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Thrust (G1)

2021-06-16T13:31:15Z

Zhiangseanwang: /* The Transformers cartoon */ The guy is clearly Dirge, not Ramjet

{{factions|decepticon|mercenary}}
{{disambig3|Thrust}}
{{suite}}
:''Thrust is a [[Decepticon]] or [[Mercenary]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:TFU Thrust.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|He wants you to think he has Dirge's powers, but he only has a crummier version of Thundercracker's.]]
'''Thrust''' wants you to know he's coming. The other Decepticons have learned there's no being sneaky when he's around. He's a loud-mouthed braggart who will claim victory before he's even taken the field. He tries to terrify and demoralize the enemy with loud rumbling roars from his engines and boasts from his vocal circuits. The truth is that Thrust is mostly bluster with little to back it up. Any sort of strong resistance can send him flying back the way he came.

{{quote|You pile of reject parts!|[[Chip Chase]] accurately sums up Thrust's worth|"[[Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2]]"}}

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
{{voiceactor|[[Ed Gilbert]] (English), [[Yū Shimaka|Yutaka Shimaka]] (Japanese)|[[Masashi Ebara]] (Japanese, "Dinobot Island, Part 2"), [[Toshio Ishii]] (Japanese, "Auto Berserk" & "Ghost in the Machine"), [[Ken Shiroyama]] (Japanese, "The Movie"), [[Yoku Shioya]] (Japanese, "Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5"), [[Chen Weiqun]] (Chinese'), [[Hans-Rainer Müller]] (German, "The Girl Who Loved Powerglide", "Hoist Goes Hollywood" & "Ghost in the Machine"), [[Christoph Jablonka]] (German, ''Generation 2'', "Dinobot Island, Part 2"), [[Willy Schäfer]] (German, ''Generation 2'', "The Golden Lagoon"), [[Tonio von der Meden]] (German, ''Generation 2'', "Auto Berserk" & "Kremzeek!"), [[Ulf-Jürgen Wagner]] (German, ''Generation 2'', "Triple Takeover"), [[Niko Macoulis]] (German, ''Generation 2'', "Starscream's Brigade"), [[Jacques Ferrière]] (European French), [[Georges Atlas]] (European French, "The God Gambit", "Quest for Survival", "Kremzeek!" & "Triple Takeover"), [[François Leccia]] (European French, "Auto Berserk"), [[Albert Augier]] (European French, "Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1 - 2"), [[Thierry Kazazian]] (European French, "Child's Play"), [[Carlos Seidl]] (Portuguese), [[Luiz Feier Motta]] (Portuguese, "Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1"), [[Dario de Castro]] (Portuguese, "Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2" & "Quest for Survival"), [[Marcos Miranda]] (Portuguese, "The Golden Lagoon" & "The God Gambit"), [[Mário Jorge Andrade]] (Portuguese, "Triple Takeover"), [[Ionei Silva]] (Portuguese, "Hoist Goes Hollywood")}}

[[File:DinobotIsland2 Ramjet Thrust with cubes.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb]]
When the mighty Autobot [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] relocated to the time-displaced prehistoric [[Dinobot Island (G1)|Dinobot Island]], Thrust was one of several Decepticon warriors who accompanied [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] to the island in the hopes of exploiting the land's vast energy resources. After the Dinobots made their presence known, Thrust stood by to guard the [[energon cube]]s while Megatron conspired to eliminate their adversaries. {{storylink|Dinobot Island, Part 1}} Thrust, along with the others, were able to hold off the arriving Autobots who were trying to save the isle. However, when the Dinobots later convinced the native [[Dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaurs]] to attack the Decepticons, Thrust and Ramjet were trampled in a stampede. Ouchies. {{storylink|Dinobot Island, Part 2}}

Thrust participated in an attack on the Autobots as they transported the [[Negavator]] to their headquarters. They was disoriented by [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] and crashed. Later, he helped back Megatron up when the Decepticons confronted [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] and a mentally impaired [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] at the Autobot bunker for control of the Negavator. However, Red Alert had set the Negavator to self-destruct, sending all of the Decepticons into retreat. {{storylink|Auto Berserk}}

Thrust went with Dirge, Ramjet, and Starscream to raid [[Shawn Berger| Shawn Berger's]] new solar tower only to discover the whole thing was a setup by the wealthy industrialist to destroy Decepticons and gain good publicity. Starscream was able to easily defeat Berger's artillery, but Thrust had to rescue him from the arriving Autobots. Thrust participated in some staged videos that made it appear that the Autobots were really the ones stealing energy, and the Decepticons were the ones trying to stop them. He also went with the rest of Megatron's forces to watch the subsequent Autobot trial. {{storylink|Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1}}

[[File:MMP2 Thrust at HQ.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Thrust in his "About to Crush a [[Chip Chase|Kid in a Wheelchair]]" pose.]]
Not too long after banishing the Autobots and being embraced by the humans, Megatron revealed his true colors, and had Thrust, Ramjet, and Dirge attack [[Central City (Earth)|Central City]] as a show of power. He later worked at the local power plant once the city's populace was enslaved there. Thrust was tasked with capturing the escaped human slave [[Chip Chase]]. Thrust chased Chip into the Autobot base and seemingly prevented him from saving the Autobots from a collision course into the sun by destroying [[Teletraan I]], but actually unwittingly saved his enemies by shutting off the autopilot that was navigating their doomed ship. Thrust returned the human to the power plant, and helped fight off a fleet of human piloted jets attempting to rescue the city. He was less successful when the Autobots returned to liberate the town. All the Decepticons were outnumbered, defeated, and had to evacuate. {{storylink|Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2}}

Thrust and [[Thundercracker (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Thundercracker]] were spotted entering a secret Decepticon hideout by Spike and Bumblebee at the airport. Thrust, along with the others, were seemingly bested by the Dinobots who were sent in to clean up the place, but a surprise explosion from Megatron turned the tide. Later, Thrust, along with the rest of the Decepticons began to malfunction due to a deterioration of the element [[Cybertonium]] in their bodies. After a subsequent fight with the Autobots turned into a mess for everyone involved, Thrust was out of commission until more Cybertonium could be shipped from Cybertron. {{storylink|Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1}}

[[File:ThrustJetGoldenLagoon.JPG|upright=1.1|left|thumb|[[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] had enough problems vying for screentime without Thrust stealing his look.]]
During an attack on several Autobots, Thrust discovered a secret supply of the element [[electrum]], which made him invincible, and allowed him to capture [[Perceptor (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Perceptor]] and [[Seaspray (G1)|Seaspray]]. Unlike virtually every other Decepticon in existence, Thrust seemed to possess no dreams of personal power. He ran right to Megatron and informed him of the pool instead of using it for his own gain.

{{quote|Thrust, my man, you are about to become number-one Decepticon.|Thrust wants a gold medal|"[[The Golden Lagoon (episode)|The Golden Lagoon]]"}}

Protected by the electrum, Thrust partook in several successful assaults on the Autobot forces, even knocking down [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]. This good fortune didn't last. Despite repeated dips in the electrum pool, the substance eventually wore off, leaving Thrust and the other Decepticons vulnerable. In retaliation, they destroyed the pool itself so that no one could benefit from it. {{storylink|The Golden Lagoon (episode)|The Golden Lagoon}}

[[File:God Gambit Fire God lair.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb]]
Thrust's cowardice was legendary among the Decepticons, and they frequently had to put him in his place whenever his bluster became too unbearable. He was particularly insipid on one occasion when he, Starscream and [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] came to [[Saturn]]'s moon of [[Titan (moon)|Titan]] hunting the Autobot [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]]. When Astrotrain took advantage of the superstitious [[Titan (species)|locals]] to force them into serving him as "greatest of the [[Sky God]]s", Thrust quickly fell into the role of lackey instead of challenging Astrotrain like Starscream did. Later, when the Autobots [[Jazz (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Jazz]] and Perceptor arrived and engaged the two [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]], Thrust was quick to flee rather than face even odds in battle. Finally, when the Autobots' transport Omega Supreme was repaired, Thrust voiced the Decepticons' slim chances at survival and they beat a hasty retreat. Not an unreasonable course of action, really—it seems a coward is a useful point of view to consult during warfare. {{storylink|The God Gambit}}

[[File:ThrustBaseballChild'sPlay.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|"Just call me "Shoeless Joe"".]]
Thrust was with the Decepticons when they set up a [[space bridge]] in a baseball stadium and subsequently decided to torment the humans who were gathered there. Thrust, in particular, shot baseballs at people from his arm cannon and knocked down the scoreboard. After the Autobots arrived and the expected melee broke out, Thrust was knocked inside the spacebridge along with some other Autobots and Decepticons and accidentally sent to the planet [[Brobdingnag]]. There, they were tiny compared to the planet’s inhabitants and were treated not unlike toys by the alien boy, [[Aron]]. Thrust tried to save [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] from Aron’s cat, [[Nitro]], but was swatted into a fish tank where he was attacked by a pet fish, and later tied to a simple string when he tried to fly away. When Aron’s parents discovered the tiny Transformers, they handed them over to scientists. Thrust and the other Decepticons were strapped down for dissection but were able to escape thanks to [[Ravage (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ravage]]. Although an assault on the Autobots in the sewers proved unsuccessful, the Decepticons were later able to fly back to Aron's room and commandeer the Autobots' use of Aron's telescope to return to Earth. Unfortunately they landed right in a lake and were attacked by alligators. {{storylink|Child's Play (episode)|Child's Play}}

Of course, Thrust also isn't much of a people person either. Megatron once gave him the simple task of explaining to the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]] that the Autobots had acquired some [[robotic insecticide]] to use against them, and that they were to stay clear of the battle until Megatron could destroy the weapon. Megatron actually planned to hoard the insecticide as a failsafe for himself, naturally, but he didn't tell Thrust that. The [[Conehead]]'s delivery of the message lacked the slightest trace of sincerity, resulting in the two sides lobbing insults and shots at each other, and the Insecticons flew off that very instant to intercept the Decepticons. A future in politics, Thrust does not have. {{storylink|Quest for Survival}}

Thrust displayed a rare instance of mass shifting when he taxied Megatron to [[Ark (G1)|Autobot Headquarters]], to deposit Megatron's newest creation, [[Kremzeek]]. {{storylink|Kremzeek!}}

[[File:TripleTakeover-ThrustAndAstrotrain.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb]]
Thrust accompanied Thundercracker, [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]], and [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] to watch Astrotrain's attempt at using an army of trains to harvest energy. Thrust wasn't too impressed, especially after the trains burst a water main and flooded the city. Later, he and the other seekers flew to a football stadium [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] had taken over to place bets on which of the potential combatants would win an ongoing fight for Decepticon leadership. {{storylink|Triple Takeover}}

[[File:AstoriaConeheadsGWLP.JPG|upright=1.1|left|thumb]]
Thrust, Ramjet, and Dirge were charged with kidnapping [[Astoria Carlton-Ritz]], the CEO of [[Hybrid Technologies]]. However, [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] intervened and was able to outmaneuver the Coneheads through the city, saving Astoria. The Coneheads convinced Megatron to give them a second chance and this time were successful. After chasing Powerglide from an amusement park to the desert, they were able to get the better of him and make off with Astoria. {{storylink|The Girl Who Loved Powerglide}}

When Dirge crash landed in a studio backlot of [[Major Pictures]] with a [[Wheeljack's unnamed invention|potentially powerful weapon]] stolen from [[Wheeljack (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Wheeljack]] [[Wheeljack's workshop|workshop]], Thrust, Ramjet, and Astrotrain were sent to retrieve him. While they picked up their fallen comrade, they were captured on film by a [[Attack of the Alien Robots director|Director]] and his film crew. Not surprisingly, Thrust didn't mention the screw up, and it wasn't until Astrotrain brought it up, that Megatron ordered everyone back to the studio. To his credit, Thrust showed some signs of bravery when it came to activating the mysterious device though all it did was sputter and conk out. At one point, he thought he had [[Spike Witwicky (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Spike]] and [[Carly]] in his clutches when they were spotted escaping in a motorboat but it turned out to be just studio prop dummies. Thankfully, Megatron wasn't as abusive to him as he was to Starscream that day. {{storylink|Hoist Goes Hollywood (episode)|Hoist Goes Hollywood}}

Thrust partook in the raid on the Autobot convoy carrying experimental [[Superfuel]]. The Autobots held the advantage on the highway, and the jets all crashed into the mountainside as the Autobots raced through the tunnels. Ramjet was especially damaged and Thrust and Dirge descended to his aid, forcing Megatron to try to highjack the superfuel himself.{{storylink|The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1}}

[[File:StarscreamsBrigade Soundwave eyes.JPG|upright=1.1|thumb]]
Thrust was present when Starscream wound up in yet another of his heated arguments with Megatron and shot the Decepticon leader in the back. This was hardly enough to keep Megatron down, and when Starscream ordered "his" troops to destroy Megatron, Thrust, nor anyone else, took him seriously. After several personality components were stolen from the [[Decepticon Detention Center]] Thrust was one of the troops attacking Autobots base in retaliation. They left once Megatron concluded it wasn't the Autobots who were responsible for the theft. Along with the other Decepticons, Thrust faced Starscream and his new team, the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]] in the subway, but unlike Dirge and Ramjet, he was able to escape capture. {{storylink|Starscream's Brigade}}

[[File:TFTMThrustKnockedAside.JPG|upright=1.1|thumb|left|"Wendy, I can fly!"]]
Thrust fought in the [[Battle of Autobot City|Decepticons' attack]] on [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]] in [[2005]], and had the distinction of being the first Decepticon to be plowed by [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]. Thrust was seen carrying the heavily-injured [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] as the Decepticons fled the battle aboard [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], though when the time came for the Decepticons to toss their injured comrades into space in order to save themselves, Thrust showed no further regard for them. He was one of Starscream's aids at his coronation, jumping away just in time as Starscream was reduced to ashes by newly arrived leader [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]. Thrust was later part of the Decepticon armada defending Cybertron against [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]]'s onslaught. He, Ramjet and Dirge flew into the chaos bringer's mouth, which closed on and destroyed the trio. Ouch. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
{{note|Thrust’s involvement in these events, or events mostly similar, were also chronicled in the comic mini-series "[[Transformers: The Animated Movie]]" and the storybook "[[Transformers the Movie (Ladybird adaptation)|Transformers the Movie]]."}}

Except they survived.

Thrust continued to serve in the Decepticon air force after they were banished to [[Chaar]]. He was one of the Decepticons that unsuccessfully tried to stop [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] and [[Blurr (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Blurr]] from reaching [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] with the [[transformation cog]]. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5}} He was part of Galvatron's search party after [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Rodimus Prime]] and his crew had escaped a Decepticon attack. {{storylink|Dark Awakening (episode)|Dark Awakening}}

Thrust and the other Coneheads accompanied Galvatron to [[Socialist Democratic Federated Republic of Carbombya|Carbombya]] to confront [[Octane]] about his theft of [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]], though he apparently left once Galvatron personally took control of the republic. {{storylink|Thief in the Night}}

[[File:GhostMachine Decepticon execution.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb]]
Along with Dirge and the [[Battlecharger]]s, he made an unsuccessful attempt to stop Starscream's ghost (working for Unicron) from stealing one of Trypticon's eyes and kidnapping Astrotrain, naturally bringing about Galvatron's ire. Along with those other three, Thrust had the good fortune to be inside Trypticon when Starscream later possessed the citybot under Unicron's orders. He smashed Trypticon's interior controls, rendering him useless and throwing a wrench in Unicron's plans to make Cybertron his new body. {{storylink|Ghost in the Machine (G1)|Ghost in the Machine}}
{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1}} {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3}}}}

====Japanese cartoon continuity====
=====''Legends'' comic=====
Following [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]'s first defeat at the hands of Metroplex, Thrust and Dirge recovered [[Full-Tilt (G1)|Full-Tilt]] from the wreckage. {{storylink|LG-43 Trypticon Project Chapter}} While participating in an attack on the Ark to steal the [[Transform Super Cog]], he was taken aback by [[Triggerhappy (G1)|Triggerhappy]]'s strategy of firing randomly in all directions. {{storylink|Slugslinger's Ambition}}

=====''The Battle of the Star Gate''=====
Thrust helped Megatron and Starscream fight off a squad of Autobots who had stumbled upon the Decepticons’ latest Energon-gathering scheme. After being shook-up somewhat when Megatron ordered Rumble and Frenzy to create an artificial earthquake, Thrust was ordered to give Astrotrain cover as he retreated with the Decepticons’ supply of Energon. {{storylink|Activation}}

A duplicate of Starscream then showed up and swiped the entirety of the Energon cache, before disappearing with the other Starscream. Thrust was later amongst the Decepticons Megatron brought to the ''[[Trigger]]'' to confront the two Starscreams conspiring against the Decepticon leader. When Starscream combined himself with the ''Trigger'' to create a powerful new body for himself, Thrust had to contend with the volley of asteroids thrown towards both Autobots and Decepticons from Starscream's star gate. He was then almost sucked into a portal to a black hole when Starscream neared defeat, but was instead sent plummeting down to Earth when Optimus and Megatron worked together to defeat Starscream. {{storylink|The Battle of the Star Gate}}

=====''The Headmasters'' cartoon=====
[[File:Hm15 Thrust Blown Away.jpg|left|200px|thumb]]
Thrust and Dirge stood guard outside the Decepticon headquarters on Earth when [[Blaster (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Twincast]] was ordered to infiltrate it. The two Seekers got into a firefight with the Autobot and his [[Mini-Cassette]]s, and were too distracted to notice [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] sneaking past them and into the base. {{storylink|Explosion on Mars!! MegaZarak Appears}}
{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Four Warriors Come out of the Sky}}}}

====Ask Vector Prime====
In a universe where the Decepticons were at war with the [[Guardian (GoBots)|Guardian]]s, Thrust participated in the attack on [[Autobot City (G1)|Guardian City]] and killed [[gbwiki:Wrong Way|Wrong Way]]. When [[Leader-1 (GoBots)|Leader-1]] arrived, he shot down Thrust. {{storylink|Echoes and Fragments}}

====''Deviations''====
In an alternate universe where Megatron died at Autobot City, Thrust was one of the many Decepticons who were forced to retreat aboard Astrotrain.
Back on Cybertron, Thrust was present to witness Starscream's coronation. The ceremony was interrupted by Unicron, who chose to reformat Starscream into his new servant "Megascream." As part of Starscream's bargain, Thrust was one of the warriors who received enhancements.

During Unicron's final attack on Cybertron, Thrust accompanied Megascream when the Decepticon leader attacked Optimus, and merged with Megascream to form a massive combiner. Thrust was presumably killed when Hot Rod opened the Matrix shortly afterwards. {{storylink|Transformers: Deviations|Deviations}}

===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics====
{{noteukonly}}
[[File:Coneheads aerialbots over america.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1]]
Thrust served Lord [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]] on Cybertron, operating out of the massive tower [[Darkmount (Cybertron)|Darkmount]] in [[Polyhex]]. Along with the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]] and the other [[conehead]]s, he pursued another sextet of Autobots who had just carried out some sort of raid on the [[smelting pool]], only to be forced to retreat by a torrent of liquid metal that had just been siphoned off of it. {{storylink|The Smelting Pool!}}

''He was one of the [[Ten Deadliest Killers|elite warriors]] targeted by the [[Wrecker]]s in [[Operation: Volcano]], but narrowly avoided his fate after a call from [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] summoned the Decepticons away from the lure [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] and his team had put out.'' {{storylink|Target: 2006}} As Megatron and Straxus began a partnership to share resources between Earth and Cybertron, Thrust was reformatted and sent to Earth along with [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] and [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] to supervise a massive drilling operation designed to suck the power out of [[Hoover Dam]]. Their operation was invaded by the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]], but Thrust turned his disruptor engines on [[Skydive (G1 Aerialbot)|Skydive]], forcing him to ground. Still, the Autobots outnumbered the Seekers and soon forced them into retreat. {{storylink|Aerialbots over America!}}

[[File:Thrust jetfire the gift.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Oof! Right in the cockpit!]]
Thrust and his comrades began working for Megatron on Earth full-time afterwards. ''During [[Christmas]] [[1986]], he and [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] ambushed [[Jazz (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Jazz]] and [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] as they took care of a delivery of [[Transformer fuel]] from a [[Blackrock Enterprises|Blackrock]] [[Blackrock's chemical plant|chemical plant]]. After Thrust took out the building with his missiles, Bombshell rendered Jazz inactive by shooting him in the back. But although the Conehead managed to knock Jetfire down as well, at [[G.B. Blackrock|Blackrock]]'s urging the Autobot rallied and laid Thrust out cold.'' {{storylink|The Gift}}

''[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] would later review footage of Thrust's arrival on Earth and his subsequent antics to determine that his Autobots were insufficiently prepared should he meet his demise.'' {{storylink|Prey!}}

Thrust helped defend the Decepticon headquarters against a joint attack of Cobra, G.I. Joe and Autobot units while [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] directed [[Power Station Alpha]] around the globe in an attempt to siphon tremendous amounts of energy from the Earth, which would destroy the planet in the process. {{storylink|...All Fall Down!}}

Under [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]], Thrust participated in an ill-fated raid on a fleshling [[oil tanker]] alongside Ramjet, [[Vortex (G1)|Vortex]] and the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]]. The heist went off without a hitch... except that the tanker had already emptied its cargo. Not the Decepticons' finest moment. {{storylink|Buster Witwicky and the Car Wash of Doom}}

[[File:Vortex drag strip wildrider thrust starscream club con.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|Thrust charges passengers extra for the second carry-on.]]
''Later, he was among the Decepticons present when [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] attacked their [[Club Con|new underwater headquarters]], ready to try and gun down their near-invincible opponent as he breached their defenses. However, upon doing so, Galvatron told the Decepticons that he had only wished to talk to them, and that Shockwave's choice to respond to his arrival with violence had taken that option off the table. Thrust turned to Shockwave, none-too-impressed with how he had handled the matter as Galvatron took off.'' {{storylink|Enemy Action!}} ''Shockwave dispatched Thrust along with Dirge, Ramjet and [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] to [[London]] to collect the inert bodies of [[Centurion (Marvel)|Centurion]] and the Megatron clone after [[Overbite (G1)|Jawbreaker]] swiped them from under [[Richard Branson]] (or [[Mister Johnson]])'s nose.'' {{storylink|Salvage!}}

Later, he was part of the Decepticons' major assault on the Autobots on the surface of the [[Moon (moon)|moon]]. He was disabled (and seemingly exploded) due to a blast from [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]]'s [[electro-scrambler]] gun during the battle. {{storylink|Totaled!}} Thrust was glimpsed later, however, transporting humans to the [[Club Con|Decepticons' holiday resort]]. {{storylink|Club Con!}}
{{-}}

=====Transformers Annual 1985=====
{{note|Due to being published early in the franchise, these stories are out of continuity with the above.}}
Thrust was among the troops Megatron brought to the Amazon to excavate rare crystals which could bring new Decepticons to life. Thrust and Starscream were posted as aerial guards, and opened fire on Bumblebee when the little Autobot breached the excavation's perimeter. After Bumblebee's back-up managed to down Starscream, Thrust buried the lot of them by triggering an avalanche with a sonic boom. This failed to keep the Autobots down for long though, and the Decepticons retreated, the mining enterprise a bust. {{storylink|Hunted!}}

=====Earthforce=====
{{earthforcefiction}}
[[File:Coneheads earthbase divide and conquer.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1]]
With [[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] in command, Thrust joined a massive Decepticon offensive against the Autobot [[Earthbase]]. Their goal was to kill some Autobots, while also distracting them as [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]] looted a human oil tanker in the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. Both goals proved fruitless, and the Decepticons were driven off. {{storylink|Divide and Conquer!}}

{{note|First depicted rather late in the series, it is unknown whether Thrust served Megatron or Shockwave before the coup merged the Decepticon factions.}}
{{-}}

=====Marvel UK future timelines=====
[[File:Soundwave decepticons space pirates.jpg|thumb|left|275px]]
[[File:Decepticon fliers space pirates.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.5]]
By [[2008]], Thrust had risen in the Decepticon ranks to become leader of his own albeit unidentified team. At [[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]]'s command, he led them to a planned assault on the Autobots, only to be intercepted by [[Quintesson]] shock troopers and [[Trident Attack Craft]]. The Decepticons were forced to join forces with their Autobot opponents in order to chase the Quintessons off Cybertron. Thrust was last seen pursuing the remaining Quint ships as they fled atmosphere. {{storylink|Space Pirates!}}
{{-}}

====''Classics''====
{{noteclassics}}
[[File:InvasionPrologue-Decepticonspushforward.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
More than fifteen years after he was last seen, Thrust was the last Decepticon of [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]]'s fallen warriors to be rebuilt. {{storylink|#Timelines|BotCon 2007 Thrust profile card}} Some believe that this had something to do with why Thrust defected to [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]]'s command. Thrust was later assigned to work with the mysterious [[Bug Bite (GoBots)|Bug Bite]] on Earth along with Dirge and several others. {{storylink|Games of Deception}}

Thrust was eventually compelled into serving Megatron again. He attacked a human city on Earth with his old wingmen, Ramjet and Dirge. {{storylink|At Fight's End}}

Some time later, Thrust had fallen in with [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Gigatron]] on Earth, and was present when Gigatron's team attacked the Autobots' [[Ironworks (facility)|Ironworks]] headquarters for their hidden [[Rarified Energon]] reserves. {{storylink|Invasion Prologue}} He was also around for the second attack, directed at the evil Autobots of the [[Primax -408.24 Epsilon|negative polarity universe]]. Thrust and the evil Decepticons were unable to overcome evil [[Ultra Magnus (SG)|Ultra Magnus]] in combat, though. {{storylink|Invasion (issue)|Invasion}}
{{-}}

====''Regeneration One''====
{{NoteRG1}}
Following his deactivation on Earth, Thrust was reanimated and lobotomised by Megatron to form part of his [[zombie]] army. Thrust was pressed into service as part of a unit alongside [[Octane]], [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]], [[Skalor]], [[Bugly (G1)|Bugly]], [[Skywarp (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Skywarp]], [[Thundercracker (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Thundercracker]], and [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]], charged with exterminating a convoy of escaping humans that included [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster]] and [[Jessie]]. {{storylink|Less Than Zero}}

In [[2012]] after Megatron's defeat, all of the deactivated zombies were piled into a large pit by the Autobots and obliterated from orbit. {{storylink|Natural Selection, Part One}}
{{-}}
====''Transformers '84''====
[[File:Ramjet thrust dirge shockwave secrets and lies.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.5]]
Thrust was among the troops assembled by [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] to crew the newly built ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]''. Shortly before launch, [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] went missing and Megatron ordered Thrust, [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]], and [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] to go and retrieve him, acting on [[Punch (G1)|Counterpunch]]'s suggestion that he could probably be found at the [[Project Dreadnought]] control hub. They arrived to find Shockwave standing over the wrecked bodies of [[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]] and the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dynobots]] and the scientist returned with them to ''Nemesis''. {{storylink|Secrets & Lies issue 1|Secrets & Lies #1}}

Thrust, Dirge, and Ramjet went on to take part in the assault on the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] as it emerged from the [[Stellae Cimeterium]] but were ordered by Megatron not to board the vessel with the rest of the Decepticons, instead remaining in flight mode to prevent any Autobots escaping. After the Ark crashed into prehistoric [[Earth]] with everyone aboard, the [[Conehead]]s returned to the ''Nemesis'' to confront Shockwave over his inaction regarding their comrades' fates but Shockwave incapacitated them with a derivative of the [[Scraplet]] virus before heading down to the surface of the planet himself to clear up some "loose ends". {{storylink|Secrets & Lies issue 2|Secrets & Lies #2}}

[[File:Thrust dirge secrets and lies.jpg|thumb|upright=1.9]]
Upon awakening, Dirge, Ramjet, and Thrust travelled to Earth in pursuit of Shockwave but on arriving at the Ark they were instead confronted by five drones, constructed in the images of [[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]], [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]], [[Skids (G1)|Skids]], [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]], and [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] by the Ark's computer [[Aunty|AUNTIE]] to defend against the impending threat of [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]]. The three Decepticons engaged the drones in battle but found them tough to outmanoeuvre, unencumbered as they were by Autobot morality. {{storylink|Secrets & Lies issue 3|Secrets & Lies #3}}

They were then shocked to see Grimlock burst out of the Ark, locked in combat with Megatron, who was also being controlled by AUNTIE. Realising that the Decepticon leader was channelling pure [[Antimatter|anti-matter]] from a [[black hole]] through his eyes, Thrust picked up the injured Dirge and the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]] retreated back to the ''Nemesis''. Subsequently, they reported back to Lord [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]] that they had located Megatron and the Ark, but that their ship was too badly damaged to return to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Straxus agreed to send a rescue ship for them and offered them places in his new hierarchy if they conveniently forgot all about the location of the Ark; given that the alternative was a slow and painful death, all three readily agreed to his terms. {{storylink|Secrets & Lies issue 4|Secrets & Lies #4}}
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===Milton Bradley mini-comic===
Thrust was among the Decepticons under [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]'s command who ambushed the [[Ark (G1)|ark]] and was knocked offline when it crashed into [[Earth]]. He and the others were repaired four million years later when a volcanic eruption caused the ark's systems to spring into life. {{storylink|In the Transformers}}

===''Find Your Fate Junior''===
{{notemultipath}}
====Dinobots Strike Back====
Thrust was one of many Decepticons at a somewhat premature victory bonfire celebration atop [[Mount Lomas]] after four of the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]s had joined their forces, courtesy of Bombshell's [[cerebro-shell]]s, and ''reportedly'' crippled the Autobot ranks, assuring the success of Operation Black Coral. When their new recruits saw their teammate Swoop fly a loop-the-loop overhead, the Dinobots remembered that was the signal to begin mopping the mountaintop with the Dectpticons, prompting Thrust to transform and take off. Unfortunately for him, Swoop had finished giving the signal and was free to give Thrust a missile before he could flee or counterattack. {{storylink|Dinobots Strike Back}}

====Earthquake====
[[File:EarthquakeJessieKidnapped.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1]]
In one possible series of events, Ramjet handed Thrust and Soundwave the human Jessie, who had been snooping around the Decepticons’ newest secret base. The two Decepticons put the girl away in a holding cell.

Later, Thrust might have come upon Buster and Beachcomber hiding in a closet within the Decepticon's fortress. After engaging Beachcomber in a brief firefight, Thrust was stunned by a bullet glancing off his head, allowing for Beachcomber and Buster to escape. Buster and Beachcomber's luck soon ran out, however, and Thrust happened upon them once more, this time backed up by Megatron, Starscream and Dirge. Buster and Beachcomber were taken prisoner and led to Megatron's lab.

In another possible scenario, Megatron invited Thrust to enjoy the spectacle of destruction that was Central City's annihilation once the Decepticons had defeated the Autobots.{{storylink|Earthquake (book)|Earthquake}}

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====Desert Flight====
[[File:DesertFlightDirgeandThrustattackAutobots.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1]]
Thrust was part of a Decepticon deployment stationed in a desert base. The Decepticons plotted to lure the Autobots in a trap through the use of an anti-gravity beam. Using the beam on a nearby human settlement, the Autobots would be duped into coming to the fleshliness’ rescue, only to be themselves trapped by the effects of the beam.

If the Autobots fell into the Decepticons’ trap, Thrust, alongside Buzzsaw, Dirge, and Ramjet would swoop down upon their helpless prey for the kill. The Autobots destroyed, they would then turn off their gravity weapon, and force the townsfolk to drill oil to fuel the Decepticon army.

If the Autobots bypassed the anti-gravity field, Thrust managed to get a few shots on Powerglide, who was flying ahead of the Autobot convoy. Undeterred, the Autobot plane charged straight for Thrust, in a daring game of Chicken. Powerglide defeated Thrust and went on to battle the other Decepticons.

Later, in a possible scenario wherein the Autobots had infiltrated the Decepticon base and were battling the Autobots for control of the anti-gravity gun, Dirge spotted Optimus Prime sabotaging the device. He attempted to cripple Optimus Prime with one of his bombs, but the Autobot leader managed to repair himself before the anti-gravity gun self-destructed.

In a completely different possible sequence of events, Thrust, Dirge, Buzzsaw and a small squadron of other Decepticons spotted a squadron of Autobots driving towards the Decepticon base. The Autobots, in a disadvantageous position as they had no weapons in their [[alternate mode|vehicle mode]]s, were easy pickings for Thrust and the others.

In one possible ensuing scenario, the Autobots were able to create cover for themselves with their exhaust fumes, allowing them the time to transform and fight back. In one possible scenario that followed, Cosmos then shot Dirge out of the sky, forcing the rest of the Decepticons to retreat back to their base. {{storylink|Desert Flight}}

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====Decepticon Poison====
In one possible sequence of events, Thrust attacked the Autobots’ base, accompanied by Megatron and a number of Decepticon warriors. The squad met with the recently cured Autobots, and a fierce battle began between both sides. Thrust could be seen fighting until the very end of the battle, but the Decepticons were forced to retreat nonetheless due to the damage they suffered in combat.

In another possible scenario, Megatron and his Decepticon squad were tricked into thinking that the Autobots were already dead, and strode into the Autobots’ base. The Decepticons lay down their weapons in order to carry out the Autobots’ "corpses," but were ambushed once they had disarmed themselves. Thrust and the others were then quickly defeated.

In another possible scenario, Thrust was led by Ramjet in a full-scale Decepticon assault. The Autobots, having miscalculated on how much antidote they had taken to cure themselves of the Decepticons’ poison, found themselves falling apart, leading to an easy victory for the Decepticons.

In yet another possible scenario, where the Autobots weaponized the tainted fuel and created a toxic cloud by burning it, the Decepticons were forced to retreat before their attack was fully underway. {{storylink|Decepticon Poison}}
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====Autobot Alert!====
[[File:AutobotAlertTopspin&Seaspray.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1]]
Thrust took part in a Decepticon mission to take over Earth's communication satellites. He was aboard Astrotrain when the Decepticon shuttle was performing an ammunitions delivery to the Decepticons’ ship out in Earth orbit.

If Bumblebee and Hot Rod had infiltrated Astrotrain, Thrust happened upon the pair, but was fooled by their disguises, as the two Autobots were garbed in Decepticon space gear.

In a completely different scenario, Thrust accompanied Galvatron on a campaign to retrieve an ancient sphere of cybertite that contained the secrets to an ancient Autobot power-booster. Learning that the sphere was located within a sunken ship off the California coast, Thrust and the others headed for its location.

If they found the Autobots in the middle of retrieving it, the Decepticons destroyed both the ship and the sphere, and proceeded to rain superior Decepticon firepower upon their foes.

If the Decepticons found the coast deserted, they retrieved the ship themselves, using the might of Devastator.

If [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], Brawn and Grapple attempted to snatch the ship away from the Decepticons, Thrusts and his comrades destroyed the ship and the sphere contained within to keep it out of Autobot hands. The Decepticons then proceeded to pin down the Autobots in their hiding spots, leaving the heroic robots at their mercy.

If Springer, Topspin and Seaspray executed their plan to retrieve the sphere from Decepticon clutches, they successfully distracted the evil robots for long enough to whisk the cybertite sphere back to Metroplex. {{storylink|Autobot Alert!}}
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====Project Brain Drain====
[[File:ProjectBrainDrainDecepticonGuards.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1]]
Thrust was involved in a Decepticon plot to use a [[Brain Drain device]] on the crowd goers of a rock concert to syphon their intelligence into Decepticon fuel.

In one possible scenario, Galvatron had to recall his troops from the concert at the last minute when Ultra Magnus and his troops began a timely assault on the Decepticons’ headquarters. Thrust participated in the battle that ensued, which ended in a loss for the Decepticons when Ultra Magnus triggered an avalanche, burying Galvatron and shattering the Brain Drain device.

In another possible scenario,Thrust and the rest of the Decepticons were surprised to find the Autobots hiding amidst the parked vehicles surrounding the concert just as they were about to put their plan into action. Having been tasked in setting the parking lot aflame to prevent the concert-goers from escape, Thrust and the other Decepticon jets continued with the plan, dumping down gasoline onto the Autobots.

If the Autobots moved towards the crowd to protect them once the parking lot was set ablaze, Thrust and the other Decepticon jets continued their assault, able to bypass the inferno that kept the land bound Decepticons away from their enemies.

In a completely different possible scenario, Thrust was posted as a guard to keep safe the Decepticons’ lab housing the Brain Drain device.

In the event that Sparkplug and Wreck-Gar attempted to infiltrate to lab and were caught by Soundwave, Thrust was called over to block off the duo’d escape, alongside a whole detachment of Decepticons. If the pair surrendered, the Decepticons blew them up anyways. If Wreck-Gar and Sparkplug made a run for it, Thrust gave chase. Though he and Laserbeak managed to send Wreck-Gar and Sparkplug skidding into a lake, the Decepticons were forced to retreat when Hot Rod, Jazz and Kup showed up to defend their allies.

In one possible scenario that followed, the Autobots returned to storm the lab shortly after. Thrust was one of the few Decepticons too afraid of Galvatron's wrath to desert his post, and attempted to fend off the Autobot aggressors. He was defeated when Sparkplug threw a hefty rock at him, causing Thrust to crumple to the ground. {{storylink|Project Brain Drain}}
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====The Invisibility Factor====
[[File:InvisibilityFactorHotRodKupSunstreakerLaughing.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1]]
In one possible scenario, Thrust accompanied Galvatron on a patrol in a desert at night. Upon spotting a spaceship that flickered in-and-out of sight, the patrol investigated. Finding the Autobots Kup and Hot Rod conversing with a woman at the ship's landing site, Thrust and the others fired upon them, causing them to scramble away. Though Thrust wanted to continue their pursuit of the Autobots, Galvatron ordered they stay and scrutinize the spaceship instead.

If Hot Rod and Kup decided to attack immediately, Thrust was hit by a laser blast courtesy of Hot Rod. The Autobots were easily defeated and destroyed by the Decepticons nonetheless.

If Hot Rod and Kup silently followed the Decepticons back to their hide-out in a nearby canyon, they managed to tricked Thrust and the others into thinking that they were being ambushed by a whole squadron of Autobots. Panicking, the Decepticons attempted to retaliate by firing in all directions. Amidst the confusion, Thrust began arguing with Ravage, both of them insisting that the Autobots were attacking from a different direction.

If Hot Rod snuck down and successfully snatched the Invisibility Device from Shockwave, the Decepticons gave chase to the young Autobot. They were unable to catch him before Kup fired down onto the canyon's walls, causing it to collapse and burying the Decepticons under an avalanche of earth and rocks.

In an alternate scenario, Thrust and the other Decepticons decided to take off into space in Sarah Sander's ship after acquiring the Invisibility Device. Whether the Decepticons succeeded in mastering the Invisibility Device and subsequently destroyed the Autobots, or were destroyed or defeated themselves depended on what choices the Autobots made from this point on.

In another possible scenario, Thrust was one of the Decepticons that happened upon [[Sarah Sanders]]’s ship when it landed in the desert, before the woman had any contact with the Autobots. While Scavenger held the woman captive, Thrust and the other Decepticons dragged the ship itself to a hidden location. In whichever scenario that followed, the Autobots managed to steal the Invisibility Device from the Decepticons, either dazzling Thrust with their headlights while Hot Rod took it right out of their hands, or tricking them into leaving the spaceship behind while they pursued the young Autobot on a wild goose chase. The Decepticons did not succeed in catching Hot Rod no matter what scenario ensued. {{storylink|The Invisibility Factor}}
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===The Special Teams===
Thrust was summoned by Megatron to raid a power plant of its energy, after it had been evacuated of its human occupants due to the danger of landslides in the area. {{storylink|The Special Teams}}
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===Ladybird Books continuity===
Thanks to a new surveillance system, the Decepticons were alerted to the fact that the Autobots were searching an old battleground for [[cybernite]]. Thrust was among the jets led by [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] who went to attack the scavengers, however the Autobots drove into a narrow part of the canyon, and unable to follow them, the Decepticons returned to base. {{storylink|Galvatron's Air Attack}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
[[File:WarWithin6 Thrust Rumble.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|left|LEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOY JENKINS!!!]]
Thrust was one of many Decepticon warriors who joined [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] in the assault on [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] shortly after [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] rose to power. {{storylink|The War Within issue 3|The War Within #3}} He was soon reassigned to the unit of Decepticons guarding Cybertron's planetary turbines for Megatron's plans to turn the planet into a mobile war world. When Starscream seemingly killed Megatron, he was forced to serve under the treacherous Air Commander {{storylink|The War Within issue 5|The War Within #5}} and was deactivated during the subsequent battle with Optimus Prime and [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]]'s strike team. {{storylink|The War Within issue 6|The War Within #6}}

He was relatively loyal to Shockwave, and served under the one-eyed tactician during the [[Dark Ages]] when Megatron disappeared in a [[space bridge]] accident with Optimus Prime. During this time, he was one of several Decepticons that launched an offensive on the minions of [[The Fallen]] in [[Protihex]], in a bid to prevent the ancient Transformer's plans from coming to fruition. {{storylink|Conflagration}} He was also present with the Decepticons at the peace treaty signing at Tyger Pax, which would have put an end to Cybertron's civil war if not for Megatron's dramatic return mid-ceremony. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath}}

Thrust served under Shockwave again after Megatron, aboard the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'', vanished in deep space. The [[Micromaster]]s were thereafter developed, and recruited to both side of the conflict. But When [[Barricade (G1)|Barricade]] joined the Decepticons, he soon learned that his larger compatriots didn't treat him with much respect; Thrust and Ramjet were among those who made it clear that they didn't see him as a ''true'' warrior. {{storylink|Victims of the Revolution}} When [[Skystalker (G1)|Skystalker]] took over the Decepticons and posed as Shockwave to retain command over the other full-sized Transformers in the ranks, Thrust was among the troops duped by the diminutive 'bot into launching an all-out offensive, despite their resources being at an all-time low. {{storylink|Recipe for Hate}} In the ensuing brawl, he was shot to scrap by Fortress Maximus. {{storylink|Victims of the Revolution}}

[[File:BrothersBurden ThrustAndDirge.jpg|thumb|upright=2.0|right|]]
After the [[Great Shutdown]], Shockwave awakened to find a Cybertron thoroughly depleted of its energies. Given insight to greater machinations at work on his homeworld, he set about reactivating several Autobots and Decepticons to help him rebuild their world, and prepare it for an inevitable confrontation with a greater enemy. Thrust was among the Transformers first awakened to this end. {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}} Thrust served under Shockwave's command on Cybertron, after the Autobots and Decepticons were unified their efforts to control the planet and consolidate on energon reserves. He was one of a select group of Decepticons chosen by [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] to be "rehabilitated", and operated under the Autobot's direction when they traveled to Earth to collect the ''Ark'' and ''Nemesis''' crews. {{storylink|Brothers' Burden}} After the Autobots uncovered Shockwave's malevolent plans for the future, they launched an all-out assault on his headquarters. Thrust and Dirge attempted to fend them off, and nearly managed to obliterate [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]], only for Optimus to come to the rescue of the smaller Autobot. {{storylink|Countdown to Extinction (issue)|Countdown to Extinction}} The Autobots eventually overpowered Shockwave's forces, and Thrust was escorted away from the battlefield in energy cuffs following the conflict's conclusion. {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}} Following the dismantling of Shockwave's government, the war began anew and Thrust fled to the wastelands with a small contingent of Shockwave's forces. They were assimilated into Megatron's command once the great Decepticon leader returned with the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]] and imposed his will on Shockwave. {{storylink|Lost and Found (issue)|Lost and Found}}
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===''The Beast Within''===
Thrust participated in a savage Decepticon offensive against the Autobots. He attempted to sneak up on Optimus Prime, only to be punched through the chest by the Autobot leader. This presumably killed him. {{storylink|The Beast Within}}

===''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers''===
As part of [[Serpentor|Serpent O.R.]]'s forces, Thrust defended the newly unified Decepticon army's base against a combined Autobot/[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] strike force. In the course of the battle, he and [[Barrage (Insecticon)|Barrage]] were shot by [[Lady Jaye]]. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 5|The art of War #5}}

===2005 IDW continuity===
:*''First Appearance:'' [[Stormbringer issue 2|Transformers: Stormbringer #2]]

[[File:MegatronOrigin4 Ironhide fightin Thrust.jpg|thumb]]
During [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]]'s initial uprising in [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]], Thrust took part in the violence, and was seen being strangled by [[Ironhide (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ironhide]] while [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] wrestled with Starscream. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 4|Megatron Origin #4}}

Thrust and several other Decepticons later ambushed [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Orion Pax]]'s team of Autobots near the borders of Kaon, stopping them from apprehending [[Soundwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Soundwave]]. {{storylink|The Hunt for Soundwave}} Megatron led him and several other Decepticons to [[Nyon]], where they prevented [[Zeta Prime (G1)|Zeta Prime]] from killing Orion Pax. {{storylink|Choices}} After Megatron and Orion joined forces to overthrow Zeta, the Seekers participated in the attack on his [[Citadel]]. {{storylink|Overthrown}} With the death of Zeta Prime, Megatron took control of Cybertron and had his troops hunt down and arrest any Autobots who tried to resist. Thrust took [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Bumblebee]], [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ultra Magnus]] and Ironhide into custody following their capture in [[Ultrix]]. {{storylink|Transformation (issue)|Transformation}}

Under the command of [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], Thrust attacked the [[Toraxxis mega-refinery]] only to be taken out of action by [[Slag (G1)|Slag]]. {{storylink|Faces of Darkness}} He later participated in an attack on civilian ships at [[Starsreach Spaceport]]. {{storylink|Massacre}}

Following [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]]'s rampage, which saw Cybertron uninhabitable, the Cybertronian race brought their war with them as they spread out to the stars. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 1|Stormbringer #1}} Some two hundred years ago, Ramjet was part of [[Starscream (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Starscream]]'s unit and helped invade and pillage a remote planet in the [[Huni System]]. No sooner had they finish laying waste to the planet when they encountered a swarm of [[Dire Wraith]]s led by [[Vekktral]]. The alien proposed an alliance of convenience: if the Decepticons helped them attack the [[Solstar Order]], their hated foes, the Decepticons would be free to steal the [[energon synthesizer]] that belonged to the orphaned Cybertronian [[Space Knight]] [[Stardrive]]. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 2|Shining Armor #2}}

The Decepticon-Wraith force subsequently used [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] as a Trojan horse to infiltrate the ''[[Orchid Crossing]]'' over [[Xetaxxis]], and dropped the ruse shortly afterwards to assault the Space Knights [[Rom]], [[Livia]], [[Auxin]], and [[Stardrive]]. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 1|Shining Armor #1}} They were unprepared, however, for the arrival of [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Bumblebee]], [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ultra Magnus]], and [[Sky Blast (G1)|Sky Blast]].

In the chaos, one of the Wraiths attempted to merge with Sky Blast, but the resulting fusion only created an out-of-control monster; to kill it, Ultra Magnus disabled the space station's force field in the hopes that atmospheric reentry would burn it to bits. Thrust and the surviving Decepticon fliers easily escaped the flaming wreckage and helped evacuate the Wraiths, {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 2|Shining Armor #2}} tracking the monstrosity to a [[Xetaxxan|Xetaxxian]] village where it finally burned itself to bits. Vekktral was eager to try again, though Thrust was unsettled by the his propensity to sacrifice his own men in pursuit of his evolutionary schemes and offended when the Wraith called him a "[[drone]]." Ramjet joined the other Seekers as they flew to the wreckage of the ''Orchid Crossing'' and dogfought with the Space Knights. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 3|Shining Armor #3}}

The three Coneheads continued to grapple with their organic enemies, and held out long enough for the Space Knights to refocus on dealing with an emotional Stardrive. Though it appeared that help had arrived when a Vekktral-possessed Ultra Magnus intervened, the shapeshifting organics betrayed their Decepticon allies and attempted to possess them. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 4|Shining Armor #4}} The Decepticons briefly accepted the help of the Autobots in getting rid of the Wraiths, but, as soon as the immediate threat had passed, the Seekers flew off to provide backup to Starscream as he battled Stardrive. Unable to make off with the energon synthesizer, the Decepticons settled for having their commander set the device to blow—so that the Autobots couldn't get their hands on it either—as they retreated to orbit. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 5|Shining Armor #5}}

[[File:Stormbringer2 NebulosDecepticons1.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|"I'm too big to emerge through YOUR foldspace transition."]]
In the modern day, Thrust was a part of [[Darkwing (G1)|Darkwing]]'s command on the planet [[Nebulos]] when the [[Pretender]] [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]] attacked the planet. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 2|Stormbringer #2}} Though he was eager to join the fight, Thrust was instead put in charge of the hidden Decepticon command bunker for two purposes. First, to alert Megatron of the reborn threat of Thunderwing. Second, to destroy the bunker, leaving no trace of their presence. Thrust presumably did both as Darkwing told [[Dreadwind (G1)|Dreadwind]] that they were picking the Seeker up before leaving the planet. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 3|Stormbringer #3}}

At some point he ended up on [[Earth]] in time for the Decepticon invasion of the planet. When the Decepticons were defeated, Thrust was damaged and left behind in the ruins of [[New York City]]. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 16|The Man of Steel}} He was found crippled by the local police, who dealt with him by setting fire to the building and letting it collapse on him. [[Prowl (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Prowl]], who witnessed the event, considered it an "execution of a wounded combatant" and proof that the humans would never forgive the Transformers for the invasion. {{storylink|Ride-Along}}

Thrust's body made its way into the possession of [[G.B. Blackrock]] and the [[Earth Defense Command]], who used it, and [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]]'s remains, to create an army of [[Seeker clone]]s. {{Storylink|Earthfall Chapter 5: I Dream of Wires|I Dream of Wires}}

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{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Shining Armor issue 1|Shining Armor #1}}}}

===''Hearts of Steel''===
[[File:DecepticonsandMuldoon-HOS2.jpeg|thumb|upright=1.5|right]]
Thrust was among the Decepticons who awoke in the 1860s after fighting the Autobots on prehistoric Earth. He was present when [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] swayed the human [[Tobias Muldoon]] to their cause. {{storylink|Hearts of Steel issue 2|Hearts of Steel #2}}

{{IDW HOS}}
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===''Lil Formers''===
Thrust watched ''{{w|Snakes on a Plane}}'' with [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] and [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]]. All three Decepticons were pretty freaked out by the premise of the film.

After being told he was useless, Thrust vehemently protested, and claimed he could be threatening if given the chance! {{storylink|Lil Formers}}

===''Universe'' cartoon===
Thrust participated in a battle alongside Soundwave during the early days of the Autobot/Decepticon war. {{storylink|Action Blast 1}}
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===''Transformers: All Spark''===
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|The Fated Rival, Once Again...}} {{storylink|Plans of the Emperor of Destruction}} {{storylink|Revenge (All Spark)|Revenge}} {{storylink|Ray of Hope}} {{storylink|Great Aspirations}}

===''Kre-O'' online manga===
[[File:KreO-webcomic-5-Thrust.jpg|right|thumb|150px]]

Thrust was part of a massive Decepticon invasion force intended to ruin the Autobots' picnic. However, [[Optimus Prime (Kre-O)|Optimus Prime]] plowed through them with his truck and left them scattered... and then left. Returning to the scene after.. ''ahem'', taking care of some pressing business, Optimus gathered up the still-wiped-out Kreons, bound them up on a flatbed trailer, and took them to the picnic. {{storylink|Emergency! Hurry to the Base, Optimus!}}

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===''Transformers vs. G.I. Joe''===
When [[Scarlett]]'s team of G.I. Joes attempted to bomb the mobile city of [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] with their "[[G.I.Rocket|green bombs]]," Megatron sent out a team of flyers to counter-attack, with Thrust among them. Though the Decepticons managed to destroy the [[Defiant (G.I. Joe)|Joes' ship]], the humans escaped capture. {{storylink|Targetmasters (issue)|Targetmasters}}

Thrust was among the Decepticon army that rallied to the defence of Trypticon as Megatron ordered [[Primus]] to consume the [[Sun]]. {{storylink|Transformers vs. G.I. Joe issue 12|Transformers vs. G.I. Joe #12}}
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===''Star Trek vs. Transformers''===
When [[World War III]] consumed [[Earth]], the [[Decepticon]]s fled the blighted planet aboard [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]], trailing the Autobots aboard [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]]. When the two [[Titan (group)|Titans]] reached [[Cygnus Seven]], the Decepticons attacked, the battle sending Maximus hurtling into the planet and causing everyone to fall into [[stasis lock]]. Eventually, the [[Federation]] moved onto Cygnus Seven with a survey team accidentally rousing Maximus's autonomic systems. By random chance, the repair beam first struck [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] who proceeded to revive the other Decepticons and lead an attack on the surface. {{storylink|Prime's Directive, Part Two}} Thrust joined his fellow Seekers in attacking the mining colony before the Decepticons were scared away by a [[photon torpedo]] barrage from the [[USS Enterprise|USS ''Enterprise'']]. {{storylink|Prime's Directive, Part One}}

After the Decepticons had reunited with [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] and allied with the [[Klingon Empire]], they resumed their attack on Cygnus Seven. When [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] resurfaced, the Coneheads swarmed him before the two Titans began fighting. {{storylink|Prime's Directive, Part Three}} As the duel continued, Megatron caught sight of Starscream deserting, ordering the Decepticons away so they could pursue the traitor. {{storylink|Prime's Directive, Part Four}}

Catching up to the traitor on the planet [[Kronos]], the [[Klingon]] homeworld. Despite managing to defeat the Autobot/[[Starfleet]] alliance, the Decepticons were caught unawares by a [[Warbird (Star Trek)|warbird]] fleet, being taken into custody by the Klingons for study. {{storylink|Prime's Directive, Part Five}}

===''War for Cybertron Trilogy'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[Michael Jones]] (English)|[[Gerzon Torres]] (Latin-American Spanish), [[Julián Rodríguez]] (Castilian Spanish)}}
Thrust was a member of [[Doubledealer]]'s crew of [[Mercenary|Mercenaries]], {{storylink|Earthrise episode 1}} hired by [[Deseeus]] to bring in the [[Autobot]]s aboard the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]''. However, after Deseeus refused to pay them, Thrust helped the Autobots escape and battled the [[Quintesson]]'s [[Deseeus Army Drone|forces]]. {{storylink|Earthrise episode 2}} By the time Deseeus took a hands-on approach by controlling Doubledealer's mind, Thrust cut his losses and defected from the ''[[Fool's Fortune]]'' crew. {{storylink|Earthrise episode 6}}

===2019 IDW continuity===
{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Light/Star}}}}

==Commercial appearances==
*During a battle against Megatron, Optimus summoned [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]], [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]], [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]], [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]], [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]], and [[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]] to his side. Megatron responded by calling down Thrust and [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]]. {{storylink|Commercial/Generation 1#Thrust and Dirge|Autobot cars plus Thrust and Dirge commercial}}
*Starscream led Thrust over the desert to attack the Autobots' new defense base, brushing off Thrust's concerns about the whereabouts of the Autobots themselves. Both Decepticons were caught off-guard when the base transformed into [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]. {{storylink|Commercial/Generation 1#Omega Supreme|Omega Supreme commercial}}
*Thrust was led by Starscream in another attack against the Autobots, this time at their launch station. Ultra Magnus emerged from the station to defend it with his troops. {{storylink|Commercial/Generation 1#Ultra Magnus|Ultra Magnus commercial}}

==Games==
===''Transformers: Mystery of Convoy''===
[[File:Jetron MoCsprites.jpg|right|thumb|200px|]]
Thrust was among the [[Decepticon]] troops who sought to destroy [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] on his journey, confronting him in the [[Subspace Zone]]... in theory. {{storylink|Transformers: Mystery of Convoy}}

{{note|Thrust's supposed appearance in this game is from a [[Transformers: Mystery of Convoy (promo video)|''Mystery of Convoy'' promo video]], calling him one of the "[[Seeker (body-type)|Jetron]]" foes. These enemies being copies of Thrust is... dubious, especially given the poor visual resemblance.}}

{{-}}

===The Transformers (PS2)===
{{note|Thrust is a non-playable character. He appears among the legion of Decepticon duplicates in the Autobot campaign.}}
{{storylink|The Transformers (PS2)}}

===''Transformers Legends''===
Thrust was amongst Megatron's forces ages ago, long before the Cybertronian war found its way to planet Earth. {{storylink|The War Within}}

Thrust was involved in a battle between the Decepticons and the Dinobots when the later went berserk and set out to attack the Decepticon base. {{storylink|Day of the Dinobots - Part 1}} While pursuing [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]], Thrust stumbled on a Golden Lagoon of [[Electrum]]. After coating himself and becoming invulnerable, he informed the rest of the Decepticons. Unfortunately the Autobots found it too, and in the battle that ensued, the lagoon was destroyed. {{storylink|The Golden Lagoon (Legends)|The Golden Lagoon}} Thrust and Skywarp encountered [[Autobot X (G1)|Autobot X]], a patchwork beast with the mind of [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]], and managed to convince him that the Autobots were his enemy. The alliance lasted until Spike's father was injured in battle, at which point Spike turned on the Decepticons and drove them off. {{storylink|Autobot X (Legends)|Autobot X}}

Thrust was among [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]'s Decepticon troops who attacked a small group of Autobots, forcing them into hiding in the [[Autobot Mausoleum]]. {{storylink|Dark Awakening (Legends)|Dark Awakening}}

===''Angry Birds Transformers''===
{{main|Minion Pig#As Thrust}}
Thrust appears as a character unlockable in Challenge Events. He is portrayed by a Minion Pig. {{storylink|Angry Birds Transformers (mobile game)|Angry Birds Transformers}}

===''Transformers: Battle Tactics''===
[[File:BattleTacticsThrust.jpg|thumb|right|300px]]
Thrust participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was an Uncommon character who could be recruited after collecting 55 units of Cybermetal and 24 units of Transmetal. {{storylink|Transformers: Battle Tactics}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Frontiers''===
{{charstubgame|{{storylink|Transformers: Frontiers}}}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Bumblebee Overdrive''===
[[File:BBOThrust.jpg|thumb|100px]]
{{charstubgame|{{storylink|Transformers: Bumblebee Overdrive}}}}
{{-}}

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

==Notes==
*Thrust is one of the few Decepticons from the Generation 1 cartoon who didn't have red eyes. He had yellow eyes instead. This is likely because his predominant body color is red too; something of a rarity in the cartoon for Decepticons.
*The original [[character model]]s of the coneheads all feature design elements simplified from [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]]'s robot mode stickers—which were themselves originally recolored from [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]]'s robot mode stickers.
*In both the original [[Commercial/Generation 1|commercial]] advertising him, and any episodes animated by the [[unknown Generation 1 animation studios]], Thrust appears with an outdated color model that renders his pectorals and shoulder-intakes the same wine-red as the rest of him, instead of gray.
*A 1986 [[Panini]] stickerbook sold in Belgium and the Netherlands gave Thrust the alternate French language name "Trust". Whether this name was used in any other media made for French-speaking regions is unknown.
*Thrust was supposed to appear in the [[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|''Beast Wars'' episode]] "[[Nemesis Part 2]]", alongside [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] and [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]], and have a kickass mid-air fight scene with the [[Maximal]]s, but this didn't happen due to budget constraints.
*Thrust's [[War for Cybertron Trilogy]] character model is unique. Rather than being based directly off of his [[War for Cybertron: Earthrise|Earthrise]] toy, Thrust only retains his toy model head, with the rest of his body being a carbon copy of the [[War for Cybertron: Siege|Siege]] [[Seeker]] model.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Thrust''' (スラスト ''Surasuto'')
*''French:'' '''Fatalo''' (Canada)
*''Italian:'' '''Rapax'''
*''Mandarin:'' '''Chōngfēng''' (China, 冲锋, "Charge"), '''Tuījìn Qì''' (China, 推进器, "Thruster")
*''Portuguese:'' '''Impulso''' (Portugal and Brazil comics, "Impulse"), '''Empuxo''' (Brazil comic, "Thrust")
*''Russian:'' '''Kolun''' (Колун, "Axe")

[[Category:Classics Decepticons]]
[[Category:Combiners]]
[[Category:Dreamwave Generation 1 Decepticons]]
[[Category:Generation 1 cartoon Decepticons]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Seekers]]
[[Category:Henkei! Henkei! Decepticons]]
[[Category:IDW (2005) Decepticons]]
[[Category:IDW (2019) Transformers]]
[[Category:Kre-O Decepticons]]
[[Category:Kreons]]
[[Category:Legends Decepticons]]
[[Category:Mercenaries]]
[[Category:Mystery of Convoy Decepticons]]
[[Category:Regeneration One Decepticons]]
[[Category:Regeneration One zombies]]
[[Category:The Headmasters Decepticons]]
[[Category:United Decepticons]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron: Earthrise characters]]

Knockoff

2021-06-16T10:35:22Z

Zhiangseanwang: /* Countries that produce or once produced knockoffs */ fix minor problem

[[File:Bootleg.jpg|right|273px|thumb|Super Combination Robot B/O 17-in-1. One sold for $350 on eBay. Feel free to throw up in your mouth a little.]]

A '''knockoff''' is a product similar or identical to a product of one company, but made by another without the authorization of the original maker. In the ''Transformers'' fandom, the term is commonly abbreviated '''KO'''. The term '''bootleg''' is also sometimes used as a synonym.

{{bigquote|I hate cheap knockoffs.|[[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]], ''[[Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Transformers: Age of Extinction]]''}}

==What's a knockoff?==
Not all transforming robots from makers other than [[Hasbro]], [[TakaraTomy]], [[Bandai]], or other major toy makers are knockoffs, but those toys which wholly or partly duplicate pre-existing designs are well-qualified for the term. The term is also applied by fans, however, to some robots whose design was entirely original with the manufacturer, if said manufacturer is commonly associated with knockoffs, or if this maker's products are often sold in company with knockoffs. Original designs based on Hasbro characters, commonly referred to as "third party toys", have their own page under "[[IP theft]]".

Whether an original design, modified, or slavishly copied, knockoffs are often cheaper than the products of major toymakers. However, the quality of knockoffs is often poorer than that of the originals, including bad plastic quality, bad sticker application, and bad paint applications. Odd colors, excess chrome, resizings, and modifications are common. The world of knockoffs is a strange land of gigantic chromed swords, Gundam/[[Brave (franchise)|Brave]] card art, and wacky packaging translations.

==History of knockoffs==

===Pre-movie knockoffs===
[[File:JBootleg.jpg|right|thumb|On your knees, Jumpstarters! Kneel before your living GOD!]]
Knockoffs were a real problem in the mid-1980s. As the majority of the line came from [[Diaclone]] and [[Micro Change]] toys that had been released in Japan a year or two earlier, Hong Kong bootleggers had plenty of time to copy the molds. Because of this, there were bootlegs on the shelf at the same time as their legitimate Hasbro counterparts. Some bootlegs even preceded their Transformers counterparts like [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]]. To combat this, the [[rubsign]] was developed, made with a patented technology that was difficult (at that time) to forge. There was also an accompanying TV ad campaign in which Optimus Prime and Megatron stress brand loyalty by stating, "We are the only ones that have the right to wear [ [[Autobot]] & [[Decepticon]] [[Insignia|symbols]]]."

Through most of the 1990s, knockoffs were relatively difficult to find in the West. Many fans had luck finding them at flea markets, hole-in-the-wall non-chain toy stores, or discount stores like {{w|Big! Lots|Big Lots}}. Some knockoff transforming robot toys did show up in chain toy stores, such as the Convert-A-Bots [[Sky Garry (ROC)|Sky Garry]] and Tek Toys ''Voltron'' I—both widely available at Toys"R"Us—but they were few and far between.

In the 2000s, knockoffs became more accessible. The Kidi Toys gestalt knockoffs were widely available at Family Dollar and [[KB Toys|Kay Bee]] Toy Liquidator stores, and saturated [[eBay]]. Happy Well knockoffs took up shelf space next to Transformers Armada toys at [[Walmart]]. And of course, the realistic counterfeit G1 toys were also widely available on eBay from any number of different sellers.

===High quality Generation 1 counterfeits===
Starting around 2005, high quality Generation 1 knockoffs began to appear on eBay. Originating from a company called Zhong Jin in China, both the packaging and toy of the knockoffs look nearly identical to the original. Unlike normal knockoffs, these sell for remarkably high prices. Since 2005, many counterfeit Generation 1 products have surfaced from Zhong Jin, including Optimus Prime, Minibots, Cassettes, Autobot cars, Devastator, Dinobots, and Gnaw. Zhong Jin also has produced many color and plastic variants of their knockoffs, such as translucent versions, which were never previously released (and some of which that were, like Jafcon Black Optimus Prime). A second knockoff company, Kidi Toys, briefly produced high end G1 knockoffs as well.

The counterfeit Generation 1 toys remain extremely controversial because they are virtually indistinguishable from the originals. This situation raises concerns about unscrupulous dealers selling bootlegs as genuine articles and scrupulous ones unknowingly doing the same. It's also a further infringement on Hasbro's intellectual property rights, since these fakes infringe not only the copyrights on the toys, but also the trademarks on the packaging.

Counterfeit Generation 1 parts, stickers, and boxes have appeared from Zhong Jin as well, including many that have not had a corresponding whole knockoff released, including [[Soundwave (G1)/toys|Soundwave]] boxes and [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] sticker sheets.

The counterfeit Generation 1 toys are often confused with the legitimate [[The Transformers (Chinese toyline)|Hasbro-made re-releases for the Chinese market produced from 1989 through 1995]].

===Post-movie knockoffs===
[[File:TFA Prime KO.jpg|left|upright=0.85|thumb|Hey, I'm not the knockoff, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)/toys|he]] is!]]
Since the release of the [[Transformers (film)|2007 ''Transformers'' movie]], a flood of bootlegged figures entered the market, with some movie line figure knockoffs appearing within a month of the official product's debut. The figures ranged from high-quality clones to ''very'' low-quality copies and strange variations, such as random Generation 1 figures being redone in movie paint decos (usually [[Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys|Optimus Prime]]'s flame scheme or [[Bumblebee (Movie)/toys|Bumblebee]]'s yellow with black stripes).

One notable release was a knockoff of ''[[Transformers Animated (toyline)|Transformers Animated]]'' Voyager Class Earth mode [[Optimus Prime (Animated)/toys|Optimus Prime]], which came out in China several weeks ''before'' the release of the original in the United States! The reason this occurred is that Hasbro shelved their already-manufactured ''Animated'' toys for several months in order to extend selling their popular movie line. Thus, finished ''Animated'' toys were able to leak out of factories and into the hands of bootleggers long before they were to finally be released.

With the release of the 2009 [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|''Revenge of the Fallen'' movie line]] various knockoff toys also emerged. These included oversized versions of the new Scout class sculpts, redecoes of new Deluxe sculpts and sculpts from other lines redecoed to more closely resemble new characters (for instance the ''Animated'' Deluxe Class [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] sculpt recolored to look like [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]], complete with door detailing).

A newer twist in the knockoff toys saga is companies creating high quality knockoffs aimed specifically at collectors. These include the "KOLD" ("Knock Off Lucky Draw") bootlegs sold through kotoys.com, which attempt to imitate [[Lucky Draw figure|Lucky Draw]] and other rare Transformers. There have also been high quality knockoffs of ''[[Transformers: Classics|Classics]]'' [[Starscream (G1)/toys#Classics (2006)|Starscream]] and the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]] in their ''[[Henkei! Henkei! Transformers (toyline)|Henkei]]'' decos (plus other redecos such as [[Sunstorm (G1)#Machine Wars|Sunstorm]] and the generic "[[Air Warrior]]s", who didn't get an official release from this sculpt until [[BotCon 2013|much later]]), as well as ''Classics''/''Henkei'' [[Mirage (G1)#Classics 2|Mirage]] in several of his rarer color schemes. However, the "high quality" part often turned out to be in concept only, with the execution failing to live up to the promise.

Knock offs of the ''[[Transformers Device Label|Device Label]]'' computer accessories, in particular the [[Ravage (G1)/toys#Device Label|Ravage flash drive]] and its redecoes, have also been spotted online. In a frightening example of how bad knock offs can be, the fake drives outnumber the real ones on a number of sites, and many have been reported as containing malware in addition to an equally bootlegged copy of the "desktop pet" software from the real ones. Who actually manufactures them can be difficult to discern, since they tend to come loose-packed without any manufacturing marks.

[[File:KO AOE Optimus Prime.jpg|right|Now this would be hard to tell without scale references wouldn't it?|upright=1.25|thumb]]

A rather sneaky, as well as persistent, knockoff of ''Revenge of the Fallen'' [[Legends Class (2005)|Legends Class]] [[Devastator (ROTF)#Legends Class toys|Constructicon Devastator]] has reportedly fooled many a fan, coming in a replica of the Hasbro packaging but sporting the additional red paint operations for the head of TakaraTomy's release. Several years later, it reappeared in the deco of TakaraTomy's ''[[Movie Advanced Series]]'' version, and eventually ditched the ''Revenge of the Fallen'' packaging in favor of a very deceptive variation of the packaging for TakaraTomy's ''[[Movie Advanced Series]]'' version, with all the additional Japanese texts of the genuine version being omitted and several graphics, logos and other elements (such as "Google Play" and "App Store" buttons) commonly found on official Hasbro packaging added.

Following the launch of the ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (toyline)|Dark of the Moon]]'' line, reports of knockoff [[Dino|Mirage]] seen in alleged ''Dark of the Moon'' packaging with [[MechTech]] weapons appeared many, many months before [[Dino#Cyberverse|any actual Mirage]] ever hit the shelves. It was, however, a cleverly retooled and enlarged knockoff of Legends Class [[Barricade (Movie)/toys#Legends Class toys|Barricade]] released alongside equally upsized versions of ''Movie'' Legends Class Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and a mostly unaltered version of Barricade himself. The packaging design was styled after the ''Dark of the Moon'' look down to use of the "MechTech" logo, but changing the name of the "line" from ''Transformers: Dark of the Moon'' to "Distortion Android: The New Deformation Robot Movie 3", with the figures themselves sporting "creative" names such as "Super Racing", "Justice Leader", "Justice Warrior" and "Evil Demons". Nearly two years later, knockoffs of Voyager Class Optimus Prime and Deluxe Class Bumblebee began to show up in China as well.

Knockoffs of ''[[Transformers: Age of Extinction (toyline)|Age of Extinction]]'' figures included [[Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys#First Edition toys|"First Edition" Optimus Prime]] downscaled to Voyager size, with an additional "variant" that swapped out the red and blue colors. Yet another Bumblebee knockoff, as well as several other unidentifiable "Transformers", showed up as well. As is often the case, the packaging imitated the font used for the real thing, only having the words altered.

===High quality Masterpiece knock-offs===

Starting in 2012, the ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' line has became noted for inspiring large numbers of high quality, nearly indiscernible knockoffs (the [[Sideswipe (G1)/toys#Masterpiece|MP-12 Lambor]] sculpt being the first and therefore one of the more notorious examples). Many such knockoffs look identical to their original counterparts at first sight and can only be distinguished by the quality of the box graphics (especially the gradient in the background and the lighter black color), slight sculpting differences, and rare differently colored [[paint operation]]s. Many theories have been proposed as to where they came from, from being cleverly reverse-engineered, to (the most popularly suggested) factory rejects being found and sold. Fortunately, there are numerous reviewers and websites dedicated to pointing out the differences.

==Manufacturing and distribution==
[[File:SENDTHEBOOKS.jpg|left|thumb|SEND THE BOOKS!]]
===Countries and Regions that produce or once produced knockoffs===
Most knockoffs originate outside of North America and Europe. Although most knockoff-producing countries have joined the Berne Convention and have thus obligated themselves to protect the copyrights of other countries, lax enforcement has allowed manufacturers in many foreign countries, such as China, to continue to produce knockoffs. However, manufacturers in other countries like South Korea, which was once a huge source of knockoff ''Transformers'', have in the last decade made efforts to legitimize themselves by buying the rights to produce official Korean versions of the toys they had long been copying.

* [[China]] — The main source of the world's Transformers knockoffs and notorious for their use of gigantic blister cards. Although they are typically low quality, such as the combiner gift sets produced by Kidi Toys, it is also the home of Playcenter, the high quality counterfeit Generation 1 toy manufacturer. China has signed the Berne Convention obligating them to protect foreign copyrights, and has enacted legislation to do so, but their enforcement remains at a pitifully weak level. China is currently the main source of the world's Transformers knockoffs.

* [[South Korea]] — Was once a hotbed of Transformers knockoff activity. It was not uncommon in South Korea for there to even be animated series, like ''[[Inferno (G1)|Phoenix King]]'', that incorporated multiple knocked-off properties, such as [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]] fighting a Gundam or any other number of famous characters. Hilariously, "Gundam" was so embedded in the South Korean public psyche as a synonym for "giant robot" via these different bootleg outlets that the ''Gundam'' property owner Sunrise's attempts to [[trademark]] the word were entirely rejected by the courts.<ref>[http://www.comipress.com/article/2006/10/28/938 "Gundam and Giant Robots in South Korea"]</ref> Some Korean knockoff manufacturers took great liberties with Transformers molds, such as significantly increasing their size,<ref>[http://www.pleasesavemerobots.com/scrambledcity/skorbia/skorbydestrong.html South Korean Combatron / Combaticon bootlegs] at Skorbia</ref> and/or retooling their [[alternate mode]]s to resemble completely different vehicles.<ref>[http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=17850203&uid=5138952] ''(dead link)''</ref> South Korea is known for such knockoffs as oversized Combaticons, Overlord with Starsaber's face, multiple Power Master Optimus cab knockoffs, and the white Oversized ''Generation 2'' Optimus Prime (the legitimacy of which has been debated). Since the mid-/late-1990s, South Korea has begun enforcing foreign copyrights and is no longer a major source of knockoff Transformers toys.

* Taiwan — Known for knockoffs with a lot of English text on them and higher quality than other knockoffs. Many Taiwanese knockoffs found their way into Italy in the 1980s and 1990s and can often be spotted on Italian eBay. [[GiG]], the official ''Transformers'' licensee in Italy, even imported a Taiwanese knockoff [[Shockwave (G1)/toys|Shockwave]]. Like South Korea, Taiwan is no longer a major source of knockoffs.

===Knockoff companies===
Certain knockoff companies have become notable over the years for one reason or another:

* Four Star - Known during the 1980s for taking any number of ''[[Diaclone]]''-descendant [[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1 molds]] and making massive [[retool]]s of them, usually changing 75% of the mold or more. They are especially known for "Mr. Hardhat", a [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] imitation that is made up of six entirely changed [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] that combine in an entirely different way.<ref>[http://toys.tfw2005.com/mr-hard-hat-four-star-combiner-4967 Mr Hard Hat gallery] on TFW2005</ref> The fully combined form uses [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]]'s head, and weapons for the smaller robots included unchromed grey versions of Starscream's launchers (non-firing), Mirage missiles, retooled Soundwave missiles, and the three Omnibot guns. Despite only being known to exist during the '80s, previously unknown Four Star bootlegs seem to appear every few years, bringing into question exactly how many figures they retooled and how these figures were distributed to stay hidden for so long.

* Tek Toys - A North American company that appeared in the early to mid-1990s and did business almost exclusively through Toys"R"Us. They pioneered the combination card/windowless box design used by many, many bootlegs to this day. Tek Toys also used a distinctively plain graphics style on their packaging, eschewing the usual random ''Gundam'' and Generation 1 graphics for new airbrushed art or, surprising for a knockoff company, CGI models, almost always against a plain white background. Tek Toys also worked in extremes, either having recolored copies of existing figures or all new original figures that may or may not have been procured from smaller Asian companies (oftentimes Leader Shine). In a bold move, Tek Toys had their office address printed on later boxes. Their new box graphics are still recycled by other knockoff companies to this day.

* Leader Shine (AKA Champion Crown) - Known during the 1990s for bootlegging the living hell out of the [[Jumpstarter]] molds, producing clones, minor retools, major retools, and almost unrecognizable retools. They also produce "original" toys whose transformation schemes are derived from either ''Transformers'', the ''Brave'' series, or ''Power Rangers''. They still release new and varied Jumpstarters to this day. Leader Shine is also responsible for the very ''[[Godzilla]]''-themed knockoff of [[Grimlock (G1)/toys|Grimlock]] that reappears every few years. They also have an amusing habit of putting "Pat. P." (Patent Pending) on almost all of their packages in spite of whether their product is a direct copy or completely changed. However under the trade names "Leader Shine" and "Champion Crown" there are no patents held.

* Happy Well - One of the most prominent knockoff companies from the mid-2000s, Happy Well was bold enough to strike a contract with [[Walmart]], CVS Pharmacies, and Walgreens, making them possibly the first company to have a knockoff "name brand", namely the ''Galaxy Defender'' series. Happy Well uses relatively high-quality materials, and most of their products are boxed. Some even come with sticker sheets and [[die-cast]] parts. They have since created their own properties and shy away from bootlegs. Their ''Roadbot'' line was the only direct competitor to the ''[[Transformers: Alternators|Alternators]]'' line of licensed scale transforming cars.

* B & J Toys - [http://www.bjtoys.co.uk/index.html] - based in Ireland, UK - pride themselves on providing pocket money toys. Their products are traditionally manufactured in China & imported for resale as stand displays. Most recognizable product sold for 99p are the carded, oversize G1 Cassettes of the 5 in 1 line named "Robotic Transform Cassette", represented by knockoff's of Micross (Rumble/Frenzy), Jaguar (Ravage), Ramhorn, Steeljaw & Squalktalk in multiple colors.

* Zhong Jin, aka Playcenter<ref>Zhong Jin/Playcenter was first identified as the manufacturer of the knockoffs in September 2007, when fans noticed pictures of most of the current counterfeit G1 knockoffs on their [http://web.archive.org/web/20080329180144/http://china.alibaba.com/company/detail/playcenter.html Alibaba supplier website], including then-upcoming counterfeits like Warpath. Apparently aware of this, Zhong Jin took down images of all their counterfeit Transformers from the website in October or November.</ref> - The first and primary manufacturer of the high-quality counterfeit Generation 1 knockoffs. Zhong Jin has been making their counterfeit Transformers since 2005, starting with [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]], but in 2007 began greatly increasing their range of counterfeit Generation 1 knockoffs, which now includes at least 47 different G1 Transformers, filling in many of the gaps left by the official reissues. They have also done many plastic/paint variants of their knockoffs, including many clear plastic versions.

* Kidi Toys<ref>[http://www.toysghost.cn Kidi Toys' web site]</ref> - Perhaps best known as the manufacturer of the many low-quality Generation 1 gestalt gift sets. Following Zhong Jin's lead, they briefly produced a couple realistic counterfeit Generation 1 knockoffs ([[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]], [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]], and [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]). Among their other notable knockoffs are [[Transformers: Alternators|Alternator]] figures with new or copied paint schemes of reasonable quality. They are the knockoff company responsible for the infamous fake Metroplex Encore Reissues, which deceived major online Transformers stores.<ref>http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-toy-discussion/199973-what-heck-encore-12-metroplex-i-got-tfsource-fake.html</ref>

* Citi Toys - Based in Thailand, the same company that was producing toys for McDonald's Happy Meals was also producing knockoffs of transforming robots in the late 1990s, albeit mostly ''Brave'' and ''Power Rangers''. After news leaked out that they used child labor, new knockoffs with their "CT" logo stopped appearing, which suggests that the child labor scandal caused them to shut down.

* Agglo - A Hong Kong-based company that has produced numerous Transformers knockoffs over the years. Their products have ranged from knockoffs of Generation 1 figures, to ''Beast Wars'' and Japanese Beast Wars characters and even ''Robot Masters'' and ''Generation 2'' Cyberjets. They are notable for giving their lines rather long names, one of their Beast Wars KO lines being "Space Warriors Transformable Beast Tech Fighter". They are one of the primary suppliers to the American ''Big Lots!'' stores and generally use their toy molds until they are virtually destroyed, as evidenced by their bootlegs of a number of Leader Shine products which have been retooled to have fewer and fewer parts as time goes by.

* iGear - A more high end producer of down-sized and retooled knockoffs of Masterpiece Transformers toys, particularly the [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|Optimus Prime]] and [[Starscream (G1)/toys|Starscream]] molds, usually costing as much as the original full sized toys themselves. They have slowly transitioned into creating original molds, producing original designs such as [[Ironhide (G1)/toys|Weapons Specialist]] and [[Huffer (G1)|Rager]]. Unlike the others listed here, iGear products can't be found on western store shelves and are known for their online presence.

* CHMS - Mostly specializing in knocking off the Classics [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]] mold in any number of colors and varieties, CHMS appeared roughly around 2008 and tend to copy not only the toy but the entire style of packaging as well, usually of the Henkei exclusive variety. Like iGear, they are known to western consumers mainly through the internet.[[File:TrendmastersMasterbotix.jpg|right|thumb|AND I'LL FORM THE HE—oh, wait.]]

* Polyfect Toys - A company based in Quangdong, China, who are notorious for slightly-downscaled G1 and Micromaster combiner teams and downscaled Brave figures under their "Super Change" and "Quick Change" brands of KO robots. Their products are common in Family Dollar, Tuesday Morning, and Big Lots among other stores. They often retool and simplify molds to keep manufacturing costs down. They often package items on large blister cards with plagiarized artwork and random nonsensical English phrases, such as "FREIGHTERPAN" to refer to their KO Menasor (which, by the way, includes Nosecone and Afterburner instead of Dead End and Wildrider).

===Transitional companies===
Although remarkably rare, some knockoff companies eventually venture into legitimate toy design territory. One such example is Trendmasters, which started out (arguably) as a knockoff manufacturer before eventually legally securing the ''{{w|Voltron}}'' license. Happy Well has also shifted its focus from knockoffs to original Transforming robots in their Roadbots, X-Bot and V-Create lines.

Another such company was Korean knockoff manufacturer Academy. Academy is known for releasing the Overlord knockoff with Star Saber's head as well as the huge, up-sized ''Gundam'' Cloth MK-II. In the world of plastic scale models, they were also known for producing low-quality knockoffs of Japanese manufacturer Tamiya's kits with copied box art. Academy has since gone legit, legally acquiring such licenses as ''Gundam'', ''Naruto'', ''Tom and Jerry'', and ''[[Zoids]]''.<ref>[http://www.academy.co.kr/5c/5c_main.asp Character products page] at academy.co.kr</ref>

Perhaps the most baffling example might be the Simba Dickie Group, a popular German toy manufacturer (perhaps best known for being the parent company of notorious railway model manufacturer Märklin) that once released multiple generic transformable robots under their 2007 "''Planet Fighter''" series of assorted sci-fi budget toys - amongst these being various straight-up knockoffs of Jumpstarters, oversized Mini-Cons, and even a marginally upscaled version of [[Megatron (Armada)/toys|Armada Megatron]] in tan and grey camouflage. Bizarrely enough, not even a decade later, they would go on to actually produce official Transformers merchandise for Hasbro, [[Optimus Prime (WFC)/toys#Dickie Toys|starting with replica and remote controlled cars]] for ''Robots in Disguise'' and later expanding towards die cast figurines for ''The Last Knight'' and ''Bumblebee''.

The opposite direction is also possible: [[GiG]] acquired a license from [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] for distributing ''[[Diaclone]]'' toys in Italy before Hasbro even launched their ''Transformers'' line. Subsequently, they obtained a second license from Hasbro to distribute ''Transformers'' toys proper, which they did all the way up until 1997. By 1998, Hasbro abandoned GiG as their Italian license in favor of their own, newly formed Italian Hasbro branch. Subsequently, GiG released several knockoffs, such as off-color versions of the [[Constructicon (G1)|Construticon]]s.

It's also sometimes claimed (though never sufficiently proven) that at least some of the high quality ''Generation 1'' counterfeits mentioned above are actually being manufactured by the same Chinese factories that had produced the originals for Hasbro, using the original toolings, which would explain why some of these toolings are "lost" as far as Hasbro is concerned.

==Law and copyright infringement==
===Legal analysis of knockoffs===
[[File:DOTM.MIRAGEKO.jpg|upright=1.00|thumb|left|Were you fooled by this in 2011? Don't be shy, we were [[Misconceptions and urban legends about Transformers|fooled too]].]]Despite myths to the contrary, most ''Transformers'' knockoffs are illegal. In ''HASBRO BRADLEY, INC. v. SPARKLE TOYS, INC.'', 780 F.2d 189 (2nd Cir. 1985), the Second Circuit granted an injunction on Sparkle Toys' [[Jumpstarter]] knockoffs, where Hasbro showed a likelihood of success for infringement of their copyright in the Jumpstarters toys.<ref name="sparkle">[http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/780_F2d_189.htm HASBRO BRADLEY, INC. v. SPARKLE TOYS, INC.] at the Legal Information Institute</ref> For those not law literate, this basically means that (A) Hasbro held a valid [[copyright]] in the Jumpstarters, and (B) Hasbro had a strong enough case that this would have gone to a jury, which would ultimately decide whether there was infringement.

Although Hasbro and Takara's design patents on ''Transformers'' toys expire after 14 years from issuance, their copyright in ''Transformers'' toys lasts for 95 years from publication, i.e., sale to the public. Thus, while the design patents on some ''Transformers'' toys have expired, the copyright protection on all ''Transformers'' toys is still in effect. For useful articles, such as a reconfigurable toy, copyright protects only those expressive elements that are separable from the function. While a transformation is probably not protectable because it is functional, the overall look of the robot or alternate mode is protectable. Thus, while a heavily retooled knockoff that only retains the [[transformation]] of the original toy may avoid infringement, a toy that is only resized or is only painted in different colors would infringe on Hasbro and Takara's copyright regardless of the slight modification.

In a second case, ''WALES INDUS. INC. v. HASBRO BRADLEY, INC.'', 612 F.Supp. 510 (1985), Wales Industrial attempted legal steps ''against Hasbro'' to ''stop them from taking legal steps against Wales'' for selling knockoffs of Hasbro's ''Transformers'' toys, arguing that Hasbro was not the copyright holder, but merely a licensee, and the original Takara versions of the toys were lacking copyright stamps, thus making the toys fall into public domain. The court shot down the case by declaring that through their contract with [[TakaraTomy|Takara]], Hasbro was legally authorized to represent them as copyright holder; the lack of copyright stamps on Japanese releases of the toys was irrelevant due to different domestic laws, as what mattered was that the toys had copyright stamps when they were released to the United States market; and Wales Industrial had even acted in full knowledge of a potential copyright conflict by having their knockoff toys slightly modified as to not be exact carbon copies of Hasbro's versions.<ref name="wales1">[https://casetext.com/case/wales-indus-inc-v-hasbro-bradley-inc-2 WALES INDUS. INC. v. HASBRO BRADLEY, INC.] and [https://casetext.com/case/wales-indus-inc-v-hasbro-bradley-inc supplementary item] at Case Text.com.</ref>
{{-}}

===Hasbro's intervention (or lack thereof)===
[[File:Knockoff advertisement.jpg|right|thumb|upright=0.7]]
To date, Hasbro apparently has taken few actions against knockoff manufacturers. Only the above cases of Hasbro shutting down a ''Transformers'' knockoff operation in the 1980s exist, and no such cases exist from the 1990s onward. Hasbro's ''Transformers'' design director [[Aaron Archer]] was once quoted as making a comment at [[BotCon]] implying that Hasbro was unconcerned with knockoffs.{{fact}} Strangely, Hasbro recently contacted small online toy store AgesThreeAndUp and told them to take down their knockoff listings. At [[BotCon 2008]], [[Greg Lombardo]] read an official Hasbro policy discouraging fans from purchasing knockoffs — even in the main dealer room just a few yards away — and vaguely threatening future legal action against their producers. In May 2008, eBay began taking down auctions for knockoff Transformers (the high end counterfeits in particular), but it's unclear whether this was Hasbro's doing or not.<ref>http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/other-news-20/knockoff-transformers-auctions-being-pulled-from-ebay-165004/</ref>
{{-}}

===Myths about knockoffs===
Over the years, there have been a lot of widespread myths about knockoffs. Perhaps the most preposterous myth is that knockoffs are legal. See the Legal Analysis section above for why this theory is incorrect. Although few proponents of this theory exist, those that do claim vigorously that the presence of knockoffs on Family Dollar or Wal-Mart's shelves means that those products must be legitimate. The flaw in the reasoning here is that it assumes big chain stores would never do anything ignorantly or illegally, which is certainly [http://www.google.com/search?q=walmart+lawsuit not the case].

One long-held myth among fans (due to a general lack of information), is that the Generation 1 ''Transformers'' with Chinese stickers in the corner are high-quality counterfeits. After all, they look just like the original Generation 1 releases, but with some very small differences and oftentimes slightly inferior plastic quality. Recently, though, it's come out that these were, in fact, [[The Transformers (Chinese toyline)|re-releases for the Chinese market produced from 1989 through 1995]], not unlike their Chinese ''[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]'' counterparts from around the same period. Ironically, high-quality counterfeit Generation 1 toys from China would eventually come out, but it wouldn't be until 2005, a decade later.

Numerous international releases based on licenses [[pre-Transformer#Licensed international releases of pre-Transformers|predating the success of the ''Transformers'' brand]] (some of them available concurrently with their ''Transformers'' counterparts) have also been mistaken for knockoffs. The fact that ''actual'' knockoffs of these figures (and even knockoffs of ''these very licensed versions'') exist doesn't exactly help matters.

==So, are knockoffs worth buying?==
As a final consideration, you might be wondering if purchasing a knockoff figure is actually worth your money or not. Here are some factors you might want to consider:

===Pros===

*Unsurprisingly, knockoffs are generally far cheaper than their official counterparts. This is obviously balanced by the generally lower quality, but there are still some pretty intuitive advantages in getting a copy of a figure for a fraction of its original price, especially in cases where a buyer might not have the money to purchase an official version. This is further substantiated by the few knockoffs that actually do have surprisingly good quality and can easily pass for original collector-grade items, like the aforementioned Generation 1 and Masterpiece counterfeits. In the end, when a rare figure like the 2014 gold version of Masterpiece Megatron can often cost past the $600 mark on eBay, getting the mass manufactured reproduction that looks virtually indistinguishable from the original for $60 might not sound completely unreasonable. Most recently, there has even been an onslaught of fan-oriented KOs designed to not just copy the originals but also to surpass them with improved sculpts and paintjobs, like the repainted and slightly remolded movie figures of WeiJiang.
[[File:AlphaBaseRobot.jpg|right|thumb|Oh, hi. I cost more than a [[Mint in sealed box|MISB]] ''G1'' Overlord. Want to touch me?]]

*Surprisingly enough, some older knockoffs do have collectible value, especially those produced in Taiwan and South Korea during the 1980s. As an example, the pre-transformer version of Shockwave (originally manufactured in grey by Toy Co as a figure called "Astro-Magnum") was the victim of multiple knockoff copies which are now actually more valuable than an original Generation 1 Shockwave. The bizarre Academy version of Overlord is another example in the same vein.

*Some knockoffs might end up providing unique variants of toys that never had an official release. This is pretty common when it comes to manufacturers like iGear that deliberately copy and modify molds to specifically appeal to collectors, but similar items can be found in a few "vulgar" knockoff lines. The aforementioned Polyfect downscaled G1 combiners, for example, are often treated by fans as unofficial ''[[Smallest Transforming Transformers]]'' equivalents of their original figures, to the point where some of them have even received third party stickers inspired by the decals on the original toys.

*Modifying commonly found knockoffs might be a cheaper alternative to modifying original figures for [[customizing]]. While using an official toy can be seen as a sacrifice of sorts, especially if the figure is rare or isn't bought from a junk lot, building your own creation from a cheap reproduction of that mold might be preferable over discarding a genuine valuable Transformer. Dismantling an original Masterpiece Optimus Prime for whatever frankenstein you're trying to create doesn't sound like the most economically viable idea, but doing so with a generic Chinese ripoff labelled as a "''Conversions Metals Car''"<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQOb4j72BCg</ref> might be a plausible prospect.

*Likewise, some knockoffs might be usable as spare part donors for original figures. This is not always feasible since most commonly available KOs do not have the same size and sculpt accuracy of their official counterparts, but when they do, it might well be a viable process for toy maintenance.

===Cons===

*Per rule, knockoffs are generally far inferior to their original versions. Keep in mind that the previously mentioned WeiJiangs and Masterpieces are only rare exceptions amongst the usual pile of counterfeit junk, the vast majority of KOs you'll find in dollar stores are nowhere near the level of an official Hasbro or Takara product. These are often conceived with the most rudimentary plastic that can be shunned out at the most affordable rate, with little to no [[quality control]] behind their manufacturing, and in numerous occasions without even featuring any paint operations besides the actual color of the plastic they're molded in. As such, unsurprisingly, not just are knockoffs usually aesthetically unappealing and hardly comparable with their original counterparts on looks and function alone, but they're also often more flimsy and prone to damage than some figures with [[Gold Plastic Syndrome|gold plastic syndrome]].

*As already previously explained, knockoffs are illegally produced copies of Transformers designs. This might not be too much of a detractor for collectors, especially considering how little Hasbro and Takara themselves seem to care about modern knockoffs, but it does imply that, by purchasing a fake figure over a genuine one, you are not monetarily contributing to the team that actually designed and engineered that original figure. This might be seen as a refutable point by arguing that the Transformers series, being a multi-billion dollar franchise, probably isn't suffering any significant economical losses as a result of knockoffs, but still, if you assume a Kantian approach to ethics, you might find it unethical to purchase them: the categorical imperative implies that, if everyone bought counterfeits instead of original figures, then it would become nonviable for Hasbro and Takara to produce any original figures in the first place. Still, you might be a consequentialist instead, in which case we can't really blame you.

*Most modern knockoffs, even the highly accurate Masterpieces and Generation 1 reproductions, are also inevitably bound to have little to no resale value in the near future. The older 1980s KOs became valuable precisely because of how limited they were, with the very few that were around directly trying to compete with Hasbro, but alas, contemporary knockoffs have almost formed an entire parallel market of their own that Hasbro doesn't seem to particularly care about. As for the cheaper dollar store ones, it might be needless to say that the resale value for a flimsy oversized Legends class figure will probably never be all that great in the first place. Furthermore, in conjunction with the previous point, reselling them is also theoretically illegal.

*At last, while legality is hardly a detractor for most consumers, you might want to seriously consider the manufacturing backgrounds of most of these figures. Keep in mind that the working conditions in China, where the predominant amount of knockoffs come from, are easily amongst the most miserable and inhumane for modern developed economies, to the point where some manufacturers like the aforementioned Citi Toys have even been investigated for accusations of child labor. The Chinese government does attempt to enforce several rigorous labor laws, but alas, the minimum wage for most undeveloped regions is still incredibly low and therefore, if even massive multinational corporations like Nike and Apple have been strongly criticized for their labor practices in China, it seems fair to assume that the schedules and wages demanded for illegal counterfeit products are probably even more immoral and inhumane. Once again, this does not necessarily apply to every single manufacturer, but if you're buying a legally shady product then it might very likely also have a morally shady manufacturing process behind it.

==In fiction==
===2005 IDW continuity===
"Knockoff" was considered an offensive epithet against Transformers who were [[Reproduction#2005 IDW continuity|"constructed cold."]] {{storylink|Remain in Light 1 of 5: The Fecund Moon|The Fecund Moon}}

===''Age of Extinction'' film===
After defeating [[Stinger (AOE)|Stinger]], [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] smugly referred to his defeated doppelganger as a "cheap knockoff." {{storylink|Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction}}

==External links==
*[http://highendtfs.com/?q=node/17 HighEndTFs' ID Guide for high quality counterfeit Generation 1 Transformers]
*[http://www.actionfigurechecklist.com/Images/Album/index.php?v=list&i=0&p=Transformers_KnockOff_KO Action Figure Checklist's Transformer Knock-Off Photo Album]
*[http://www.reocities.com/TelevisionCity/3230/tfother.html All Things Transformers - Other Transforming Toys]
*[http://www22.pos.to/~butto/ttot.html Butto's Other Transforming Toys (Japanese)]
*[http://www.netlaputa.ne.jp/~m-akao/GALLERY/fakehp.html Fake Toy Gallery (Japanese)]
*[http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/listing/user/bootlegs Hatch's Bootleg Transformers]
*[http://www.geocities.ws/kidk0rrupt/ Kid K0rrupt's Bootleg Gallery]
*[http://www.builtstlouis.net/tf/mmkos/index.html Rob's Pile of Transformers: Micromaster Knockoffs]
*[http://www.tfarchive.com/toys/gallery.php?g2_itemId=7302 TFArchive.com's Bootleg Gallery]
*[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-3rd-party-discussion/191817-knock-off-transformers-thread.html TFW2005 Ongoing Knock-Off Transformers Thread]
*[http://www.toyarchive.com/Transformers/Knockoffs/Genertaion1KnockOffs.html Toyarchive.com's Gallery of Generation 1 Knockoffs]
*[http://zobovor.20megsfree.com/knockoffs_archive.html Zobovor's Knockoff Toys Archive (text)]
*[http://pleasesavemerobots.com/scrambledcity/skorbia/index.html SKORBIA-Crazysteve's South Korean Bootleg Information Archive]

==Footnotes==
<references />

[[Category:Toys]]

Power of the Primes (franchise)

2020-10-07T06:18:56Z

Zhiangseanwang: /* Foreign names */ Corrected Chinese Translation for series name

{{Nav-PowerOfThePrimes}}
'''''Power of the Primes''''' is a [[2017]]-[[2018]] multimedia branding used by [[Hasbro]], expected to encompass ''[[Transformers brand|Transformers]]'' toys, comics, and other merchandise. Capping off the ''[[Prime Wars Trilogy]]'', ''Power of the Primes'' follows the ''[[Combiner Wars (franchise)|Combiner Wars]]'' and ''[[Titans Return (franchise)|Titans Return]]'' sublines and, unlike its predecessors, doesn't spotlight any one particular gimmick, instead featuring a plethora of reverse-compatible play features based off the previous two installments of the toyline, while highlighting [[Prime (rank)|Prime]]s featured across the ''Transformers'' mythos.

==Toys==
[[File:Generations 2015 Toyline logo.png|right|100px]]
{{Main|Power of the Primes (toyline)}}
Following the conclusion of the [[Transformers: Generations (toyline)|''Generations'' toyline]]'s ''Titans Return'' [[subline imprint]], the ''Generations'' line was refreshed with ''Power of the Primes'' branding, and featured a line-wide [[gimmick]]: "[[Prime Master]]s", small [[Titan Master]]-type figures that represent the sparks of the [[Thirteen|Primes]]. Unlike Titan Masters, Prime Masters are available only in their own pricepoint, where they are packaged with [[Pretender]]-style [[Prime Master|Decoy Armor]], but can interact in some way with all larger assortments. Legends Class figures retain the ability to seat a small figure in alt-mode, whilst the Deluxe and Voyager Class pricepoints see the return of ''[[Combiner Wars (toyline)|Combiner Wars]]''-style [[Combiner]]s. The combination joints remain unchanged, whilst the hand/foot system is tweaked: all Deluxes now include a hand, and all Voyagers a pair of feet. These accessories also facilitate the Prime Master integration for those size classes: Deluxes can use their hand as chest armor, into which a Prime Master spark mode can slot, and Voyagers can use their feet as forearm bucklers, which similarly fit a Prime Master. All Voyager Class figures also include an [[Enigma of Combination]], shaped like a Prime Master spark mode, that can fit onto their combined mode chest. Finally, Leader Class figures feature an "Evolution" gimmick, wherein each toy includes a Deluxe-sized character who can "evolve" into a Prime by combining with additional armor. Each Leader includes a uniquely-colored [[Matrix of Leadership]], the central crystal of which can be removed and replaced with a Prime Master.

==Cartoon==
{{Main|Transformers: Power of the Primes (cartoon)}}
Picking up where the two [[Transformers: Combiner Wars (cartoon)|previous]] [[Transformers: Titans Return (cartoon)|series]] left off, the ''Power of the Primes'' cartoon premiered on [[May 1]], 2018 and ran for ten episodes until [[July 3]], 2018, bringing the trilogy to a close.

==Notes==
*A survey commenced on January 23, 2017, to choose the next Transformer to be made a Prime in the story.<ref>[http://tfwiki.tumblr.com/post/153921009773/hasbro-lets-fans-shape-the-future-of-the Hasbro announcement (copied via Tumblr)]</ref> Fans initially had to choose the leader of three personality factions, with the highlighted winners going to the second round:<ref>[http://www.facebook.com/transformers/posts/1272396496163875:0]</ref>
**Honor: [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]], '''[[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]]''', [[Hound (G1)|Hound]]
**Order: [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]], [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], '''[[Star Saber (Victory)|Star Saber]]'''
**Chaos: [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]], '''[[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]]''', '''[[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Unknown Evil]]''' (wild card)

*Optimus Primal won the final round,<ref>[http://www.facebook.com/transformers/photos/pb.146805978722938.-2207520000.1487463781./1362620857141438/?type=3&theater]</ref> resulting in the 2018 [[San Diego Comic-Con]] exclusive [[Optimus Primal (BW)/toys#SDCC2018|''Throne of the Primes'' Optimus Primal]] toy. A redeco of his ''Power of the Primes'' Leader-class Evolution figure, it also pays homage to his victory in the poll by featuring the faces of the other participants on its included cardboard throne.<ref>[http://bwtf.com/news/sdcc2018-throne-of-the-primes-photos Toy News: SDCC 2018 Optimus Primal CONFIRMED, bwtf.com, 2 July 2018]</ref>

*''Power of the Primes'' did not have a tie-in "event storyline" comic from [[IDW Publishing]], as tentative plans for such an event were scrapped. However, by coincidence, [[John Barber]] wrote an overarching storyline in [[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|''The Transformers'' vol. 2]] and ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)|Optimus Prime]]'' featuring [[Onyx Prime]], and also guest starring [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]], [[Liege Maximo]], and [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]].<ref>[https://twitter.com/TheJohnBarber/status/969079746859450369 Tweet by @TheJohnBarber, 2018/03/01]</ref> So there you go.

===Foreign names===
*''Mandarin'': '''Biànxíngjīngāng Tiānyuánzhīlì''' (China, 变形金刚天元之力, "Transformers: Primes' Power")
*''Portuguese'': '''Poder dos Primes''' (Brazil, "Power of Primes")
*''Spanish'': '''Poder de los Primes''' (Latin America, "Power of the Primes")

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Franchises]]
[[Category:Generation 1 franchises]]
[[Category:Power of the Primes| ]]

User:Zhiangseanwang

2020-07-22T02:47:15Z

Zhiangseanwang:

Hi there! Just a Transformers lover from China. Mainly collecting Autobots from the War For Cybertron trilogy, and some other good ones from Studio Series.

== Looking for:==

-Earthrise Wave 1/2

-Netflix Wave 2

-Siege Cog/Chromia

-SS Jazz/Wreckers/49Bee/Sisters/Sentinel

-Maybe SS Devastator if a full set version comes out

User:Zhiangseanwang

2020-07-22T02:44:05Z

Zhiangseanwang: Created my own page!

Hi there! Just a Transformers lover from China. Mainly collecting Autobots from the War For Cybertron trilogy, and some other good ones from Studio Series.

Looking for:
-Earthrise Wave 1/2
-Netflix Wave 2
-Siege Cog/Chromia
-SS Jazz/Wreckers/49Bee/Sisters/Sentinel
-Maybe SS Devastator if a full set version comes out

Blaster (G1)/toys

2020-03-01T14:12:12Z

Zhiangseanwang: Fixed a misspelled Chinese character.

{{suite}}
{{picsneeded|Kre-O figure}}
[[File:G1 packagingart Blaster.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb]]

'''Blaster''' doesn't share as many toys with [[Soundwave (G1)/toys|Soundwave]] as you might think.

==Toys==
===The Transformers===
*'''Blaster''' (Autobot, 1985/1986)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''38'''
**''Accessories:'' [[Electro-scrambler|Electro-scrambler gun]]
[[File:G1 Blaster toy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|"Still think you're so superior, Soundwave?"]]
: Rather huge by the typical standards of Generation 1 Transformers, Blaster transforms into a miniature [[Non-vehicle non-beast alternate modes|"ghetto blaster" boombox]]. He features spring-loaded buttons: when pressed, his "start" button stays in the depressed position until his "stop" button is pressed, while pressing the "eject" button pops open his tape door, which can store a single [[Mini-Cassette]] Transformer. Due to what was presumably a common internal misassembly issue, many original Blasters had doors which would not open when the eject button is pressed, nor would the other buttons work. Blaster has rather limited useful articulation, located in his neck and shoulders.

:Blaster was reissued by Takara in 2006 as part of ''[[#TFC|The Transformers Collection]]'', then by Hasbro in 2010 during ''[[#Hasbroreissue|Universe]]'' and again by Hasbro in the [[Transformers: Platinum Edition|''Platinum'']] Autobot Intel boxset (see below).

::*''[http://www.transformerland.com/wiki/toy-info/transformers-g1-communicators-blaster/420/ Patent info, price guide, and further reading on Blaster at Transformerland.com]''
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1985/Autobot/Blaster/blaster.htm More information on Blaster at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

{{anchor|TwincastG1}}
[[File:G1toy twincast.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
*'''Twincast''' (Autobot, 1987)
**''ID number:'' '''C-116'''
**''Accessories:'' [[Steeljaw (G1)|Steeljaw]], Electro-Scrambler Gun

:For this Japanese-exclusive release, the first Blaster toy was [[redeco]]ed into a new blue, yellow, and red color scheme. Like his contemporary redeco [[Soundwave (G1)/toys#SoundblasterG1|Soundblaster]], his chest door was [[retool]]ed in order to accommodate two cassettes at once, and changed from colorless clear plastic to translucent red as part of a gimmick with his pack-in partner, Steeljaw. This version of Steeljaw sports a new decal depicting [[Scorponok (G1)/toys|Scorponok]], which reveals the Decepticon's weak spot when placed behind Twincast's red door, working in the same manner as a [[Tech Spec]]s decoder.

:Twincast was reissued as an [[e-HOBBY]] [[exclusive]] in 2006 (see below).
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1987/Cybertron/Twincast/twincast.htm More information on Twincast at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

{{anchor|ActionMaster}}
[[File:ActionMasterBlaster toy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Which gun is better?]]
*'''Blaster w/ Flight Pack''' (Action Master, 1990)
**''Accessories:'' "Flight Pack" backpack, "tractor beam electron gun"

:A non-transforming action figure, [[Action Master]] Blaster (not to be confused with the "Action Master Blasters" price-point) is compatible with any other Action Master vehicle or accessory. His design is based largely on his cartoon model, with elements from the toy added (like his visor). He came with the "[[Flight Pack]]" accessory, which converts from a winged jetpack to a massive "electro-scrambler" cannon.
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1990/Autobot/Blaster/blaster.htm More information on Action Master Blaster at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Binaltech Asterisk===
[[File:Bta broadblast.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|They see me rollin', they hatin'.]]
*'''Broadblast meets Lumina''' (Binaltech, 2005)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''BTA03'''
**''Accessories:'' Engine/gun, Lumina Hoshi with stand, driving arms and driving legs

:A redeco of ''[[Transformers: Alternators|Alternators]]'' [[Skids (G1)#Alternators|Skids]], Broadblast transforms into a 1:24 scale Toyota bB, aka the {{w|Scion xB}}. He has working doors, hood, and trunk, plus his engine becomes a non-firing weapon. He also comes with an extra decal sheet, which includes signs for "TBN" which ''possibly'' stands for "Transformers Broadcast Network" or some such; there is Japanese text on the labels as well, but it's really tiny and hard to make out.

:He came with a PVC-plastic figurine of the [[human]] newsgirl [[Lumina Hoshi]].
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2005/Cybertron/Broadblast/broadblast.htm More information on Binaltech Asterisk Blaster at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===The Transformers Collection===
[[File:G1toy TFC blaster.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
*'''Broadcast''' (reissue, 2006)
**''ID number:'' '''21'''
**''Accessories:'' Steeljaw, Electro-scrambler gun, cassette case

:Blaster's first reissue was the final instalment in Takara's ''[[The Transformers Collection]]'' line of re-released Generation 1 toys. He features no notable changes from his original release, save for the fact that he comes packaged with Steeljaw, where his original release had gone without any pack-in partners.
{{-}}

===Collector's Edition===
[[File:G1toy twincast reissue.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
*'''Twincast''' (2006)
**''ID number:'' '''C-116'''
**''Accessories:'' [[Flip Sides (G1)|Flip Sides]], Electro-scrambler gun, cassette case

:Twincast's first reissue was available as part of the [[Collector's Edition]] line exclusively through online retailer e-HOBBY, designed, as most e-HOBBY [[exclusive]]s were at the time, to accompany the mass-release of the standard reissue of the original Blaster. Though Twincast was unusual in that he was a pre-existing character, where the previous few years' worth of e-HOBBY exclusive redecos had been new characters, he did come packaged with a new partner: a redeco of the Eject/Rewind mold named [[Flip Sides (G1)|Flip Sides]]. The notable difference from the original Twincast was the absence of an Autobot sigil on his left upper arm. At the time, rather than feature unique packaging, all e-HOBBY exclusives came in a generic box in Autobot red or Decepticon purple; oddly, Twincast came in a Decepticon box, but since Flip Sides was characterized as a Decepticon sleeper agent, it just about made sense.
{{-}}

===Universe (2008)===
[[File:Blasteruniversetoy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Preparations for the military strike, dubbed Operation Supergroovalisticprosifunkstication Storm, are already underway.]]
*'''Autobot Blaster with Blockrock Mini-Con!''' (Voyager, 2008)
**''Series:'' '''Classic Series'''
**''Accessories:'' Tri-barrel "particle feedback blaster"/bomb, double-barrel "harmonic wave cannon"/bomb, Cybertron Autobot Cyber Key

:Blaster is a redeco of ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' [[Soundwave (Cybertron)#Toys|Soundwave]], transforming into a Cybertronic stealth bomber vaguely like an [[Popular Earth vehicle alternate modes|F-117A Nighthawk prototype]], the {{w|Have Blue}}. He comes with three hexagonal prism "bombs"; one converts into his partner [[Blockrock#Toys|Blockrock]], the other two unfold into non-firing blaster weapons. Any one of these "bombs" can be stored in his [[robot mode]] chest, which opens by plugging a [[Cyber Key]] into him; Blaster comes with a translucent black, gunmetal-bordered [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]-style Autobot key, in contrast to the [[Planet X (Cybertron)|Planet X]] key that came with Soundwave. The other two bombs store in indents on the underside of his wings.

:His packaging art shows him with only half of his chest-door as clear-blue, emulating the original toy design's tape-window, but the final product (and stock photography) show the blue all the way across. However, his visor ''does'' have red paint to simulate the "goggle visor" look of the [[#Generation 1|original toy]] and Marvel comics model.

:This mold was also used to make ''Galaxy Force'' [[Logos Prime#Toys|Soundblaster]].
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Autobot/TFUBlaster/blaster.htm More information on Classics Blaster at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|Hasbroreissue}}
[[File:Universe2008 SDCC G1Blaster.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
*'''Autobot Blaster''' (2010)
**''Series:'' '''G1 Series'''
**''Accessories:'' Electro-Scrambler Gun
:This reissue of Blaster comes with [[Steeljaw (G1)|Steeljaw]], [[Ramhorn (G1)|Ramhorn]], and [[Eject (G1)|Eject]]. Released as part of the [[Transformers: Universe (2008 toyline)|2008 ''Universe'' toyline]], the packaging also has a special foil-detailed outer slip case. Blaster is technically a slight [[redeco]], having metal-flake beige legs instead of metallic-swirl silver.

:This set was officially a [[Hasbro Toy Shop]] [[exclusive]] and was, in typical tradition, first made available at the Hasbro Toy Shop booth at [[San Diego Comic-Con]] 2010 and subsequently also sold via the Hasbro Toy Shop website. In addition, it was also made available at the Animation-Comic-Game Hong Kong Fair 2010, and was later released at FanExpo Canada 2010.
{{-}}

===Device Label===
[[File:DL-toy BroadBlast.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Ten million stickers for the back of the monitor portion not included.]]
*'''Broad Blast''' ([[July 24|7/24]]/2010)
**''Accessories:'' USB cable

:''[[Transformers Device Label|Device Label]]'' "Broad Blast" (renamed for reasons unknown) transforms into a replica Toshiba Qosmio laptop computer, complete with flip-up screen. In both modes(!) he is a fully functional USB hub (USB 1.1-2.0 compatible), with four "Type A" ports, and a single "Mini A" port. He comes with an ''exceedingly'' short Mini-A-to-Type-A cable, which you're probably gonna want to replace if you're gonna use him with a desktop computer setup.

: In robot mode, his chest is designed to accommodate the original [[Mini-Cassette]] toys, though they cannot stay in there in laptop mode, due to Broad Blast's head being inside his chest in this form. He has [[5 mm post|5 mm fist holes]], which means he can use the original Blaster toy's rifle if you so wish.

: Early stock imagery [[:File:Device Label Broadcast.jpg|showed him with a Windows XP home screen]] on his monitor portion, but the final toy instead uses a red screen with the Autobot symbol.

:Originally scheduled for release in late [[2009]], Broad Blast was delayed until July 2010. According to a report from getnews.jp at the Tokyo Toy Show 2010, the delay was due to the discovery of a connection cut-off problem after the toy/USB hub is transformed into robot mode. TakaraTomy redesigned the entire lower body to fix this problem.<ref>[http://getnews.jp/archives/68064 Get News.jp report on Device Label Broadblast]</ref>

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2010/Cybertron/DLBroadBlast/broadblast.htm More information on ''Device Label'' Broad Blast at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Encore===
[[File:Encoretoy-Twincast.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
*'''Twincast''' (2012)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''22'''
**''Accessories:'' [[Nightstalker (G1)|Nightstalker]], [[Stripes]], [[electro-scrambler]], two mini-cassette cases

:Twincast was available again as part of TakaraTomy's ''[[Transformers Encore]]'' series of reissues. For this release of Twincast, the techno detailing of his door is smoothed over for cartoon accuracy. Also to add to cartoon accuracy, his face is colored in a metallic yellow with metallic light blue eyes instead of silver with gold eyes. All of the original Twincast's stickers have been replaced with tampographed detailing for this release, including a large Autobot symbol on his chest (where the techno detail was present on previous releases). Twincast also features a darker blue from the previous releases as well as a different shade of yellow for his tape deck door.

:Twincast came with Nightstalker and Stripes.

:This toy was redecoed into ''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (toyline)|Shattered Glass]]'' [[Blaster (SG)|Blaster]].{{-}}

===Generations===
====Fall of Cybertron====
[[File:Generationstoy-FOCBlaster.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6]]
*'''Autobot Blaster''' (Voyager Class, 2012)
**''Series / Number:'' '''1 / 004'''
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TG17'''
**''Accessories:'' Steeljaw/data disc, rifle
{{note|Fall of Cybertron Blaster was [[repurposing|repurposed]] as ''[[Transformers Cloud|Cloud]]'' Blaster.}}

:Part of the second wave of [[2012]] Voyager Class ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]] [[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron]]'' toys, "Autobot Blaster" is a [[redeco]] and [[retool]] of ''Fall of Cybertron'' [[Soundwave (WFC)#GenerationsVoyager|Soundwave]], with a new, grinning head, as well as a new chest, wheels, and weapon. He transforms into an SUV-style "communications truck", and comes with a rifle which is based on Generation 1 Blaster's [[electro-scrambler]]. The rifle can peg (via [[5 mm post]]) into his hands, right shoulder, and roof/back, and the rifle itself features a peg-hole on each side.

:He also comes with [[Legends Class (2005)|Legends Class]] [[Steeljaw (FOC)#Generations|Steeljaw]], who is a redeco/retool of [[Ravage (WFC)#Generations|Ravage]], and utilizes Blaster's main [[gimmick]], which is that he is capable of storing and launching Steeljaw and other "[[data disc]]" minions. When a button to the left of his head is pressed, his spring-loaded chest compartment is opened, allowing up to three data discs to be stored inside. When the disc/s is/are stored, his back panel/roof now acts as a plunger, and pushing/sliding on this plunger in either mode launches the disc/s out of his chest compartment, wherein they will land on and depress the buttons on their undersides, thus triggering their [[Flipchanger|spring-loaded transformation mechanisms]] and springing them into action! ...Hopefully.

:As an undocumented feature, the seat on his vehicle roof holds ''[[Diaclone]]'' drivers (and by virtue of similar sizes, ''[[Star Wars Transformers]]'' pilots). Additionally, Blaster's trigger finger is molded into his left hand, presumably so he can push his own eject button.

:His chest [[insignia]] is the [[live-action film series]] "angry eyes" Autobot symbol. Also, his [[stock photography]] depicts him with black antennae that are red on the final product, while his [[instructions]] reuse Soundwave's image for the "completed" robot mode.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2013/Autobot/FOCBlaster/blaster.htm More information on Blaster at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|IntelOps}}
====Platinum Edition====
[[File:Generations-Platinum-Edition-Autobot-Intel-Ops-Blaster.jpg|thumb|upright=2.5]]
*'''Autobot Intel Ops''' (2015)
**''Accessories'': Concussion rifle, missile launcher, 3 missiles, 6 slides, slide holder

:Hasbro again released Blaster in 2015 as part of the [[Transformers: Platinum Edition|''Platinum Edition'']] toyline. He was co-packed with [[Perceptor (G1)/toys#IntelOps|Perceptor]], [[Eject (G1)#Generations|Eject]], [[Ramhorn (G1)#Generations|Ramhorn]], and [[Steeljaw (G1)#Generations|Steeljaw]] in a box with an opening front cover. Like the [[#Hasbroreissue|''Universe'' reissue]], Blaster features metal-flake beige legs.

:In the United States, this set was officially a [[Target]] exclusive, though it was initially only ever found at a single Target store, otherwise only available via the company's website. It was later revealed that multiple Target stores had kept it in their stockroom and eventually put it out on instant clearance many months later. However, it was also stocked by US-based online retailers [[BigBadToyStore]] and TFSource, who supposedly obtained it as an import from Asia. It was available in several of Hasbro's Asian markets (namely Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore; it's currently unknown whether it was exclusive to any particular stores there or not). In Australia, it was sold at [[Toys"R"Us]] stores.

:In the United Kingdom, it was both sold at [[Toys"R"Us]] stores and officially available via the UK division of [[Amazon (website)|Amazon]], making this the first official UK release of all the toys contained within! In Spain, it was officially available via the Spanish division of Amazon. In Germany, it was originally available via Bankroft, an online retailer that otherwise specializes in [[Nerf]] blasters and accessories, as part of a special "Fan Edition" arrangement through Hasbro Germany, with the help of several German [[fandom|fan]] sites. Due to low sales, the unsold stock was later sold to Actionfiguren24, a German online retailer that specializes in imported toys, who was able to lower its price for its existing stock of imported Autobot Intel Ops sets as a result.
{{-}}

====Titans Return====
{{anchor|TitansReturn}}
[[File:Transformers-Generations-Titans-Return-Leader-Class-Blaster.jpg|upright=1.55|thumb|Transforms from innocent radio into Autobot communicator into concert stage and back!]]
*'''Twin Cast & Autobot Blaster''' (Leader Class, 2016)
**''Accessories:'' [[Twin Cast#Toys|Twin Cast]] Titan Master partner, rifle, "rocket-sled"/remote control

:Blaster is part of the first wave of Leader Class ''[[Titans Return (toyline)|Titans Return]]'' figures, and comes with his [[Titan Master]] partner, [[Twin Cast]], who transforms into his head. In addition to his classic robot and boombox alternate modes, he can also transform into a base mode that can link up to the other base modes in the toyline, and features numerous 5 mm mounting points for weapons and Titan Master vehicles and turrents, as well as tiny pegs to accommodate many other Titan Master figures. He includes a "rocket-sled" that is stylized to look like a remote for when Blaster is in boombox mode; it comes with a seat for a Titan Master pilot which forms the topmost turret of his base mode. The sled stores inside Blaster's chest compartment in other modes; a notch is cut into its underside to store Twin Cast while Blaster is in boombox mode. Blaster's chest compartment is also capable of holding Legends Class 'spy-tablet' figures, although this negates the ability to store Twin Cast in Boombox mode. He has several (non-functional) ports molded into his back and legs capable of accommodating real-life USB cables, headphone jacks, and power cables.

:Blaster's helmet, modeled after the Marvel comics design, is made of translucent plastic, which is painted everywhere except the visor. Despite this, the visor's placement does not vertically align with Twin Cast's eyes in head mode, leaving his brow the only thing visible. This was apparently done to evoke the appearance of black "shades".

:He was later [[redeco]]ed and [[retool]]ed into ''Titans Return'' [[Soundwave (G1)/toys#Titans Return|Soundwave]] and ''[[Transformers: Bumblebee (toyline)|Bumblebee]]'' [[Soundwave (ROTF)#Bumblebee|Soundwave]]. He is mis-transformed in both his stock photography and in-package: his radio handle isn't collapsed down.

:Hilariously, one of the Chinese-English bilingual instructions showcasing [[Nemesis Command]] had Blaster's name written as "汽车人的枪“, which literally translates as "'''Autobot's Gun'''".

{{-}}

===Masterpiece===
[[File:MP25-Raoul and Blaster accessories.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1]]
* '''Tracks''' (2015)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''MP-25'''

:''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Tracks (G1)#Masterpiece|Tracks]] comes with a non-transforming Blaster boombox accessory in homage to the two Autobots' team-up in "[[Auto-Bop]]".

:This mold was also used to make ''Masterpiece'' [[Loudpedal]]'s [[Sound Warrior]].

{{-}}{{anchor|MP26}}
[[File:MP26-Twincast and nose gun accessories.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1]]
* '''Road Rage''' (2015)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''MP-26'''

:''Masterpiece'' [[Road Rage (G1)#Masterpiece|Road Rage]], a retool of Tracks, comes with a blue Twincast redeco of the boombox accessory.
{{-}}

===Kre-O===
{{anchor|SDCC2015}}
*'''Kreon Class of '85''' (Kreon figure set, 2015)
**''Set number'': '''B5152'''
**''Voted'': Most Popular
**''Accessories'': Large rifle

: ''[[Kre-O]]'' Blaster is a small brick-built [[Kreon]] figure, using the 2015-style construction with raised hands and the sturdier "peg-in-peg" torso/waist connection. His body [[tampograph]]s are heavily toy-based, but he has a cartoon-based face design.

: He was only available as part of the [[San Diego Comic-Con]]-[[exclusive]] "[[Kreon Class of '85]]" 30-Kreon set. This set was also sold online through [[Hasbro Toy Shop]] after the show.

{{-}}

===Legends===
[[File:TF-Legends-LG27-Blaster.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|"Ladies & Gentlemen, I bring you: Billy the Broadcaster!]]
*'''Broadcast (Blaster)'''<ref>The packaging says "ブロードキャスト" (Broadcast) in Japanese, but the accompanying English subtitle is "Blaster".</ref> (2016-[[September 24|09-24]])
**''ID number:'' '''LG27'''
**''Accessories'': Headmaster, rifle, spotlight/rocket-sled

:''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' Broadcast is a redeco of [[#Titans Return|''Titans Return'' Leader Class Blaster]], and features a deco based on both his toy and cartoon appearances. Notably, his small Headmaster form's colors are based on Twincast, his rebuilt form, which results in a blue visor in robot mode.

::*''[http://higekumatoytoy.blog60.fc2.com/blog-entry-2688.html Legends Broadcast at Alfes's Blog]''

{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===Transformers Gum===
[[File:TFgum blaster.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
*'''Broadcast''' (model kit, 1986)
**''Accessories:'' Electro-scrambler gun

:A snap-together model kit of Blaster was released by [[Kabaya]] as part of their ''[[Transformers Gum]]'' line of candy toys. Released in the third wave of the line and sculpted from red, grey and black plastic with a few stickers for detail, Blaster is broadly identical to his larger figure, right down to the moulded-in left-over details from his ''MicroChange'' release like his power switch and dials . There is one major difference: his chest does not open, so he can't store any of the tapes from Kabaya's smaller ''[[Transformers Choco]]'' line the way the ''Transformers Gum'' Soundwave can.

::*''[http://www.tfw2005.com/resources/g1-kabaya-cybertrons-441/broadcast-gum-3398/ More information on Transformers Gum Broadcast at TFW2005.com]''
{{-}}

===Decoy===
[[File:Decoy blaster.jpg|thumb]]{{anchor|TakaraDecoy}}
*'''Cybertron Hero Collection 22''' (multi-pack, 1986)
:Blaster was among the many characters rendered by [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] as part of their series of 1.5" ''keshigomu'' figurines. Like all the Autobots in the series, Blaster was molded in soft red rubber, and featured a number sculpted into his back that was the sum total of his [[Tech Spec]]s, for use in the various games that could be played with the figurines.
:Blaster was available as part of a 22-piece box set of Autobot figures, in a variety of colours through "gachapon" capsule machines, and later, in a peach coloration randomly packed as part of various other box sets distributed by [[Seven]].

{{anchor|HasbroDecoy}}
*'''Blaster''' (Decoy, 1987)
**''Decoy number'': '''29'''
:The figurine was later brought over to [[Hasbro]] markets as part of the [[Decoy]] promotion, largely identical to the Japanese release except for the fact that the number on his back was replaced with a simple "checklist" number. Like all Autobot Decoys, he was a randomly-chosen pack-in available with the carded [[Throttlebot]]s, [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]], [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]], and [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]]

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

===Attacktix===
[[File:Blaster-atx.jpg|thumb|Have some NON-EXISTENCE, courtesy of FLAGGING SALES!]]
*'''Blaster''' (Booster, <s>2007</s>)

:Blaster was likely to have been one of several ''Transformers [[Attacktix]]'' Booster pieces, using a powerful spring-loaded "blaster" missile launcher attack. Though displayed as part of the ''Attacktix'' display at the ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]]'' "Celebration IV" convention, he —and all the other pieces revealed at the show— were ultimately never released.

{{canceledattacktix}}
{{-}}

===Robot Heroes===
[[File:Robotheroesblasterthrust.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Waiting futilely for Robot Heroes Scrounge.]]
*'''Blaster and Thrust''' (2008)

:Part of the third wave of ''Universe'' ''[[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]]'', "Generation 1 Series" Blaster comes packaged with [[Thrust (G1)/toys|Thrust]]. He has the standard shoulders-and-neck articulation. His headsculpt is more toy-based than cartoon-based, featuring his "goggles" (even though his eyes kind of pop out from them).

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Autobot/RHBlaster/blaster.htm More information on Robot Heroes Blaster at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===G.I. Joe and the Transformers===
*'''''The Epic Conclusion!'' box set''' (2013)
:An [[exclusive]] release for [[San Diego Comic-Con]] 2013, this is a non-transforming Blaster boombox with cassette pieces representing [[Steeljaw (G1)|Steeljaw]], [[Ramhorn (G1)|Ramhorn]], and [[Eject (G1)|Eject]]. The set also comes with a retooled [[Skystriker (vehicle)|Skystriker]] representing [[Jetfire (G1)/toys|Jetfire]], a G.I. Joe [[VAMP]] redecoed into [[Hound (G1)/toys|Hound]], a new [[Snake-Eyes]] figure bearing an Autobot symbol, a [[Baroness]] figure with [[Ravage (G1)/toys|Ravage]] on a leash, and a "samurai robot warrior" based on [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]].

:The box set was announced via a ''USA Today'' [http://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/life/2013/06/05/hasbro-2013-comic-con-exclusives/2392295/ article] on June 5, 2013, along with Hasbro's other Comic-Con exclusives.

{{-}}
===Tiny Titans===
*'''Autobot Blaster''' (Tiny Titans, 2016)
**''Series'': '''5'''
**''Number'': '''2/12'''

: Part of the fifth assortment of ''[[Tiny Titans]]'' [[blindpacking|blindpacks]], this version of Blaster is a very small, soft-plastic figure of him in robot mode.

: He includes a collectible card that renders him in the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 franchise)|2015 ''Robots in Disguise'']] styling. The card includes a scan-badge for the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (mobile game)|''Robots in Disguise'' mobile game]], which unlocks a random amount of Energon "currency" and a randomized bonus power-up item.

{{-}}

==Notes==
[[File:MicroChangeRadiCassRobo.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67]]
*Blaster began life as the ''[[Micro Change]]'' "Radi-Casse Robo" ("radio-cassette", you see), which was actually a functional AM radio. Though this feature was gutted from Blaster when he was released as part of the ''Transformers'' toyline, the original toy's power switch (on his right leg), earphone jack (on the back of his left leg) and tuning dial (on his chest) still remain, now as moulded, non-moving details. Even the toy's electro-scrambler gun is designed to serve as storage for the mono earphone which came with the toy, with the plug inserting into the stock, the cord winding around it, and the earphone itself tucking into the hole in the gun's main body. It was not the toy itself which was the radio; rather, the radio was a small "micro-cassette" which plugged into the toy's internal wiring when inserted into its chest, allowing it to play through the speakers in its legs in either mode. As the electronic equipment in the chest meant that the figure could not hold normal ''Micro Change'' cassettes there, it featured a compartment on its back which could hold a single tape instead. This compartment could still be found on some early releases of Blaster, though it was often mistaken by fans as a vestigial battery compartment, which was actually originally located in the toy's right leg.

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Attacktix]]
[[Category:Binaltech Asterisk characters]]
[[Category:Classics Autobots]]
[[Category:Decoys]]
[[Category:E-Hobby]]
[[Category:Generation 1 toy Autobots]]
[[Category:Headmasters]]
[[Category:Kre-O Autobots]]
[[Category:Kreons]]
[[Category:Legends Autobots]]
[[Category:Masterpiece]]
[[Category:Platinum Edition]]
[[Category:Repurposed toys]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:SDCC exclusives]]
[[Category:Titans Return Autobots]]
[[Category:Universe (2008)]]