Free Wheeler

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Free Wheeler is an Autobot Micromaster from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Dude, why don't we all just chill out, grab some low-octane espresso, and talk this over... or you could keep shooting at me, whatever.

Some bots just aren't cut out to be soldiers. Free Wheeler lived a life free of responsibility and worry before the war; it's likely the only reason he's part of the Autobot army is because it was his only chance to see that life again. He's extremely mellow and easygoing, unaccustomed to the rigor and initiative needed to be an effective fighter. Patrol leader Roadhandler is sympathetic to Free Wheeler's unease and tries to mentor him, but worries he may never develop the ambition needed to really be effective in his job. As it stands, Free Wheeler is the major obstacle preventing the Race Car Patrol from operating at their peak performance.<ref>More than Meets the Eye #2</ref>

Fiction

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Marvel Comics continuity

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Marvel The Transformers comics

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Events from the UK-only comic stories are in italics.

Free Wheeler and the Race Car Patrol were among the Micromasters created on Cybertron, under the guidance of Emirate Xaaron. Free Wheeler and the rest of the Race Car Patrol, along with the Rescue Patrol, were tasked with preventing the Decepticons from experimenting on their fellow Autobot Micromasters from the Battle Patrol, previously captured during a scouting mission. They were given explosive charges to destroy the facility where the Battle Patrol were being held, but chafed against Xaaron's orders that did not permit them to attempt a rescue. Ultimately they disobeyed his orders and braved the installation. Entry to the facility proved a little too easy... Turns out the Decepticons had already successfully reverse-engineered Micromaster technology, and were now using the Autobots to test their new Air Strike Patrol. With a bit of trickery on Roadhandler's part, the Autobots nonetheless managed to liberate their comrades and fled from the installation. A Small War!

When Optimus Prime requested reinforcements be sent to Earth, the Micromasters were "nominated" for relocation. Prime informed them on a pair of recent news reports involving giant creatures spotted in the New Jersey swamps and unusual storm activity consolidating over Manhattan. Believing there was a Decepticon link between the stories, the Race Car Patrol went to patrol the nearby roads. There, they ran into Cecilia Santiago, a reporter who was already investigating recent developments. With her help, they located Iguanus in New York City, as he was planting an energy-collecting device on top of the Empire State Building. Though initially confused by the lack of any "vacuum lifts" within the building, Free Wheeler and his team eventually made it to the roof, where they defeated Iguanus and prevented him from collecting any of the storm's energies. After the mission's completion, the Micromasters regrouped at the base of the Empire State Building, where Optimus offered to pick them up, so they could avoid any trouble from the local law enforcement agents. The Micromasters refused Optimus's help, preferring to instead act as an independent unit and deal with such matters their own way. King Con!

Afterwards, they remained active in New York as local heroes. When Roadhandler was challenged by professional wrestler Jake "The Jackhammer" Jackson to fight him in the ring, the former saw a new forum with which to demonstrate Autobot virtues to a larger human audience, and accepted. He had Free Wheeler and Swindler accompany him to his matches. Swindler took on the role of manager, but Free Wheeler never received any sort of title. He mostly just hung around Roadhandler at his venues to fill out his entourage. The Interplanetary Wrestling Championship!

Free Wheeler and the Race Car Patrol were out with Optimus Prime on Earth when they saw Chainclaw being attacked and abducted by a mysterious Decepticon. Shortly afterwards, the Decepticon radioed Optimus, and offered to sell the plans back to him for 5000 energon units. Optimus agreed to "Dealer's" terms, and turned to the Race Car Patrol for volunteers on the exchange. The group was then approached by a a mysterious Autobot who offered to retrieve the sensitive information that Chainclaw had been carrying. Optimus allowed "Double" to go through with the mission, but grew antsy when there appeared to be a delay on his return. He did come back, badly damaged and carrying Chainclaw, claiming that the Decepticons had ambushed him and taken both the plans and the energon. Angered by the betrayal, the rest of the Autobots present vowed to deal with the Decepticons themselves, and charged into battle against Scorponok's troops, holed up in a nearby building. (Double) Deal of the Century!

Free Wheeler was present at the Transformers' party for Christmas 1989, where he juggled nuts while standing on a table. The Transformers #250 cover

Transformers Comic-Magazin

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Free Wheeler and the Race Car Patrol were among the Autobots and Decepticons who arrived on Earth and began battling over its resources. New York — A City Sinking in Terror

The Race Car Patrol and Off Road Patrol were later involved in a mission to Alaska to protect an oil tanker. The Transformers' Grand Hour: Headmaster of the Dimensions

Zone cartoon, manga, and story pages

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When Victory Saber initiated the "Zone Project", the Race Car Patrol helped rebuild planet Micro into planet Zone. To counter this threat, Violengiguar began conquering planets in order to create his own Decepticon Zone. The Race Car Patrol and all other Micromaster teams were then sent on patrol across the galaxy, specifically to planets where their unique skills could do the most good. Zone Part 1

When King Poseidon and Trypticon attacked the aquatic planet of Wall, the Race Car Patrol team were deployed to defend it. With the aid of Commanders Overload, Erector, Missile Bull, and Skywave, they emerged triumphant. Zone Part 3

The Race Car Patrol were one of the numerous Micromaster teams that helped defend Planet Zone from the Nine Great Demon Generals. Unfortunately, they were not able to prevent Overlord from stealing the planet's Zodiac energy capsule. Enter the New Supreme Commander, Dai Atlas! Transformers: Zone

When the Powered Masters flew off to the Tenth Planet for their showdown with Violengiguar, all the Micromaster teams took command of Zone and vowed to keep it safe in their Commander's absence. Zone Part 10

Dreamwave Generation One continuity

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Free Wheeler was one of many Micromasters created a little less than four million years ago on Cybertron, to fill out the ranks for both the Autobots and Decepticons. Like all Micros, he was given a choice between factions, and eventually chose to ally himself with the Autobots. He was present when Big Daddy and the Hot Rod Patrol stormed out of the Autobot Base. Destined for Nothing Later, in Little Iacon, Free Wheeler was seen playing the synthesizer in a Micros-only energon bar. He also watched the race between Big Daddy and Roadhandler. The Gray Race He was taken captive along with many of the other Autobot Micromasters when Venom and his team attacked Little Iacon looking for the Hot Rod Patrol. Recipe for Hate They were eventually freed by Countdown and the Hot Rod Patrol, and forced an end to the fight between guzzlers which had been arranged by Skystalker in their absence. Victims of the Revolution

2005 IDW continuity

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Get that Free Wheelin' feelin'

Free Wheeler was one of the denizens of Gorlam Prime who accosted Hardhead and Nightbeat when they arrived on the planet. Spotlight: Hardhead

Beast Wars: Uprising

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Free Wheeler raced in the Iacon 5000. Broken Windshields When the Grand Uprising began, the Race Car Patrol returned to duty and fought the Resistance. They and the Air Strike Patrol were left behind when their battalion retreated from the Mithril Sea without notifying them; they surrendered to the Resistance and were taken to Protihex. Along with other Micromaster POWs, they fought in the Resistance's version of the Games by battling the Decepticons in an Earth-themed gladiatorial arena. In their first Game, Free Wheeler helped to turn an abandoned car into a crude battering ram to bust through a Decepticon blockade, but was shot in the shoulder and fell as the other Autobots moved on their objective. Safe Spaces

Commercial appearances

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Free Wheeler was among the many Autobot Micromasters unleashed by Optimus Prime that managed to infiltrate the Decepticons' lair and muck up the place. Micromaster Patrols commercial

Toys

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The Transformers

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Oh, yeah, the "MACAU" tattoo? Yeah, I got a little whacked out one night on absinthe and, well... seemed like a good idea at the time, man.
  • Race Car Patrol (Micromaster Patrol, 1988/1990)
  • Takara ID number: C-334
Released in the sixth year of Hasbro's US Transformers toyline (fifth year in European markets), Free Wheeler transforms into a yellow Lamborghini Countach sports car. Freewheeler is gang-molded with Roadhandler, sharing the same plastic colors.
He was only available in a four-pack with his teammates Roadhandler, Swindler, and Tailspin.
Together with the Air Strike Patrol and the Off Road Patrol, the Race Car Patrol was released by Hasbro in late 1988 (basically, a case of "next year product" being released at the end of the old year), in packaging that differed from the "proper" 1989 Micromasters' redesigned packaging (silver cards and boxes featuring an all-new "Transformers" logo) by retaining a variation of the faction-specific color-coded gradient background on the card and featuring a unique "Micro Transformers" title in a variation of the old, pre-1989 "Transformers" logo. This same basic packaging design was also used for Canada (albeit bilingual English/French) and parts of Europe (bilingual French/Dutch, and Italian-only packaging distributed by GiG). However, a running change variant of the French/Dutch version featuring the later 1989 packaging design also exists, and most likely a similar version (in English-only packaging) was also released in the United Kingdom alongside similar versions of the Air Strike Patrol and the Off Road Patrol.
The Race Car Patrol was released a year later as part of the Zone portion of Takara's Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers series, with no notable changes from the Hasbro version.
This sculpt was also redecoed into Deadwheeler.

Notes

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Foreign names

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  • Japanese: Wheelrun (ホイルラン Hoiruran)
  • French: Fougeux (Canada, "Spirited")
  • Italian: Atom

References

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<references />
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