Battlefield Headquarters

2017-04-30T19:44:53Z

GreyFlame: /* Transformers Comic-Magazin */

{{factions|autobot}}
{{picsneeded|Toy}}

:''The Battlefield Headquarters is an [[Autobot]] [[Micromaster]] vehicle from the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[File:Battlefieldheadquarters-packageart.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|So many trucker jokes, so little caption space...]]
The mighty '''Battlefield Headquarters''' dominates the field of combat. Under the command of [[Full-Barrel]] and [[Overflow]], this Transformer-scaled rig splits and transforms into two space-worthy fighter craft, each armed with multiple lasers and rockets. These two crafts can also combine into an orbital space station.

==Fiction==
===''Transformers Comic-Magazine''===
When the Decepticons attempted to take control of a submarine transporting plutonium rods, the Micromaster Battlefield Headquarters was one of the Autobots assets transported to the scene using a cargo ship. {{storylink|Transformers Comic-Magazin issue 13|The Energon Trap}}

==Toys==
* '''Battlefield Headquarters''' (Micromaster Combiner Autobot Headquarters, 1990)
**''Accessories:'' "Battle truck", 2 "scrambler guns", 2 "laser machine guns", 2 "air-to-air missiles", 2 "cruise missiles"

: The Battlefield Headquarters was sold boxed and came with [[Overflow]] and [[Full-Barrel]]. In its tractor-trailer mode, it is heavily armed, with four "missiles" and four "guns". Both Micromasters can ride in its cab, and a rear loading ramp folds down to reveal cargo space for more [[alternate mode|vehicle mode]] Micromasters. The truck splits and converts to an "attack jet" and a "space shuttle"; both components then recombine into a single "battlefield headquarters" mode, which is essentially the jet stacked on top of the shuttle. The shuttle can also hold several Micromasters in its cargo bay.

:Unlike every single other Micromaster base, the Battlefield Headquarters has nowhere to connect Micromaster ramps to it. Strangely enough, it's also the only base not to come with any ramps. Okay, it's not really that strange in that context. I was being sarcastic.

::*''[http://tfu.info/1990/Autobot/Full-Barrel/full-barrel.htm More information on Full-Barrel at TFU.info]''
::*''[http://tfu.info/1990/Autobot/Overflow/overflow.htm More information on Overflow at TFU.info]''

==Notes==
* The two Micromasters that come with the Battlefield Headquarters transform and combine into a miniature tractor-trailer that is heavily based on the larger vehicle that they drive.

===Foreign names===
*''Italian:'' '''Super Camion Fortezza'''

[[Category:Autobot bases]]
[[Category:Micromaster vehicles]]
[[Category:Generation 1 locations]]

Sparkstalker

2017-04-30T19:41:02Z

GreyFlame: /* IDW Generation 1 continuity */

{{factions|decepticon|decepticong2}}
:''Sparkstalker is a [[Decepticon]] [[Firecon]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:Sparkstalker cardart.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|First Decepticon casualty of the Battle of Klo. Killed by his own subordinate. How embarrassing.]]
'''Sparkstalker''' is an example of bad allotment of resources. He is a brilliant cryptologist, a criminal mastermind capable of hacking Autobot datatracs and disabling the firewalls around their secure files or coded transmissions with incredible skill and secrecy, uncovering entire battle-plans without Autobot high command even knowing they've been uncovered. Decepticon military intelligence would raise several levels of efficiency if they employed him full-time. Instead, Sparkstalker has been made a Firecon, teamed with pyromaniacs and military dropouts like [[Cindersaur (G1)|Cindersaur]] and [[Flamefeather (G1)|Flamefeather]], who require constant supervision so that they don't burn down the Decepticons' own fortifications. Sparkstalker spends most of his time physically grabbing his partners by the head and aiming their fire breath towards the Autobots, or at least away from their fellow Decepticons. It's a gruelling job, and one he's hardly suited for.

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics====
{{noteukonly}}
[[File:Firecons.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1|He's got a future in hentai.]]
''Sparkstalker and his fellow Firecons were based on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] for "homeland detail" for most of the war prior to [[Unicron]]'s arrival. They were given their first mission to [[Earth]] when the Cybertronian Decepticons were interested in forming an alliance with [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]], the lone super-powerful Decepticon [[Time travel|from the future]]. En-route to meeting Galvatron, the envoys encountered the Autobots [[Fizzle]], [[Guzzle (G1)|Guzzle]], and [[Sizzle (G1)|Sizzle]] on a Florida beach and proceeded to torch the three of them with their fiery breaths. They held the upper hand for quite some time, until their opponents finally managed to fight back; Sparkstalker got a taste of his own medicine when Sizzle unleashed his own flaming torrent onto him from his vehicle mode's exhaust port. The fight ended when Galvatron came upon it, and he rejected the Decepticon envoys' proposal for an alliance outright.'' {{storylink|Enemy Action!}} ''Later on, the Firecons worked together with an [[alien]] named [[Zabra]] to run an illegal gladiatorial arena in [[Tyrest (polity)|Tyrest]] out of the old [[Jekka Amphitheatre]]. Their chances at profit came to a close, however, when the operation was discovered by [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ultra Magnus]] and the [[Sparkabot|Sparkler Mini-Bots]].'' {{storylink|Deadly Games!}}

[[File:CashandCarnage-Firecons.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Sparkstalker is the not-dumb one on the right.]]
The Firecons worked at a detention facility, where their old nemeses the Sparkabots were being held as prisoners. Reluctantly, Sparkstalker and his pals agreed to set free [[Fizzle]], [[Sizzle (G1)|Sizzle]] and their [[Triggerbot]] friend [[Backstreet (G1)|Backstreet]] as part of a test run for [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]'s new [[Roadjammers]] project. That didn't mean they didn't take the chance to rough up the Autobots a little bit before letting them go, though. {{storylink|Ca$h and Car-nage!}}

''[[Decepticon High Command]] decreed that the [[Transformers Annual 1989]] was anti-Decepticon propaganda and sent the Firecons to Earth to incinerate every copy not protected by the Autobots.'' {{storylink|Transformers Annual 1989}}

''When a trio of Decepticons were sucked dry of [[energon]], the remaining 'Cons naturally blamed the Autobots. Sparkstalker and Cindersaur went looking for trouble alongside [[Ruckus (G1)|Ruckus]] and [[Windsweeper]], and found the [[Pretender]]s [[Jazz (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Jazz]], [[Bumblebee (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Bumblebee]], and [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]].'' {{storylink|Demons!}} ''The fight quickly ended, however, when Bumblebee drew everyone's attention to the real culprits... giant mechanical [[demon]]s from deep within Cybertron's core! The Autobots and Decepticons joined forces against the creatures until [[Emirate]] [[Xaaron]] arrived and blasted the demons with pure energon, returning them to the stuff of legend.'' {{storylink|Dawn of Darkness}}

After the defeat of the Planet-Eater, the Firecons came under [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]]'s command, and left Cybertron to bring devastation to the planet [[Klo]]. Unfortunately for Sparkstalker, his luck finally ran out and he was incinerated by his crazed partner Cindersaur during a mission of destruction on that planet. {{storylink|The Last Autobot?}}

====''Transformers Comic-Magazin''====
The Decepticons stole nuclear missiles and planned to use them to extort oil from the world powers. The Firecons guarded the Decepticon base where the missiles were set to launch, prompting the Autobots to call in the Classic Pretenders to defeat them. {{storylink|Transformers Comic-Magazin issue 8|Transformers in Action: Megatron's Ultimatum}}

====Fleetway ''Generation 2'' comic====
[[File:War Without End movie theatre.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1]]
Sparkstalker re-appeared along with Flamefeather under the command of Bludgeon. First attacking a [[London|human city]] to draw out [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]], the two Firecons took the amusing target of a movie theatre playing ''[[Jurassic Park]]''. {{storylink|War Without End (issue)|War Without End}} Later, they attacked [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] when he entered the fray to wrest command from Bludgeon. Sparkstalker then got promptly roasted after attacking the Dinobot [[Slag (G1)|Slag]]—"If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen!" {{storylink|War Zone}}
{{-}}

====''Regeneration One''====
{{noterg1}}
[[File:Neo-decepticons counterpoint.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1]]
Twenty-one years after being incinerated on Klo, Sparkstalker was sufficiently recovered to be present when [[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] was recruiting for the "Neo-Decepticon" insurgency at [[Fort Scyk]]. He later participated in the attack on the [[Kalis]] [[Baird Beaming Transmitter]], burning a way into the facility for the other Decepticons to follow, that led to the destruction of the [[Last Autobot]]. {{storylink|Counterpoint}} He was still with the Neo-Decepticons when the resurrected [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] commandeered them to create a giant version of the [[Gene Key]] in the [[Sonic Canyons]]. Sparkstalker was defending the Civil Defense Hub when the remaining free Autobots sieged and took control of it. {{storylink|Natural Selection, Part Five}}
{{-}}

===''Wings Universe''===
Sparkstalker and the Firecons were among the first generation Decepticons sent back to Earth by [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] to join up with [[Clench (G1)|Clench]]'s second-generation [[Decepticon Syndicate]]. The Syndicate captured the [[Large Hadron Collider]] facility, where Clench and [[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]] manipulated [[forestonite]] into a substance capable of upgrading Transformers and giving them special abilities. The Firecons were exposed to the forestone, causing Sparkstalker to turn bright red and purple and probably become stronger, but the Decepticons were eventually defeated and driven off by the Autobots anyway. {{storylink|Generation 2: Redux}}

Clench presented the three Firecons to [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] as a "bonus incentive". {{storylink|A Flash Forward, Part 2}} When some captive Autobots freed themselves, the trio attacked them, only to be blasted by a tornado from [[Windbreaker]]. {{storylink|A Flash Forward, Part 5}} {{storylink|A Flash Forward, Part 6}}

===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
Sparkstalker became a Decepticon out of a desire to destroy the social hierarchy. {{storylink|The Possible Light}}

During the war, the Firecons torched an outpost on [[Varas Extrinsecus]], attracting the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] and the [[Wrecker]]s who followed them to [[Varas Centralus]]. {{Storylink|The Killing Jar (issue)|The Killing Jar}} During the great battle that followed, numerous war crimes were committed. The Firecons burned the planet's atmosphere while other Decepticons reverse-engineered their abilities to create nasty [[infernus bullet]]s. Sparkstalker and his team had a lasting rep for this.{{storylink|Quest for Fire}} {{storylink|Forever Is a Long Time Coming (issue)|Forever Is a Long Time Coming}}

[[File:CityOfSteel-Sparkstalker.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6]]
Once the war was over, the Firecons came to live in a Decepticon ghetto on Cybertron, where they took offense to the presence of [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] and joined an angry lynch mob that attacked him. {{storylink|City of Steel (issue)|City of Steel}}Optimus had to be airlifted to safety.{{storylink|Fight or Flee (issue)|Fight or Flee}} When [[Gutcruncher (G1)|Gutcruncher]]'s bar was burned down shortly afterwards, Sparkstalker suspected—and feared—an act of Autobot reprisal for their actions. Their hideout was then attacked by [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]] and the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], suspecting their involvement in recent murders making use of infernus bullets, and in spite of Sparkstalker's pleas that there'd been a misunderstanding, Sandstorm blasted his legs off and prepared to execute him. The vengeful Autobot was talked down by Optimus Prime, {{storylink|Quest for Fire}} after which the Firecons were taken into custody and proven innocent—after all, they didn't ''need'' infernus bullets to kill people with fire. {{storylink|The Killing Jar (issue)|The Killing Jar}} The actual killer turned out to be Sandstorm, who was disgusted anyone would ''care'' that he tried to kill such blood-stained monsters as the Firecons. {{storylink|Forever Is a Long Time Coming (issue)|Forever Is a Long Time Coming}}

When Cybertron had a disastrous first contact with the lost colony of [[Caminus]], Sparkstalker was one of the former Decepticons who went over to help. On [[Circuit (G1)|camera]], he grumped that after all his efforts Cybertron had just ended up with a ''new'' social hierarchy, one powered up with a [[space bridge]] and [[Superion (G1)|a combiner]]. His cynicism was interrupted when he found the Camiens being ''nice'' to him and glad he had shown up. {{storylink|The Possible Light}} He helped [[Lightbright (G1)|Lightbright]] clear rubble to rescue people (while dissing her for trying to lift on her own).

It all ended in tears when [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]], [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl's]] pet combiner, demanded every Cybertronian must leave Caminus or be destroyed. Sparkstalker [[Han Solo|shot first]] rather than allow an Autobot to push him around again. The resulting battle went poorly but battle damage caused by Superion allowed Sparkstalker, as part of [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]]'s squad, to have a second go by shooting into his wounds. {{storylink|Mistakes and Mayhem}} After the fight was over and Starscream took all credit and political capital, Sparkstalker muttered that the High Chancellor was "prancing around like the king of the universe". {{storylink|You, Me, and the Universe}}

[[File:tf44 sparkstalker on camiens.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]]
At the end of the Combiner Wars, Sparkstalker stood with Lightbright and the other Camiens against an attack by [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]]. {{storylink|All That Remains}} When a group of Camiens were proselytizing in the Decepticon ghetto, Sparkstalker defended their [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] worship since they had treated Decepticons well. This opinion earned him the ire of [[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]], who accused him of having low standards. {{storylink|The Transgressors}}

[[File:ChooseMe-engagement.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6]]
Sparkstalker and Lightbright developed a close relationship, hanging out and flirting with each other at [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]] during a party. ''D'aww.'' {{storylink|Windblade vol. 2 issue 4|Windblade vol. 2 #4}} He later asked [[Lightbright (G1)|Lightbright]] to be his Conjunx Endura. She agreed! {{storylink|Choose Me}}

When Galvatron called upon the Decepticons on Cybertron to retake their rightful place as conquerors, Sparkstalker was among those who stood ready. {{storylink|Conquerors Part 1: Aphelion|Aphelion}} He and a small army of Decepticons stormed [[Iacon Spaceport 1]] and captured the space bridge, allowing them to travel to the ''[[Ark-7]]'' and begin an onslaught against the ship's crew. {{storylink|Conquerors Part 2: Lagrange|Lagrange}}

Sparkstalker joined a furious mass of Transformers on a march to the capital building, all of them pushed to breaking point by a Badgeless killing a Decepticon. Once there, Ironhide emerged to tell them he'd been put in charge of reforming the Badgeless and he was opening the ranks to anyone who wished to help. Sparkstalker, respecting Ironhide from their time on Caminus, stepped forward. {{storylink|Applicable Skills}}

{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message|The Medium and the Message}} {{storylink|Things We Said We'd Never Do}} {{storylink|The Line Between Us}} {{storylink|Ping}} {{storylink|Desperate Times}}}}
{{-}}

==Commercial appearances==
The Firecons battled the [[Sparkabot]]s in the middle of a Cybertronian city, with Sparkstalker taking on [[Guzzle (G1)|Guzzle]]. {{storylink|Commercial/Generation 1#Seacons|Seacons / Sparkabots / Firecons commercial}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
[[File:G1-toy Sparkstalker.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Good night, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are!]]
*'''Sparkstalker''' (Firecon, [[1988]])

:Sparkstalker transforms from a robot to a bipedal insectoid monster thing, much resembling a chibi Gigan from ''[[Godzilla]]''. In this mode, his rear limbs can be swung up, allowing him to be rolled forward on the rubber gear-wheel on his belly. This activates the [[Firecon]] team's gimmick, shooting "cold" sparks from their [[beast mode]] mouths.

:This mold was also used to make [[Javil]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1988/Decepticon/Sparkstalker/sparkstalker.htm More information on Sparkstalker at TFU.info]''
::*''[http://www.botchthecrab.com/archive/instructions/decepticon/1988/instr_sparkstalker.jpg Instructions for Sparkstalker at Botchthecrab.com]''
{{-}}

===''Generation 2''===
[[File:G2-toy Sparkstalker.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Stop da music! Ha-cha-cha-cha!]]
*'''Sparkstalker''' (Sparkabot, [[1994]])

:Sparkstaker was [[redeco]]ed for the [[Europe]]an market [[Transformers: Generation 2 (toyline)|''Generation 2'' toyline]] along with his fellow Firecon [[Flamefeather (G1)|Flamefeather]], though now both were branded as "Sparkabots". He retained his cold-sparking gimmick. As with all the G2 Sparkabots, the translucent plastic is particularly prone to breaking.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1994/Decepticon/Sparkstalker/sparkstalker.htm More information on Generation 2 Sparkstalker at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

==Notes==
*All of the [[Sparkabot]]/Firecon molds have indentations on their beast mode legs seemingly meant for a [[rubsign]]. But both [[Hasbro]] and [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] stopped using rubsigns after 1987, so the spaces are "filled" with normal faction sigil decals.

[[Category:Generation 1 Decepticons]]
[[Category:Generation 2 Decepticons]]
[[Category:IDW Generation 1 Decepticons]]
[[Category:Regeneration One Decepticons]]
[[Category:Saboteurs]]
[[Category:Wings Universe Decepticons]]

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Battlefield Headquarters

Sparkstalker