots being forced off of Cybertron and into their moon bases—turned the weapon on his own faction, trapping Megatron and his crew in a space-time rift. This alteration in the timeline served two purposes: first, it would give the Autobots the chance to retake Cybertron, which would then lead to them having to face off against the oncoming [[Unicron]] alone, severely weakening them in the process. The second, and more important, purpose was to keep Megatron alive and in good mental health (relatively speaking), thus preventing him from becoming the insane [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]], and allowing him to lead the Decepticons to victory over the battle-weary Autobots. Ravage also [[Transmuter|Transmuted]] [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] into a new Binaltech body of his own, so he could lead the remaining Decepticons in Megatron's absence, and secretly derailed many of the Autobots' supply missions, further weakening them for their battle with the Chaos Bringer.

Unfortunately for him, the Autobot named [[Overdrive]] became aware of Ravage's meddling in history, thanks to his acute sensitivity of the timestream, and—with the help of [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]]—captured the wayward Decepticon and forced a confession out of him. Ravage, however, was not without a trump card, revealing that his alterations might prevent the deaths of many of the Autobots destined to die in the normal timeline (which, as a distinction between the two, was dubbed 'Prime Time' by Wheeljack, Ravage's altered timeline being called 'Ravage Time'), though in the grand scheme of things, only Optimus could not be considered expendable, as he contained the one thing that could bring down Unicron (the [[Autobot]] [[Matrix of Leadership]]). By the time of his capture, however, Unicron had already been sighted on a collision course with Cybertron and, despite the temptation of preventing future deaths among his ranks, Optimus decided Ravage's plans to be too dangerous to allow to come to fruition. To that end, he roped [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] into helping him fly to Unicron in a preemptive strike against the monstrous threat, while the other Autobots (left in the command of [[Skids (G1)|Skids]]), were to initiate "[[Operation: Distant Thunder]]", which involved sending a copy of Wheeljack's memories of what Ravage confessed to them, back in time to a point prior to the Decepticon panther's meddling, via the energies located on [[Dinobot Island (G1)|Dinobot Island]]. If "Operation: Distant Thunder" worked as planned, Ravage's plans would be foiled, and any tremors in the timeline he caused would be smoothed over by "Project Body Shop" (aka, the Binaltech project). However, just as Skids gave the signal to transmit the memory engrams, the Autobot base was rocked by an entire fleet of Decepticons. The Autobots just barely managed to hold off the fleet, ensuring that "Operation: Distant Thunder" was a success (though a [[Nemesis Prime (G1)|black Optimus Prime]] ended up separating the Binaltech timeline from the original, as supposedly the Binaltech-bodied Transformers have a higher purpose in the grand scheme of things). Whatever happened to Ravage is not known.

===Beast Wars: Transmetals===
[[Image:N64Ravage.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Stupid sexy Ravage.]]
Ravage betrayed (Predacon) Megatron, then entered the ancient Autobot battle cruiser, the Ark. Using a prototype cloning device based on transreplication technology, he produced clones of the ancient Decepticons, with memories and personalities intact. One by one, he downloaded protoform cloning data of the legendary warriors: (Decepticon) Megatron, Skywarp, Starscream, Thundercracker, Reflector, Rumble, Frenzy, Laserbeak, Buzzsaw and Soundwave. With his clone army, Ravage returned to Predacon space with plans of conquest. In this game he was voiced by [[Scott McNeil]] {{storylink|Beast Wars: Transmetals}}

===''Beast Wars Metals'' comic===
{{note|In the ''Beast Wars Metals'' manga, Metals Jaguar was portrayed as Generation 1 Jaguar's homicidal son, with Jaguar taking the design of the Happy Meal [[Panther]] toy.}}
{{-}}
===Dreamwave comics continuity===
{{note|Events from the [[Keepers Trilogy]] novels are in italics.}}
Ravage, with a much more arboreal alt mode, was part of the second assassination team Megatron sent after the new [[Prime (rank)|Autobot leader]] Optimus Prime, alongside Soundwave and the future [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]]. Ravage got savaged. First Prime blinded him with an energy burst from his own partner [[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]], then he tossed said Kickback into the feral Decepticon, squashing him against the wall. {{storylink|The War Within}} Later, he was an operative of Shockwave's faction during the Dark Ages. They made war against the [[Chaos Trinity]] to upset the plans of [[The Fallen]]. {{storylink|War Within: The Dark Ages|The War Within: The Dark Ages}} Ravage was also present at [[Tyger Pax]] when the Decepticons and [[Ultracon|Ultracons]] reluctantly planned to sign a peace treaty with the Autobots, right before Megatron returned in all his glory, with the thousand-strong [[Aerospace Extermination Squadron]] at his back. {{storylink|War Within: The Age of Wrath|The War Within: The Age of Wrath}}

Millions of years later, Ravage and the crew of the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'' awoke on Earth in 1984, and did battle with the crew of the ''Ark'' for some time. He and the rest of Megatron's army were eventually defeated and captured by the Autobots, but their return vessel to Cybertron, the ''[[Ark II]]'', was destroyed in mid-flight, leaving the Transformers apparently dead. Ravage and many others were recovered and reprogrammed by the human mercenary known as [[Lazarus]]. As a test of his control and their power, Lazarus sent his robots to destroy the Smitco oil refinery, and Ravage was there to "pacify" any human resistance. Megatron soon broke free of Lazarus's control, however, and freed his fellow Decepticons in the process. {{storylink|Prime Directive}}

''When Megatron vanished from the face of the Earth, Ravage reluctantly joined Soundwave and many other Decepticons in following Starscream as the new leader. Starscream made his first act to take over the human city of [[Las Vegas]], turning it into a kingdom under his command. In order to ensure cooperation, he worked with the human population, promising them fame and protection in exchange for their obedience. Soundwave and his cassettes worked directly with the LVPD, supplementing their efforts with surveillance and Cybertronian based weaponry. Ravage personally intervened during a block war, dismembering a gang member before he could kill patrol officer [[Ryan O'Brien]]. The Decepticons weren't above silencing their detractors, though, and that same officer was beaten to death by some of his fellow cops later that evening, for conspiring against the Decepticons. {{storylink|Hardwired}}''

''Megatron returned from deep space sometime later, but the extent of his injuries at the hands of the [[Keeper (species)|Keepers]] left him unable to retake his command from Starscream. Instead, he voluntarily went into exile, but invited the other Decepticons to leave Starscream and join him. Ravage and Soundwave were among the Decepticons was eagerly accepted this invitation. {{storylink|Annihilation}}''

''After an enormous battle with the Keepers in Las Vegas, Megatron reclaimed leadership of the Decepticons from Starscream. To properly declare his return to power to the world, Megatron made a brazen assault directly on the White House in [[Washington, D.C.]] He had Ravage patrolling the alleyways, terrorizing civilians and running interference—the cat's efforts kept a large portion of the DCPD and National Guard occupied while Megatron had his "conference" with the [[President of the United States|President]]. Later, the President sought revenge on the Transformers during an ambush in the Nevada desert. He had American troops employ [[Deconstructionite|deconstructionites]], tiny microchip-sized projectiles reverse engineered from Cybertronian technology, with the power to drain energy away from Transformer systems. Ravage was caught in the initial barrage, and either his small size or limited processing power made him fall victim faster than others. Megatron had to carry Ravage to safety as the Decepticons retreated. {{storylink|Fusion (novel)|Fusion}}''

[[Image:Ravagewarandpeace.jpg|right|250px|thumb|RARRRRR yourself.]]
Sometime thereafter, Shockwave arrived on Earth with a detachment of Unified Cybertronian soldiers, equipped to take both Autobots and Decepticons into custody as enemies of the peace. Shockwave quickly granted clemency to Soundwave, Ravage, and the other Decepticons willing to swear fealty to him, after he disposed of Megatron. {{storylink|New World Order}} After returning to Cybertron, Soundwave was considering his options when a small sound caught his attention. He dispatched Ravage to investigate, but the poor kitty tried to tackle [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] and got a mouthful of [[null-ray]]. {{storylink|Brothers' Burden}} Starscream had plans of his own, and managed to convince Soundwave and his cassettes that following him would be more profitable than throwing in with Shockwave. During the chaos of the Autobot insurrection that soon followed, they arranged [[Sky Lynx (G1)|transport]] and fled back to Earth to loot its energy resources. {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}}

Although a lot happened after they returned to Earth, Ravage missed out on seeing any of it as Soundwave apparently kept him stored inside his chest the whole time.

===IDW comics continuity===
{{ongoing}}
[[Image:Ravagespotlightsoundwave.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Ravage, your puns bite! Get it?]]
Long ago on Cybertron, during [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]'s rise to power, a secret meeting was orchestrated between Soundwave and Megatron. Ravage, Laserbeak, and Buzzsaw attacked and captured two Autobot spies, [[Bumper (G1)|Bumper]] and [[Fastback]], which they brought to Megatron. After many of the terrorists who would later call themselves Decepticons were captured, Ravage and the others helped [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] assassinate the members of the [[Kaon]] council. {{storylink|Megatron Origin}}

When [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] was ordered by Megatron to investigate the disappearance of [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]], Megatron in turn ordered Soundwave to secretly keep an eye on him. Soundwave took Ravage and Laserbeak with him, and eventually followed Bludgeon and his accomplices to Earth, where Ravage took on the form of a cassette tape in the year 1984. Soundwave observed as a cassette tape player, he sent Ravage and Laserbeak to follow the [[human]] [[Facsimile|facsimiles]] constructed by Bludgeon to do his enigmatic work. Ultimately, the trail brought the three to Bludgeon's volcanic lair under [[Mount St. Helens]]. When Soundwave realized that Bludgeon's group intended to reawaken [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]], Soundwave, Ravage, and Laserbeak desperately attacked, but Ravage was impaled by Bludgeon's sword. He was later buried by a volcanic eruption, but dug out a year later by a mysterious group of humans. {{storylink|Spotlight: Soundwave}}

Years later in 2007, he was chained up in the [[Skywatch]] headquarters along with Laserbeak and reprogrammed to seek out the other Transformers. {{storylink|Escalation issue 6}} On his first mission out with Laserbeak, however, the pair's signal from Skywatch was blocked by Soundwave. {{storylink|Devastation issue 4}}

Ravage sought out Soundwave in the bedroom of young [[Jimmy]], bursting through his household wall. Soundwave had been stuck in his small tape-player altmode for 25 years, so the assistance of Laserbeak was required to haul his small form away. Ravage regrouped with them both at the base of Mount St. Helens, but it was taking all of Soundwave's fast-dwindling energy to keep blocking Skywatch's mind control signals. Fortunately, they had an ally in Shockwave. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 4}}

[[Image:AHM2RavageAndy.jpg|right|200px|thumb|I'll give you dog, pal!]]
A year later, Ravage was reunited with Soundwave and the rest of his tape comrades. After a failed human counter-attack in New York, Ravage went after the pilot [[Andy Reid]] so as to prevent him reporting back to his commander. He had the military human and a civilian pinned, when a second human male threw an explosive at him. It detonated on his face, distracting him long enough for the humans to escape. This annoyed him only slightly less than the fact Andy kept calling him a dog. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 2}}
{{-}}

===IDW ''Hearts of Steel'' continuity===
[[Image:Marktwainvsravage.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Back, vile beast, back! (Ravage smashes chair) ...um, anyone got some catnip?]]
[[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] sent Ravage to kill [[Tobias Muldoon]], who had deserted the Decepticons when he learned they were evil. Ravage tracked him to [[Stanford Merriweather]]'s house in [[San Francisco]] and crashed into the household, startling Muldoon, Merriweather, Merriweather's daughter [[Kitty Merriweather|Kitty]], and [[Mark Twain]].

He then pretty much got his ass kicked by Mark Twain, who took advantage of Ravage being momentarily trapped in rubble to flick a [[cigar]] at him, thus igniting a gas leak. The explosion flung Ravage into the bay, never to be seen again.

Ravage is a "clockwork puma" and does not transform in the course of the story. {{storylink|Hearts of Steel issue 3}}
{{-}}

{{charstubfiction}}

==Toys==
{{main|Ravage (G1)/toys}}

==Notes==
*As given in early ''[[Transformers Universe (Marvel comic)|Universe]]''-style profiles published in ''[[The Transformers Comics Magazine]]'', Ravage's nickname is Cat'''.
* Ravage's original packaging art is by far the most-copied depiction of any Transformer. It was, of course, adapted for his ''[[Transformers Universe (Marvel comic)|Transformers Universe]]'' profile, but was also used (twice) in 1984's "back-of-the-box" battle scene,<ref>http://www.botchthecrab.com/galleryImage.asp?gallery=7&image=33</ref> and was copied in licensed coloring books and storybooks; the pose also showed up repeatedly in the Marvel Comics. In "[[Time Wars]] Part 2" (Marvel UK #200), artist [[Robin Smith]] copied the art multiple times across several subsequent panels. And it was, of course, recolored for Howlback's card-art. Yikes.
* Reportedly, Hasbro wanted to bring Ravage's Jaguar X-9 figure over to the States as part of the Beast Wars 10th Anniversary line, but they couldn't find the mold. Bummer.
* According to the [[Young Corgi]] book [[Dinobot War]], Ravage's cassette mode is labelled as the soundtrack to the musical ''Cats''.
*In the Japanese dub of the [[Generation 1 (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]], all of [[Frank Welker]]'s various growling and snarling sounds for Ravage were maintained and not redubbed with a Japanese voice actor (though [[Yutaka Shimaka]] ''did'' speak as Ravage during the character's one lone instance of dialogue in "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 3]]"). Frank Welker was not credited in the Japanese version, either. Jerks.
*The exact same thing happened in the Brazilian dub for the series, but to be fair, voice actors in Brazil were never credited for their work until the late nineties. Welker only received the same treatment.
*Ravage's Beast Wars robot mode is simply a modified Transmetal Cheetor with Tigatron's beast head.

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*[http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Ravage Ravage Transformers Universe profile]
*[http://www.tfu.info/1984/Decepticon/Ravage/ravage.htm Ravage at TFU.info]

[[Category:Alternators]]
[[Category:Beast Wars characters]]
[[Category:Decepticons]]
[[Category:Generation 1 characters]]
[[Category:Headmasters characters]]
[[Category:Henkei! Henkei! characters]]
[[Category:Non-Triple Changer third mode]]
[[Category:Mini-Cassettes]]
[[Category:Predacons]]
[[Category:Reassigned toys]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Spies]]
[[Category:Transmetals]]
[[Category:Transmetals 2]]
[[Category:Universe (2008)]]
[[Category:Wal-Mart exclusives]]

Bumblebee (Movie)/toys

2009-05-23T23:31:02Z

98.212.255.236: /* Deluxe Class toys */

{{picsneeded|various stuff}}
'''[[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]]''' is the star of a [[Transformers (2007)|multi-million-dollar film]]. Ergo, he gets a lot of toys and merchandise!

==Toys==
===Transformers (2007)===
====Legends Class toys====
[[Image:Bumblebeemovielegends.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Its not a Fiesta with racing stripes...its a fiesta of racing stripes!]]
*'''Bumblebee''' (Legends Class, 2007)
**''Japanese name:'' '''EZ Collection Bumblebee'''

: Legends Bumblebee transforms into a yellow 1976 Chevrolet Camaro. Being a highly simplified toy of a highly complex design, Legends-class Bumblebee does not replicate the appearance of the robot mode very well, and has very limited articulation, detail and paint application. On the other hand, he's pocket-sized and inexpensive, perfect for the younger set. The toy has a sculpted rear window, but it's not painted like the other windows. instead, the racing stripes extend over them.

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*'''Optimus Prime bonus pack''' (Costco exclusive multi-pack, 2007)

:A Costco exclusive special pack of Leader Class Optimus Prime with Legends Class Bumblebee and [[Jazz (Movie)|Autobot Jazz]] as bonus figures. None of the three toys is changed from their respective original releases.

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[[Image:Movie Allspark Legends pack.jpg|right|250px|thumb|The classic G1 cast...plus Barricade.]]
*'''Battle for the Allspark''' (Toys'R'Us exclusive multi-pack, 2007)

: A Toys'R'Us exclusive, this six-pack of Legends class figures contains unmodified toys of [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]], [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]], Bumblebee, [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]], [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] and [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]].

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*'''Bumblebee Scanning Ver.''' (''Hyper Hobby'' magazine exclusive EZ Collection variant, 2007)

: A Japanese-exclusive version of the Legends Bumblebee toy, "scanning version" Bumblebee uses transparent plastics for his yellow parts. He was available as a mail-order item from ''Hyper Hobby'' magazine in September of 2007.

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[[Image:Melltallic Bumblebee.jpg|right|255px|thumb|You know you know you want me]]
*'''Metallic Bumblebee''' (Tsutaya Records exclusive EZ collection variant, 2007)

: This Japanese metallic repaint of Legends class Bumblebee is an exclusive included with purchase of the Movie DVD at Tsutaya Records.

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[[Image:Movie Legends Bumblebee Scorponok toys.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Bee stings.]]
*'''Bumblebee vs. Scorponok''' (Legends Allspark Battles two-pack, 2008)

: As part of the ''AllSpark Battles'' Legends two-packs, a slightly redecoed Legends class Bumblebee, now sporting "battle damage" paint applications, comes with an all-new Legends [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]] figure.

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====Deluxe Class toys====
[[Image:Bumblebeemovietoydeluxe67.jpg|right|250px|thumb|These used cars are fully loaded!]]
*'''Bumblebee''' (Deluxe Class Classic Camaro, 2007)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''MA-03'''
**''Accessories:'' 2 projectiles

: The first Deluxe Class version of Movie Bumblebee transforms into a yellow [[wikipedia:Second-generation_Chevrolet_Camaro|1976 Chevrolet Camaro]] with a quite reasonable level of sculpted detail. In contrast to the other Deluxe-class car Transformers in the Movie toyline, he does not have clear windows, instead opting for opaque yellow plastic with painted metallic blue.

: Bumblebee is armed with two shoulder-mounted spring-loaded missile launchers (inspired by the shoulder-mounted missile launchers he uses to fight Brawl/Devastator in the movie), which also double as hand-held weapons or can be mounted on ports on the undersides of his elbows. His legs and chest [[Automorph]] during transformation.

: The initial release of the toy featured even tabs for the Automorph gimmick; oddly, Hasbro later decided to [[retool]] the feature so the tab would be uneven.<ref>[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=29613 Original Allspark thread about the retool of Bumblebee's Automorph gimmick]</ref> This resulted in many reported cases of the tab snapping during transformation. Press the button or you'll break him. Seriously. The retooled Automorph gimmick would be used for all subsequent versions of the mold, including the Japanese ones, and the breakage problem wouldn't be fixed until the UK exclusive "Towed to Safety" two-pack and the Target exclusive "Evolution of a Hero" two-pack.

[[Image:Movie Deluxe 1974 Bumblebee JPtoy.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Never seen so much translucent plastic in all my life.]]
: Packaging photos and early [[Prototype|test shots]] of Hasbro's Bumblebee featured transparent blue plastic windows and missile parts. However, the final Hasbro production toy has opaque yellow plastic. The Japanese [[TakaraTomy]] release of Bumblebee retains the transparent blue plastic parts, with yellow paint for the outer car shell. As a consequence, the missiles, which are on the same sprue, are also made of clear blue plastic, just like the early prototype seen in the Hasbro stock photos for the toy. He also uses the retooled version of the mold with the fixed [[Automorph]] gimmick.

The packaging used for the Japanese toy is the same as for the Hasbro version, with the exception of additional stickers identifying it as a Japanese market release.
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[[Image:Bumblebee Barricade deluxeboxset.jpg|right|250px|thumb|"Go ahead, make my day!"]]
*'''Bumblebee vs. Barricade: First Encounter'''
**''Accessories:'' 2 projectiles

: This battle pack contains the 1976 Camaro deluxe-class Bumblebee and the deluxe-class [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]]/[[Frenzy (Movie)|Frenzy]] figures, based upon their confrontation as seen in the movie. The box features a diorama-style background from a movie scene, but toys themselves are unchanged from their original carded releases.

: The set originally retailed for only slightly less than buying the two individual toys. However, for a short while, it was about the only way to ''get'' Bumblebee in the first place, thanks to the [[Movie (toyline)|toy drought]] following the movie's record-smashing opening.

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*'''Bumblebee Limited Metallic Color Version''' (Lawson exclusive Deluxe-sized Classic Camaro, TakaraTomy 2007)
**''Accessories:'' 2 projectiles

: A redeco of the Japanese version of the Classic Camaro Bumblebee mold (retaining the clear blue windows and missiles) that was exclusively available with the purchase of a ticket for the movie in Japanese Lawson stores.

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[[Image:Movie TowedtoSafety toys.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Sadly, All Spark Insurance doesn't cover towing charges.]]
*'''Towed to Safety''' (two-pack, UK 2007)
**''Accessories:'' 2 projectiles

: This set features an unaltered Deluxe class [[Longarm (Movie)|Longarm]] figure and a Deluxe class 1976 Camaro Bumblebee figure. The window box features a diorama background of the battle in [[Mission City]] (basically the same packaging inner tray from the "Bumblebee vs. Barricade: First Encounter" pack). As is generally the case with the European releases of the Movie toys, the pictures on the front of the box show the robot-mode toys instead of an artist's depiction of their faces.

: For this two-pack, Hasbro slightly retooled Bumblebee's Automorph gimmick again, adding another small tab that finally resolved the breakage issues that had plagued the previous variation of the mold.<ref>[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=38149 Allspark thread about the second retool of Bumblebee's Automorph gimmick]</ref>

:Thus far, this pack has only been released in the United Kingdom.

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[[Image:Movie Deluxe 2009 Bumblebee toy.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Nu-uh! You don't want none of this!]]
*'''Bumblebee (Camaro Concept)''' (Deluxe Class Concept Camaro, 2007)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''MA-10'''
**''Accessories:'' Plasma cannon

: The second Deluxe class Bumblebee toy, which shares no parts with the previous one (even the head, despite being based on the same general design, is a different sculpt), transforms into the [[wikipedia:Fifth-generation_Chevrolet_Camaro|concept vehicle for the 2009 Chevrolet Camaro]]. Maintaining the high standard for car accuracy in the movie line, Bumblebee is very faithful to the real-life vehicle, featuring clear blue windows in contrast to the opaque windows seen in both his previous Deluxe class toy and the Ultimate Bumblebee toy.

: Bumblebee features two [[Automorph|Automorphing]] gimmicks during transformation: ''(a)'' swinging his hood down into robot mode position also moves his arms up and ''(b)'', swinging his feet down will move the rear fenders up and behind his calves, as well as swinging the rear windows to his inner calves in a spring-loaded action. Unusually, this version of Bumblebee is much more accurate to the CGI design than either the older-model Deluxe OR the Ultimate figure, with the chest properly articulating in a fairly Movie-accurate manner. He's also slightly taller than most of the other Deluxe Class figures.

: Bumblebee features a superb range of articulation, with ball joints in his shoulders, neck, torso, wrists and upper legs, with ratcheting and swivels making up the remaining joints. Instead of the rather inaccurate missile launchers from the 1976 Camaro toy, '09 Bumblebee comes with a mostly accurate version of his plasma cannon as it appears in the movie, but for added play value, it can Automorph into an energy blade by opening up the halves of the gun barrel and swinging them back. The cannon can be held in either of his hands.

: Care should be taken when removing the cannon from Bumblebee's hands, as excessive force can damage the wrist ball joint socket.

: Contrary to popular opinion, the yellow pieces on the back of Bumblebee's feet are ''not'' supposed to be heel spurs, nor have they been mis-assembled. They are supposed to fold up to emulate the detail found on the CGI design.

: A running change version of this mold adds tabs to the hip panels, which makes the vehicle mode hold together better, as well as sculpted pupils inside Bumblebee's eyes.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/showthread.php?t=144325 TFW2005 thread about the retool for the second Deluxe Bumblebee toy]</ref> Initially this was believed to be a variant for the Japanese market; however, later shipments of the Hasbro toy featured those changes as well, as did all subsequent versions of the mold.

: This mold was also used to make "Allspark Power" [[Cliffjumper (Movie)|Cliffjumper]].

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[[Image:Movie Bumblebee Evolutionofahero.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Hey, look, Concept Camaro, now you are the piece o' crap.]]
*'''Evolution of a Hero''' (Target exclusive two-pack, 2007)
**''Accessories:'' 2 projectiles, Plasma cannon

: A Target exclusive, this figure multi-pack contains an unchanged Deluxe-class 1976 Bumblebee and an exclusive "battle damaged" 2009 Camaro Concept Bumblebee. Even though the 2009 figure is supposed to represent Bumblebee's damaged state as he appeared during the final battle in the movie, oddly enough the "damage" paint decos do not appear to extend to his legs, restricting themselves to his upper torso and car roof/door parts. Maybe they didn't bother because they thought you'd take them off like in the movie. Go figure.

:The Classic Camaro Bumblebee toy included in this package features the same "fixed" Automorph gimmick also found on the version included in the UK exclusive "Towed to Safety" two-pack. In addition, the Automorph button on the hood ''finally'' sports the painted pinstripes that had been missing on ''all'' previous releases of the mold.

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*'''Bumblebee and Optimus Prime''' (Argos exclusive two-pack, UK 2007)
**''Accessories:'' Plasma cannon

: A two-pack, exclusively available at Argos stores in the United Kingdom, which contains an unchanged Voyager-class [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] and an equally unchanged Deluxe-class Concept Camaro Bumblebee.

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[[Image:Movie ScreenBattles CaptureofBB.jpg|right|250px|thumb|You'll never take me alive!]]
*'''Capture of Bumblebee''' (Screen Battles diorama pack, 2007)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''SB-04'''
**''Accessories:'' Plasma cannon

: This ''Screen Battles'' pack comes a [[Redeco|redecoed]] Camaro Concept Deluxe-class Bumblebee featuring a more accurate gray color scheme for his robot mode parts and a silver-painted face, Autobot symbol and toes. Additionally, a new red Autobot symbol is placed on his forehead, while his translucent parts are now a greener blue. The pack also comes with non-posable figurines of [[Sector Seven]] agent [[Seymour Simmons]] and two Sector Seven soldiers; one carrying a cryo-freezing cannon and one carrying a grenade launcher.

: This set comes in a special window box featuring a diorama background of the scene in which Bumblebee is captured by Sector Seven forces.

:According to details listed in an official checklist on Hasbro's website{{fact}}, this pack was originally supposed to feature "ice soldiers" (plural), in addition to an "S7 agent" and an "S7 soldier". Apparently budget ultimately only allowed for one. The grenade launcher-wielding S7 soldier also looks conspicuously like [[William Lennox|Captain Lennox]] colored as a Sector Seven soldier (it's possible that the figure had originally been intended for the Screen Battles "Desert Attack" pack with [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]]).

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[[Image:MovieTargetAllsparkDeluxeBumblebee.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Bumblebee just went neon. For Playskool, see the Cyber Slammers version.]]
*'''All Spark-Enhanced Bumblebee''' (Target Exclusive Deluxe, 2007)
**''Accessories:'' Plasma cannon

: This Target exclusive features the Deluxe Class Bumblebee in unique cylindrical packaging, with the only difference from his standard release being that key robot mode parts are highlighted by the slavish 'All Spark Blue' color for no other reason than [[to sell toys]].

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[[Image:Movie Deluxe StealthBumblebee toy.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Bumblebee, as he appears in the Bizarro World.]]
*'''Stealth Bumblebee''' (Deluxe Class Concept Camaro, 2008)
**''Accessories:'' Plasma cannon

: Stealth Bumblebee is an extensive redeco and minor retool of the Deluxe class 2009 Camaro Bumblebee toy. The redeco itself is unusual in that the yellow parts are still cast in yellow plastic, but painted black. Other color differences include changing the robot mode body parts from black to gray and adding bright blue ''AllSpark Power'' decos.

:The head has also been retooled to reflect Bumblebee's 'battle mask' as seen in the Movie. The "mask" does not flip up to reveal his head. Bummer.

{{-}}
[[Image:MovieDeluxePremiumBumblebee.jpg|right|250px|thumb|You wouldn't like me when I'm angry.]]
*'''Bumblebee''' ("Premium Series" Deluxe Class Concept Camaro, 2008)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''MA-22'''
**''Accessories:'' Plasma cannon

:This [[redeco]] of the Deluxe-class Concept Camaro toy features a similar deco as the Screen Battles version in terms of plastic colours, but replaces the head sculpt with the "battle mask" sculpt previously used for Stealth Bumblebee. All of his outer car body panels have been coated in a metallic yellow paint job.

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*'''Legacy of Bumblebee''' (Deluxe class multi-pack, 2008)

:A Walmart [[exclusive]] three pack, the ''Legacy of Bumblebee'' collector's set comes with [[Bumblebee (G1)|''Classics'']], Movie Deluxe Concept Camaro ([[Premium Series]]) and ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]]'' [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] figures. While the ''Movie'' and ''Animated'' Bumblebees are identical to their original, single carded releases, the ''Classics'' Bumblebee has been redecoed to more closely resemble his ''Movie'' and ''Animated'' counterparts, changing his white stripes to black, and his grey/silver plastic to yellow, similarly to ''Henkei! Henkei!'' Bumble.

====Screen Battles====
[[Image:Movie ScreenBattles FinalStand1.jpg|right|250px|thumb|"Half a bee, philosophically/ Must, ipso facto, half not be./ But half the bee has got to be/ Vis-a-vis, its entity. D'you see?"]]
*'''Final Stand''' (Screen Battles, 2007)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''SB-02'''

: This ''Screen Battles'' pack comes with an altered [[Longarm (Movie)|Longarm]] toy and a posable, non-transforming, battle-damaged Bumblebee figure very similar to the ''Robot Replicas'' toy, yet surprisingly utilizing none of the same parts despite being on an identical scale. This set comes in a special window box featuring a diorama background of the battle in Mission City.

:Although entirely comprised of original sculpting, such as the gimpy leg-stumps, the Bumblebee figure oddly does not feature the character's distinctive car door "wings" on his back. However, keen [[Kitbashing|customisers]] can easily rectify this by slicing the "Robot Replicas" version's wings off and whittling their connecting plastic into simple posts that very handily plug into large holes in the tires on Final Stand 'Bee's back. In fact, these holes almost seem designed to accommodate a missing part. (Considering how all the other Screen Battles sets were apparently originally intended to feature more, or at least more elaborate, accessory figures based on their entries in an official checklist on Hasbro's website{{fact}}, this seems indeed very plausible.)

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====Ultimate====
[[Image:Ultimate Bumblebee toy.jpg|right|250px|thumb|All those extras and they couldn't make me more accurate than the deluxe class toy.]]
*'''Ultimate Bumblebee''' (Ultimate, 2007)
**''Accessories:''

: Similar in appearance to the second Deluxe-class Bumblebee toy, albeit much larger and more complex, the 'Ultimate' version of Bumblebee also transforms into the 2009 concept Camaro. The toy features animatronic movement in robot mode (flapping wings, moving arms and a rotating head) and light-up eyes and headlights, activated by the movement or sounds made by the person playing with the toy, or by pressing his buttons, which also activate an obscene number of interactive electronic sound effects. Oddly enough, despite being mute for most of the movie, Bumblebee has a wide range of phrases (Which don't even sound like him). His chest button yields various phrases and a new version of the ''Transformers'' theme tune, while a button on his side produces blaster noises, more speech, and musical samples, including four different ones from Devo's "Whip It." This button also causes the toy to raise its cannon-arm and automatically fire a missile. Playing with the toy by moving it will make him repeat various phrases and samples activated by other features, as well as crashing battle noises, but when he is left idle, more unique phrases will be uttered inquiring where everyone has gone, as well as radio snippets to the same effect, before the toy eventually deactivates. Pressing any button will bring him back online with a cheerful shout.

: Transforming the toy between modes is accompanied by the classic transformation noise, and if left unattended between modes, it will make stalling engine noises, car horn and a car alarm sounds. Once in car mode, new electronics are unlocked, beginning with the sound of an engine starting up. The chest button now activates the car's horn, and rolling the figure along will create an accelerating noise that increases the faster the toy is moved. More unique musical snippets will play as the car rolls along; when the rolling stops, brake lights activate and the tires screech. Yet more sounds are produced when Bumblebee is rolled backwards, and the car mode also features different crashing battle noises to the robot mode.

: All of the toy's features can be turned off by a switch, and it has an additional "Try Me" mode which allows you to hear various sounds from the toy's various functions just by pressing the chest button.

: The toy is mistransformed in the package, and all promo photos of the figure made the same mistake, presenting the car hood as a solid block resting on Bumblebee's chest. In reality, it splits up into five separate pieces to fold and collapse into a more movie-like appearance.

: In the holiday season, Wal-Mart carried an exclusive "Bonus Buy" version of the toy, which had the Deluxe [[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]] and [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]] toys added as freebies. Costco also carried an exclusive version, with the 3" [[Titanium Series]] version of Bumblebee packed in. However, it did not include the display stand.

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*'''Ultimate Bumblebee bonus pack''' (Costco exclusive two-pack, 2007)
**''Accessories:''

:A Costco-exclusive special pack of Ultimate Bumblebee with Titanium Series Bumblebee (see below) as a bonus figure. Neither toy is changed from its respective original release.

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*'''Ultimate Bumblebee Bonus Value pack''' (Wal*Mart exclusive multi-pack, 2007)
**''Accessories:''

:A Wal*Mart-exclusive special pack of Ultimate Bumblebee with Deluxe Class [[Brawl (Movie)|Decepticon Brawl]] and [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]] as bonus figures. None of the three toys are changed from their respective original releases.

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====Fast Action Battlers====
[[Image:Bumblebeemoviefab.jpg|right|250px|thumb|]]
*'''Plasma Punch Bumblebee''' (Fast Action Battler, 2007)
**''Accessories:'' Projectile

:[[Fast Action Battler|Fast Action Battlers]] Bumblebee transforms from concept Camaro to robot with a considerably simpler transformation than the standard deluxe toy, intended for the slightly younger set. His main "gimmick" is a spring-loaded missile launcher in his right arm. As is also the case with Ultimate Bumblebee, the toy is mistransformed in the package, and all promo photos of the figure make the same mistake, presenting the car hood as a solid block. In reality, the chest/bumper consists of two rotating pieces which can pivot down so as to more accurately emulate the appearance in the movie.

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[[Image:FAB Rally Rocket BB.jpg|right|250px|thumb|A rally car that isn't Smokescreen. Now that's something new.]]
*'''Rally Rocket Bumblebee''' (Fast Action Battler, 2008)
**''Accessories:'' Projectile

:A [[repaint]] of Plasma Punch Bumblebee. It transforms from concept Camaro to robot with a simple transformation. The right arm is a spring loaded missile launcher. As is also the case with the original [[Fast Action Battlers]] Bumblebee, the hood is presented as a solid brick.

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====Cyber Slammers toys====
[[Image:Bumblebeemoviecyberslammer.jpg|right|250px|thumb|A Battlecharger for the new millennium.]]
*'''Bumblebee''' (Classic Camaro Cyber Slammer, 2007)

: Cyber Slammers Bumblebee is an amazingly cute 1976 Camaro that transforms into an amazingly cute Autobot buddy of human characters. "Slam" his robot mode down into car mode and he rolls along for a while, then snaps back up into robot mode.

: This toy was also made available during the 2007 holiday season as a freebie "Bonus Buy" packaged with Cyber Stompin' [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] at Wal-Mart stores.

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[[Image:Movie Bumblebee CamaroConcept CyberSlammer.jpg|right|250px|thumb|And so, Bumblebee rejoins the Throttlebots.]]
*'''Bumblebee''' (Concept Camaro Cyber Slammer, 2007)

:The second [[Cyber Slammers]] Bumblebee figure toy transforms into a Concept Camaro and shares no parts with the previous Cyber Slammers Bumblebee figure. Like all Cyber Slammers, the toy features motorized action. When you push down on the car, it zooms forward, then pops up into robot mode! Sure to please the toddler you brought with you to the PG-13 movie. Like most Cyber Slammers, Bumblebee manages to cram most of his vehicle mode's major details into a compact, super-deformed version of that mode.

: This toy was later redecoed into [[Cliffjumper (Movie)|Cliffjumper]].

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====Trans-Scanning====
[[Image:Movie TranScanning Bumblebee toy.jpg|right|250px|thumb|whY mY SHoUlDeRs hUrT?(Now I know how Hot Shot feels)]]
*'''Bumblebee''' (2008)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TS-02'''
**''Accessories:'' Display stand

: [[Trans-scan|Trans-scanning]] Bumblebee is a Japanese-exclusive figure with many interchangeable parts. At its most basic, the figure is a spindly skeleton referred to as a "Core Body". To this skeleton, two sets of armor pieces can be attached to create one of two forms for Bumblebee: his [[protoform]] mode or his Earth mode.

: The protoform mode consists of eight pieces of golden plastic that plug into the arms, chest, pelvis and legs of the figure. With these pieces attached, the figure can be manipulated in a manner that might charitably be called "transformation" into his meteor-like "entry mode," accomplished by doing little more than tucking the head out of sight and folding the chest back. This golden-and-grey lump can be mounted on a three-piece stand that comes with the figure, allowing you to display it in mid-plummet. Bumblebee's Earth mode, meanwhile, is made up of nineteen armor pieces (including a particularly large backpack) that form a rather [[Kibble|kibbly]] robot mode, which can then transform into a Camaro Concept.

: Bumblebee also includes a pair of interchangeable, open-palmed hands that can be swapped out for the clenched fists that are in place in-package. The Core Body mold was re-used for the simultaneously released Trans-Scanning [[Optimus Prime (Movie) toys|Optimus Prime]] figure.

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====Cyber Stompin' robots====
[[Image:Bumblebeemoviecyberstompin.jpg|right|150px|thumb|These boots were made for—you know the rest.]]
*'''Bumblebee''' (Cyber Stompin' Robots, 2007)

: [[Cyber Stompin' Robots]] Bee is a large electronic action figure, featuring a rather cutified design. He's got electronic lights and sounds up the whazzoo and fires missiles and a fist. He totally plays the original theme song.

: Later in the year, Wal-Mart stores sold this toy as a "Bonus Buy" item, which came with a free Cyber Slammer [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] attached to the box back.

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====Robot Replicas====
[[Image:Movie RobotReplica Bumblebee.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Heli-pack not included]]
*'''Bumblebee''' (Robot Replicas, 2007)

: As part of the [[Robot Replicas]] sub-line, this version of concept-Camaro Bumblebee is a non-transforming action figure that hews very close to the movie's CGI model. It features joints similar to the [[Revoltech]] toys, plus his right forearm can be replaced with his blaster-arm (or any other arm attachments from other Robot Replicas, which could lead to some fun Frankensteins). For some reason, he's closer to orange than his normal yellow.

{{-}}

====Micro IR Transformers Cars====
[[Image:Movie Bumblebee MircroIR.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Drives and shoots!]]
*'''Bumblebee''' (2007)

: Made by [[RadioShack]] under license from [[Hasbro]] and [[Dreamworks]]. The three-function infrared remote, in Bumblebee's signature colors, gives you control of the car with forward and reverse turn movement. More than just a car styled after the Movie character, the car also transforms to robot mode. The top of the gun-shaped IR remote's barrel serves as a display stand. The tip of the gun barrel can also be unscrewed, revealing a pen (!) inside.

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===Titanium Series===
[[Image:Bumblebeemoviets3.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Special feature: Can't talk, just like the real Bumblebee!]]
*'''Bumblebee''' (Robot Masters, 2007)
**''Accessories:'' Movie-style Autobot sigil isplay stand

: This Bumblebee is a three-inch tall painted mini-statue of his 1976 Camaro body form. He features die-cast in his torso and thighs, and he has swivel joints at the shoulders, head and waist. Oh, and he comes with a Movie-style Autobot logo base to stand on.

: This item was also packed in with Ultimate Bumblebee as a Costco-exclusive set.

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===Revenge of the Fallen===
====Legends Class toys====
[[Image:ROTF Legends Bumblebee.jpg|right|250px|thumb|]]
*'''Bumblebee''' (2009)
**''Japanese ID number:''

:''Revenge of the Fallen'' Legends class Bumblebee is based upon the updated Camaro Concept featured in the movie (unlike the 2007 Legends class Bumblebee which was based on the 1976 Camaro). Compared to the previous Movie Legends, he has better, more accurate detailing and proportions (or as accurate as can be obtained at this [[pricepoint]]).

{{comingsoontoy}}
{{-}}

====Deluxe Class toys====
[[Image:Bumblebeerotfpreviewtoy.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Yes, you're buying this mold again. Surprise!]]
*'''Bumblebee''' (2009)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''RA-03'''
**''Accessories:'' Projectile

:Released as part of the preview series of figures for [[Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|Revenge of the Fallen's toyline]] alongside [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]], Bumblebee is a retool of the Camaro Concept Bumblebee mold, feature a new vehicle front end, hood and wheels to reflect the changes to the prop vehicle used in the movie; and in robot mode has a new, more accurate headsculpt. His right arm has been retooled to accommodate a built-in spring-loaded plasma cannon, replacing the converting plasma cannon/blade weapon from the previous version of this mold. Don't look at his eyes for too long, you'll have nightmares.
{{-}}

*'''Cannon Bumblebee''' (2009)
**''Japanese ID number:''

:This extensive retool of Bumblebee changes the entire upper half of the robot mode, and thus half of the car, to newly designed parts, including more articulated arms with open palms, less obstructive vehicle [[kibble]], a differently transforming chest, and two flip-out (non-firing) missile launcher racks behind his head.
{{comingsoontoy}}
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====Human Alliance====
[[Image:ROTF HumanAlliance Bumblebee%26Sam.jpg|right|250px|thumb|]]
*'''Bumblebee''' / '''Sam Witwicky''' (2009)
**''Accessories:'' Projectile

{{comingsoontoy}}
{{-}}

====Ultimate====
[[Image:ROTF UltimateBumblebee.jpg|right|250px|thumb|]]
*''' Ultimate Bumblebee Battle Charged''' (2009)

:''Revenge of the Fallen's'' Ultimate Bumblebee is a retool of the 2007 version, with new rims, hood, front fenders. He also features a new, more accurate head sculpt with a battle mask. This time, his sound chip plays [[Stan Bush]]'s "The Touch".

{{comingsoontoy}}
{{-}}

====Fast Action Battlers====
[[Image:ROTF_FAB_Pulse_Blast_Bumblebee.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
*'''Pulse Blast Bumblebee''' (2009)

:Pulse Blast Bumblebee is a retool of 2007's Plasma Punch Bumblebee, with updated vehicle mode parts to reflect the changes in the prop Camaro vehicle, along with a new, more accurate head sculpt. Like the 2007's Plasma Punch photo, stock photographs by Hasbro neglect to tilt the car front fender panels.

{{comingsoontoy}}
{{-}}

[[Image:ROTF_FAB_Sand_Attack_Bumblebee.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
*'''Sand Attack Bumblebee''' (2009)

:Sand Attack Bumblebee is a redeco of Plasma Punch Bumblebee. The deco itself consists of a sand-blasted-like camouflage pattern, or alternatively, a sand-worn appearance.

{{comingsoontoy}}
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====Gravity Bots====
[[Image:ROTF GravityBot Bumblebee.jpg|right|250px|thumb|]]
*'''Bumblebee''' (2009)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''GB-02'''

{{comingsoontoy}}
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====Battle Chargers====
[[Image:ROTF Battle Chargers Bumblebee.jpg|right|150px|thumb|]]
*'''Bumblebee''' (2009)

{{comingsoontoy}}
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====Power Bots====
[[Image:ROTF PowerBots Bumblebee.jpg|right|150px|thumb|]]
*'''Bumblebee''' (2009)

{{comingsoontoy}}
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==Merchandise==
===3D Battle Card game===
*'''Bumblebee''' (3D Battle-Card, 2007)
**''Card number'': '''1'''

: Bumblebee is a 20-point "Rare" piece in the [[3D Battle-Card Game]]. Constructed of punch-out pieces from randomly packed plastic cards (two full robots per pack), he can be assembled into his car mode (model undetermined) or into a rather stumpy robot mode. One of his blaster-weapons is held in his right hand, the other can mount on either shoulder.

: He uses the same construction as [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]], [[Earth]]-mode [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]], and [[Swerve (Movie)|Swerve]].

*'''Protoform Bumblebee''' (3D Battle-Card, 2007)
**''Card number'': '''10'''

: Protoform Bumblebee is a 27-point "Uncommon" piece in the [[3D Battle-Card Game]].

: He uses the same construction as protoform [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]].

===Transformers (2007)===
*'''Transformers Gummy Candy''' (2006)

:Made by the [[Frankford Candy & Chocolate Company]] at the behest of [[Hasbro]]'s Cap Candy Company unit, this large Bumblebee-shaped [[Transformers Gummy Candy|gummy candy]] was available throughout 2006 to 2007. Also available was an [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]-shaped gummy candies.

{{-}}
[[Image:Mov-toy BeatmixBumblebee.jpg|right|150px|thumb|]]
*'''Beatmix Bumblebee''' (2007)

: ''Beatmix'' Bumblebee is a device that hooks up to a music device, similarly to an ''iDog''. Like the aforementioned product, ''Beatmix'' Bumblebee reacts to the music being played (outputted via a speaker within him). With a touch, he can also sample the owner's music tracks and replay them with sound effects from the movie. His arms are posable, but Bumblebee cannot transform.

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[[Image:Movie Bumblebee Allsparkblaster.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Well, that's original.]]
*'''Bumblebee AllSpark Blaster''' (2008)

:The Bumblebee AllSpark Blaster is one of several Movie Roleplay toys. The toy consists of a a blaster attached to Bumblebee's (hollow) hand which a child can slip their own hand inside like a glove and wield. Pulling the trigger causes the toy to emit transformation sounds, allowing the user to transform the toy weapon from laser blaster mode to plasma cannon mode, by pulling the handle on the back. Laser blaster mode features laser pulse sounds and a "laser flare beam" (lights), while the plasma cannon mode has "plasma pulse lights" and explosion sounds.

{{-}}
*'''Transformers car air freshener''' (2007)

: A faithful replica of the "Bee-Otch" air freshener dangling from Bumblebee's rear-view mirror, with cinnamon scent. It was given out by the handful at [[BotCon 2007]]. Supposedly it was also available at retail, but no reliable sightings have been reported.

{{-}}
*'''TRANSFORMERS Chess Set''' (2007)

: Two identical bronze-colored plastic statues of Bumblebee serve as the [[Chess]] set's Autobot-side knights.

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{{charstubtoys}}

====Unleashed====
[[Image:Unleashed movie bumblebee.jpg|right|150px|thumb|What are YOU lookin' at?]]
*'''Bumblebee''' (2007)

:''[[Unleashed]]'' Bumblebee is a sculpture of Bumblebee in his Camaro Concept body, in an action pose, standing atop the wrecked remains of a somewhat super-deformed car. Like most of the other products in the ''Unleashed'' line, he became a notorious [[shelfwarmer]].

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====XMODS====
[[Image:Movie Bumblebee XMODS.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Transforms from vehicle mode to modified vehicle!]]
*'''XMODS® Evolution Transformers Bumblebee''' (2007)
**''Model Number'': '''60-186'''

[[Image:Movie Bumblebee XMODS Weapons.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Bumblebee is now more battle ready than Ironhide...I think.]]
: Bumblebee, in his Camaro Concept form, is one of the first Transformers characters to be licensed by [[RadioShack]] from [[Hasbro]] and [[Dreamworks]] for their XMODS Evolution line of radio control cars. "The maximum in modification", Bumblebee is a base kit that can be upgraded with a '''Evolution Weapons and Light Kit for Bumblebee''' (''Model Number'': '''60-191'''), which adds two racks of missiles to his doors, his plasma cannon onto the hood, as well as LED red taillights and white headlights. Bumblebee is also compatible with any of the optional motor upgrades, body kits, steering and suspension upgrades, and more available for the brand.

{{-}}
====ZipZaps====
[[Image:Movie Bumblebee ZipZaps.jpg|right|150px|thumb|]]
*'''ZipZaps® Micro RC Starter Kit 1.0 Transformers® Bumblebee™''' (2007)
**''Model Number'': '''60-180'''

: Bumblebee is also one of the first Transformers characters licensed by RadioShack for their ZipZaps line of pocket-size radio control cars. As a ZipZap, Bumblebee can be customized, trimmed, and tuned with any other accessories available for the brand. He has working headlights and requires four "AAA" batteries for the charger.

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====XKites====
[[Image:Movie_XKites_Bumblebee_SkyDelta42.jpg|thumb|200px|]]
*'''SkyDelta 42 Transformers Kite''' (2007)

:[[XKites]] made several poly delta kites with stock images of ''Transformers'' characters printed on them. This model had a 42" wingspan and a fibreglass airframe, and featured an image of Bumblebee.
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====Basic Fun====
*'''Keychain''' (2007)

: Produced by [[Basic Fun]], this keychain is a likeness of Bumblebee's robot mode with articulated arms, legs, head, waist, and a keyring sticking out of his ass.

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====Transformers Movie Danglers====
[[Image:Movie Bumblebee dangler.jpg|right|173px|thumb|]]
*'''Bumblebee''' (2007)

:Released by [[Tomy Yujin]] in November 2007 <ref name="TomyYujin">[http://www.gachausa.com/products/transformers.asp Tomy Yujin ''Transformers'' page]</ref> as part of the [[Danglers Collection]], this toy is a weird plastic [[super-deformed]] version of Bumblebee that pops out his vehicle mode when you squeeze him. This little figurine has a little strap on it so that it can be put on cell phones or portable gaming devices.

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====Transformers Movie Screen Cleaners====
[[Image:Movie Bumblebee screencleaner.jpg|right|104px|thumb|]]
*'''Bumblebee''' (2008)

:Released by Tomy Yujin on January 2008<ref name="TomyYujin">[http://www.gachausa.com/products/transformers.asp Tomy Yujin ''Transformers'' page]</ref>, this dangler is a faction logo-shaped screen cleaner for your cell phone, with a stock image of Bumblebee printed on the other side.

{{-}}

===Revenge of the Fallen===
*'''Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Bubble Bath''' (2009)

: ''Revenge of the Fallen''-branded bubble bath was released on March 2009. The generic bottle features a stock image of Bumblebee.

[[Image:ROTF Bumblebee VoiceChanger.jpg|right|150px|thumb|A Voice Changer Helmet for a character who has no voice. Is this necessary?]]
*'''Bumblebee Voice Changer''' (2009)

{{comingsoontoy}}
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[[Image:ROTF Bumblebee PlasmaCannon.jpg|right|250px|thumb|]]
*'''Bumblebee Plasma Cannon''' (2009)

{{comingsoontoy}}
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====RPMs - Robot Powered Machines====
=====??? Series=====
*'''Bumblebee (1970s Camaro)''' (2009)
**''Number:''

{{comingsoontoy}}

=====Battle Series=====
*'''Bumblebee (Camaro Concept) Vs. Barricade''' (2009)
**''Number:''

{{comingsoontoy}}

=====Radio Controlled=====
*'''Bumblebee''' (2009)

{{comingsoontoy}}
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====Transformers Digital Watch====
[[Image:ROTF_Bumblebeedigitalwatch.jpg|thumb|200px|]]
*'''Bumblebee Digital Watch''' (2009)

:Made by [[Fab Starpoint]], this Bumblebee-themed digital watch has a nylon velcro strap with a rubber pull tab, a plastic case and chrome bezel, and an LCD display on the face.
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====Transformers Wacky Wobblers====
*'''Bumblebee''' (2009)

{{comingsoontoy}}
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====Basic Fun====
*'''Articulated keychain''' (2009)

: Produced by [[Basic Fun]], this keychain is a likeness of Bumblebee's robot mode with articulated arms, legs, head, waist, and a keyring sticking out of his ass.
{{comingsoontoy}}

*'''Slide Puzzle''' (2009)
{{comingsoontoy}}

*'''Mini Figural Clip-Ons''' (2009)
{{comingsoontoy}}

===Robot Heroes===
[[Image:Movie RobotHeroes BumblebeevsBarricade.jpg|right|180px|thumb|]]
*'''Bumblebee vs. Barricade''' (2007)

:The first ''Robot Heroes'' Bumblebee is based on his Camaro Concept body. It's also just about the only fiction-accurate RH pack ever made.....

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[[Image:Rhstarbee.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Bee's gonna pull it away when Screamer runs up to kick it.]]
*'''Armored Bumblebee vs. Starscream''' (2007)

:This version of ''Robot Heroes'' Bumblebee has his battle mask flipped down, posed holding the [[All Spark]] cube as if he is warding away Decepticon aggressors.

{{-}}
[[Image:RH Movie Bumblebee Starscream.jpg|right|180px|thumb|FINALLY! I have solved this accursed Rubik's Cube!]]
*'''Bumblebee vs. Starscream''' (2008)

:This version of Bumblebee is posed based upon the scene in the movie where he activates and transforms the All Spark cube.

{{-}}
*'''Bumblebee and Long Haul''' (2009)
{{charstubtoys}}
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*'''Battle for the AllSpark''' (2009)

:Packaged in a set depicting the battle in [[Mission City]] with [[Brawl (Movie)|Decepticon Brawl]], [[Ratchet (Movie)|Autobot Ratchet]], [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]], plus new figures of Sam Witwicky, [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] in fighter mode and Optimus Prime in vehicle mode, this is the first Bumblebee Robot Heroes figurine in vehicle mode.

{{comingsoontoy}}
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==Bigger toys==
*'''Chevrolet Camaro Bumblebee Edition''' (2009)

:Starting June 1, 2009, Chevrolet will begin taking orders for the Bumblebee Edition package for the 2009/2010 Chevy Camaro. The package consists of Rally Yellow exterior color with black "Bumblebee" stripes and "Transformers" badging on the wheel center caps, sill plates and embroidered console lid. The packaging is available for Camaro LT and SS models.

{{comingsoontoy}}
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==Trivia==
* A weapon considered for Bumblebee was a pair of arm-mounted electrical "stingers". The Bumblebee Camaro '09 toy's blade weapon might have been influenced by this early concept.

==References==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://www.tfu.info/2007/Autobot/Bumblebee/bumblebee.htm Bumblebee at TFU.info]
* [http://www.seibertron.com/toys/index.php?f_series=40&f_name=bumblebee&f_type=exact&Submit=Search Galleries of various different Bumblebee toys from the 2007 Movie toyline]

[[Category:Autobots]]
[[Category:Exclusives]]
[[Category:Movie characters]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:3D Battle-Cards]]
[[Category:Titanium Series]]
[[Category:Toys with sound]]

Detectas

2009-04-06T08:57:47Z

98.212.255.236: /* Timelines */

{{factions|minicon}}
:''Detectas is an [[Autobot]]-allied [[Mini-Con]] from the [[Generation 1]]/[[Beast Wars]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:DetectasGTF.jpg|right|300px|thumb|HM Government, Public Service Film No. 42 Para 6."HOW NOT TO BE SEEN"]]
'''Detectas''' boasts, "The light makes me shine!" In Japan, that also means "glow with hope."

His special cloaking ability completely hides him from most any sensor net. That he's barely visible even when his cloaking systems ''aren't'' active makes his ability to not be seen all the easier.

==Fiction==
===Timelines===
Special Investigative Officer Detectas used his impressive stealth powers to sit in on [[Cheetor (TransTech)|Cheetor]] and [[Stungun]]'s interrogation of the Autobots [[Hubcap (G1)|Hubcap]] and [[Jackpot]], who had been framed for the murder of [[Gutcruncher (G1)|Gutcruncher]]. It is not certain whether even Stungun was aware of his presence, though given the close working relationship between the two TransTech officers is seems unlikely that Stungun would have been left out of the loop. When the Autobots escaped - or were allowed to escape - Detectas was sent to covertly tail them in the hope that they would lead him to the real killer.

When the Autobots found themselves cornered in an alleyway by a pack of [[Malignus Revolutionaries]], a lucky ricochet revealed Detectas's location and sent him crashing down from the ledge he had been occupying. Detectas feebly declared that everyone was under arrest, but in his weakened state he wasn't able to do much about it. Further damage from this ricochet caused an electrified sign to crash down into the alleyway, giving the Autobots the opening they needed to escape with Detectas in tow. Once they were clear, Detectas explained his assignment to the Autobots. Detectas disappeared, apparently too damaged to continue his investigation. {{storylink|Gone Too Far|Gone Too Far}}

==Toys==
[[Image:Detectas-toy.jpg|right|175px|thumb|It's the storm we all have to endure.]]
===Generation 1===
*'''Detectus''' (Micron Booster, 2007)
**''Booster ID number'': '''10'''

: Detectas is a clear-plastic [[redeco]] of the ''[[Classics (2006)|Classics]]'' Mini-Con [[Strongarm (Classics)|Strongarm]], transforming into a police car based on a 2006 Dodge Charger (but with the proportions messed up). He was only available in the fifth "[[Micron Booster]]" assortment in Japan, where each figure came in its own blind-packed, individual box. Detectus was one of two "chase" figures in the set; each case of twelve Mini-Cons contained one of either [[Chromebite]] or Detectus, but never both.

: This mold was also used to make [[Radrogue]], ''[[Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' [[Strongarm (Cybertron)|Strongarm]], and [[Flatfoot]].

==Trivia==
* Detectas's name did not appear on any promotional materials for this assortment, where he was simply called "Radrogue clear version". However, the actual packaging for the toys supplies his name, establishing him as a separate character.

* The Micron Booster Ver.4 assortment uses the "classic" Japanese ''Transformers'' logo, ostensibly placing the characters within the Generation 1 continuity family. However, this set also gives [[Maximal]] and Predacon sigils to the beast-form Mini-Cons. It would appear then that these characters are from a "transitional" period from Generation 1 to the [[Beast Era]]... though chances are [[TakaraTomy]] didn't put even that much thought into it. Toys is toys.

* Detectas' mold is (currently) the only Mini-Con mold with [[Powerlinx]] sockets that are accessible only in robot mode by design: the sockets on the outside of his lower legs, which end up folded against his thighs ''inside'' his car mode. However, he still has other sockets that remain accessible in both modes.

[[Category:Autobots]]
[[Category:Beast Wars characters]]
[[Category:Generation 1 characters]]
[[Category:Japanese-original characters]]
[[Category:Micron Boosters]]
[[Category:Mini-Cons]]
[[Category:Timelines characters]]