Longrack (Cybertron)

This article is about . For other uses of "Longrack", see Longrack (disambiguation)|The name or term "Longrack" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Longrack (disambiguation).}}
Longrack is an Autobot from the Cybertron portion of the Unicron Trilogy continuity family.
The Longrack of the Law

With the ongoing battles between the Autobots and Decepticons and the attacks by the evil Unicron, Cybertron has suffered a lot of damage over the years. It's Longrack's mission to repair this damage. Fixing the planet-wide destruction won't be easy, but Longrack is patient, he'll get it done.

While he prefers building, this doesn't mean he can't put up a fight. He'll take on any Decepticon that tries to interfere with his work and then finish them off with his Crushsteel Punch!

Fiction

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Cybertron cartoon

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Why don't you kiss him instead of talking him to death?

Longrack was nearby when Mudflap and Landmine made amends on Earth, along with several other refugees like Blurr and Joyride. Family

Longrack later appeared among a crowd of Gigantion citizens when Metroplex pep-talked his people, preceding the launch of the four colony-world ships, which kicked off the galaxy-spanning Space Bridge project. Beginning

Timelines

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The events that take place within these two prose stories are also set in the same universe as the Cybertron cartoon. However, this Longrack is not related to the one mentioned above.

When the threat of the great black hole threatened Cybertron, Longrack was chosen by Ultra Magnus to lead one of several scout expeditions to search for colony worlds that might hold Cyber Planet Keys, or information leading to them. He was given command of the Spanner, along with a crew comprising Armorhide, Checkpoint, and the newly recruited Velocitronian named Blurr. In the region of space known as Delta Draconis, they found a colony world ravaged by war. The colony of Combatron had been intended as a standing garrison against the inevitable coming of Unicron, but the mysterious disappearance of their commanding officer set the soldiers against each other, and multiple factions broke out fighting, leading to countless generations of warfare and devastation.

Alerted to the planet's history by a recovered Data-Con, Longrack and his team had the gift of knowledge when they encountered the world's last apparent survivors, Private Whirl and his Mini-Con allies. Longrack managed to impersonate a drill sergeant, using the Combatrons' strict military training against them in order to end the initial hostilities. After the two sides got to talking, Longrack learned two unpleasant truths: (1) the Combatrons had maintained a vault filled to the brim with a doomsday arsenal the likes of which hadn't been seen in vorns and (2) Brushguard and a detachment of Decepticons were apparently on the planet and closing in on the arsenal.

Longrack, Whirl, and the others struck out for the vault and managed to get the drop on the Decepticons, but not before they had begun ransacking the arsenal. Using a drone generator, the Decepticons produced dozens of Decepticlones, and Longrack was eventually brought down by the crazed Swindle and the Decepticlones' superior numbers. The rest of his team soon followed, with only Armorhide still running free. The lone Autobot commandeered the Spanner and flew it back to the site of the bunker, crashing it into the Decepticon position to unleash a massive explosion. Longrack got his crew on board the Decepticons' shuttle, the Upstart, and flew free of the fireball. With Whirl and his Mini-Cons added to the crew, Longrack proceeded on towards his pre-planned rendez-vous with Ultra Magnus and the Iron Hope. Force of Habit

Following the war with Galvatron, Longrack fell under Override's command on board the Star Arrow. During a space mission when they were transporting a valuable Force Chip, the Star Arrow was shot down above the planet Sandokan. Longrack was seriously injured in the crash, losing most of one of his legs. While searching for the means of repairing their ship, Longrack and the Autobots were attacked by Synthos, the deranged creature who had brought their ship down. They managed to retreat to a cave where they set up camp to repair their injuries and signal for rescue. Unfortunately, things were never that simple. The Decepticon mercenary known as Astrotrain arrived on Synthos, searching for their Force Chip and the Dark Heart that powered Synthos. Excellion kept watch over the injured Blurr and Longrack while Override and Swerve confronted the Decepticon. The injured Autobots were caught unawares by Astrotrain's Mini-Con partners, however, and lost the Force Chip to the mercenaries.

The Autobots raced after Astrotrain, and caught up with the Decepticon during a skirmish between him and Synthos. Astrotrain attempted to overpower the creature by using the Force Chip, but was fighting a losing battle. Synthos got possession of the Force Chip and nearly became unstoppable as he tried to add its power to his own Dark Heart. Luckily, Excellion and Blurr managed to fend off the creature and reclaim the Force Chip before any of their enemies could. In an ironic twist, the Autobots were then saved by the arrival of the space pirate Cannonball, Astrotrain's employer. As the Decepticons occupied themselves with the threat of Synthos, Longrack and the Autobots snuck aboard Cannonball's shuttle and assumed control of the vessel. With the Force Chip safely tucked away, they began their journey back to Cybertron. The Dark Heart of Sandokan

End of G1 Universe

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On Velocitron, Longrack watched as Motormaster transformed into Menasor to fight Metroplex. Mystery of the Speedia 500

Toys

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Cybertron

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Good Mold / Bad Mold routine
  • Runabout VS Longrack (Multi-pack, 2005)
  • ID number: GS-02
  • Release date: February 24, 2005
  • Accessories: Cybertron Autobot Cyber Key
Released in the fourth wave of Takara's Galaxy Force product, Longrack is a redeco and retooling of Armada Hoist, transforming into a Cybertronic excavator. His new head and deco are blatant homages to his Beast Wars Neo namesake. Plugging a Cyber Key into his right arm unlocks his shovel-arm, which can punch forward by pressing in the plunger mechanism.
In Japan, he was only available in a vs-pack with Runabout.
This sculpt was used to make the BotCon 2006 Darksyde Dinobot. The original version of the sculpt was also used to make Universe Ransack.


Hey kids! Remember that toy that never got released over here?
  • Longrack (Deluxe Class, 2005)
  • Accessories: Cybertron Autobot Cyber Key
  • Cyber Key Code: d48m
For his Hasbro Cybertron release, Longrack was made as an individual as part of the Deluxe assortment, initially released in a somewhat short-run "wave 3.5". He is seemingly physically identical to the Japanese release, save for his Cyber Key, which has a new Cyber Key Code tampographed on its back.
Later releases of this toy came with a pack-in DVD of the Cybertron cartoon episode "Hidden".
This toy was later repurposed as Beast Wars Neo Longrack.

Universe (2008)

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  • Battle for the Cyber Planet Keys (Multi-pack, 2008)
  • Series: Cybertron Series
  • Accessories: Cybertron Autobot Cyber Key
Longrack was re-released without changes in a Sam's Club-exclusive box set, as part of the 2008 Universe toyline... well, Longrack proper is unchanged. His Cyber Key, while the same type as before, lacks a Cyber Key Code on the back.
This set also included similarly unchanged releases of Runamuck, Buzzsaw, and Blurr, and a new redeco of Armada Deluxe class Optimus Prime.

Notes

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  • Longrack was designed as an homage to the Beast Wars Neo character Longrack, who also featured a spring-loaded right arm that was basically a gigantic claw. This toy was also used as the basis of Beast Era Longrack's Cybertronian form in IDW's Beast Wars comics.
  • While the earlier versions of the mold used to make Longrack included a Mini-Con partner, neither release of Longrack had one. The Mini-Con partner mold was released in the Japanese Galaxy Force Micron Booster wave as Grip-Lock/Clamp.
  • Given the discovery of Buzzsaw's model sample sheet confirming him to be the Velocitronian race commentator in the Cybertron cartoon despite all of the other fiction surrounding the character making him a Decepticon, it is very likely that a sample sheet for Longrack exists, thus making either of his cartoon appearances canon.

Foreign names

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  • Japanese: Longrack (ロングラック Rongurakku)
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