Tako Tank
The Tako Tank (タコタンク Tako Tanku) is an amphibious vehicle used by the Maximals fighting the Beast Wars on Gaia. It is nominally in the care of Ikard, although it is more frequently used by his cousin Scuba, who shows a real proficiency for using the machine to its fullest potential. NAVI seemingly can't inhabit the Tako Tank, but she can make contact with it.
The tentacles of the Tako Tank are equipped with suction cups that allow the Tako Tank to climb vertical surfaces. Would this not be enough for freedom of movement, the Dome Open function of the Tako Tank opens up the cab so the detachable speeder bike within, the Sumiicar (スミイカー), can move out. The Sumiicar has both a bike mode and a flight mode, but doesn't protect its driver like the full Tako Tank does. As for weaponry, the Tako Tank firstly relies on its powerful arms to lash out and grab things, which is called Octopower Arm (オクトパワーアーム). Secondly, there's a fluid cannon located in the snout that can fire ink or water, respectively Tako Sumi or Octo Screen and Octo Power, and beneath that there are twin outlets for the vehicle's Octo Laser. The Sumiicar doesn't have these, but it does have twin missile launchers installed called the Surumewinder (スルメワインダー).
Fiction
[edit]Beast Wars II cartoon
[edit]To support Scuba in his work as part of the Maximal army, his family pooled funds and bought him the Tako Tank as a gift. Ikard, Scuba's cousin and owner of Octopus Pot Marked Express Home Delivery Service, brought it over to him on Gaia just as the Lio Convoy Unit was in a fight with the recently upgraded Gigastorm backed up by the Combatrons. It was love at first sight for Scuba and he readily went to test Tako Tank out against his adversaries. He started with a blast of Tako Sumi into Gigastorm's face, blinding the giant and thereby giving himself the time to retreat up a cliff. The Tako Tank safely out of reach, he activated the Dome Open function and continued attacking Gigastorm with the Sumiicar in flight mode. After a salvo of Surumewinder, he landed and continued in bike mode, but more wasn't needed of him because Magnaboss finished the job. Once the Predacons had properly fled, the other Maximals had the time to admire Scuba's new acquisition. Scuba was kind enough to promise that they could drive it too some time, although Ikard warned that the Tako Tank was tuned to Scuba. The New Weapon, Tako Tank
Scuba agreed to teach the other Maximals how to operate the Tako Tank, but when Lio Junior felt the evil Angolmois Energy act up and ran off to investigate, the others recognized the priority and followed after him. When it inevitably led to a fight, Scuba fired the Octo Laser at Dirge and Thrust to force them to retreat. Gigastorm's Treachery During an activity lull, Tasmania Kid and Diver had the Tako Tank on their minds again and went to gaze at it while Scuba was elsewhere. Diver confided that he'd recently seen Scuba clean the vehicle late into the night while singing children's songs. This being highly uncharacteristic behavior, he concluded that the Tako Tank meant a lot to Scuba and that they'd do well not to touch it without his permission. Tasmania Kid dismissed the warning and entered the vehicle, where he couldn't help himself but to push a blinking red button. This activated a program in which the Tako Tank runs away and self-destructs and Tasmania Kid couldn't figure out how to stop it. Quickly alerted of Tasmania Kid's peril, all of the Lio Convoy Unit came after him. When the countdown reached fifteen seconds, Scuba caught up and rode along on the roof as he paged through the instruction manual. At six seconds to go, he found the solution and at two seconds to go, he ended the program. Tasmania Kid was deeply relieved, but there wasn't much time for the Maximals to collect themselves because Hellscream and Max-B attacked. Scuba took control of the Tako Tank and grabbed the two with the vehicle's tentacles. Holding them out before him, he drove the Tako Tank down a cliff at the bottom of which was a river of Angolmois Energy. Rotating the base, he used the vehicle's water cannon to break apart the cliff, dumping the two Cyborg Beasts in the Angolmois Energy while large chucks of rock fell down on them. He himself crawled back up the cliff to safety. The End of Starscream Scuba used the Tako Tank to quickly check various location for their Angolmois Energy activity. At one spot, he was attacked by Dirgegun and Thrustor and frozen in place. Fortunately, the Tako Tank parked nearby caught the eye of Lio Junior, who came over and found Scuba in his frozen state. Just then, his Energon Matrix informed him that Lio Convoy was in danger and he left Scuba in the care of Skywarp and Santon while he took the Sumiicar to go and save his father. He found him being menaces by Dirgegun and Thrustor and readily ran them over. The Lio Convoy Assassination Plot In an attempt to calm down the Angolmois Energy, Lio Convoy had Angolmois Energy cooling devices made and installed one on top of each medium-size class vehicle the Maximals had, among which the Tako Tank. With it, Scuba went out to freeze the Angolmois Energy in place, but after some successes the Maximals came under attack by the Predacons. On Scuba's suggestion, the Maximals refocused their cooling beams on Gigastorm to freeze him in place. With Scuba in the Tako Tank and Diver in the tender, they managed and the time won eventually also won them the battle. The Great Angolmois Freezing Tactic
The Maximals had developed a means to destroy Nemesis, namely the Niagara Cannon. However, to use it they had to get it to a volcano that'd give them access to the Angolmois Energy needed to power the cannon. The Maximals bet on two decoy cannons to distract the Predacons, one of which was assigned to Scuba. Using the Tako Tank, he transported the decoy cannon through an underground river and was spotted doing so by Hellscream and Max-B. They dug down and attacked, easily destroying the decoy cannon. Realizing they'd been had, the duo tried to leave to destroy the real cannon, but Scuba unleashed the Tako Tank's Octo Screen to block their sight. Knock Out Nemesis Scuba and Diver rushed to Lio Convoy's rescue in the Tako Tank and used its Octo Power Arms to restrain a corrupted Magnaboss. He wasn't restrained for long, and the Tako Tank was thrown to the side. Lio Junior's Revolt!? Scuba used the Tako Tank to help disassemble the Yukikaze in preparation for their plans to handle Nemesis, and later watched as the moon began drawing closer to the planet. Emissary of the Fourth Planet Upon being alerted by NAVI about the situation with the Mother Computer, Scuba followed Bighorn, Diver, and Tasmania Kid in the Tako Tank through the Valley of Lions to the underground city where the device is located, but their passage is blocked by the Cyborg Beasts. The Crisis of Planet Gaia On orders from Lio Convoy, Bighorn, Diver, Tasmania Kid and Scuba, in the Tako Tank, made a break for a catapult that would help Skywarp and Santon's ship fly to Nemesis, only for Galvatron to arrive and engage them. Despite the delay, they, along with Magnaboss, were able to board the ship and start on their journey towards Nemesis. Fly Out! Planet Gaia After the Maximals' ship was shot down by the Seacons, Scuba used the Tako Tank to help Diver repair the ship before going out to help their teammates restrain God Neptune, allowing Magnaboss to finish the combiner off with an Angolmois Ball. Revenge of the Space Pirates Together with the Tako Tank, Lio Convoy and Scuba entered the core of Nemesis. They are intercepted by Galvatron, but the Tako Tank blinds him with its Octopus Ink and takes the opportunity to continue towards the core while Lio Convoy stays behind. He finds the core, briefly pondering how to destroy it. When Nemesis begins absorbing all of Gaia's Angolmois Energy, the Tako Tank flees into the core's tube. Breaking into Nemesis He would later emerge from the ground, interrupting a battle between Lio Convoy, Lio Junior, and Galvatron. Realizing that destroying the core right then and there would cause an explosion that would take Gaia out as well, Scuba used the Tako Tank to drill holes that would release Angolmois Energy out into space. Farewell! Lio Convoy
Beast Wars II comic
[edit]Following a tracker he had secretly installed in Tasmania Kid's ear, Scuba made the trip to the mysterious island by means of the Tako Tank. Free the Captured Matrix! Scuba used just the Sumiicar to deliver a love letter to Scylla on behalf of Bighorn. Realize the Forbidden Love!
Dreamwave Generation One continuity
[edit]A toy remarkably similar to the Tako Tank startled an EDC soldier at a movie theater. On reflection, he thought it might be a GoBot. Infestation
2006 IDW Beast Wars continuity
[edit]
During an Angolmois-induced riot on Cybertron, the Tako Tank broke through a wall while leading various crazed Maximals and Predacons, including Scuba. The Ascending #4
Legends World
[edit]In the Legends World, where the rest of the Transformers multiverse existed as fiction, Beast Wars toy collector Rattrap kept the original Tako Tank toy on a shelf. LG10 Arcee
Games
[edit]Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars
[edit]While battling for control of the super-powerful Energon Quartz, Scuba could summon the Tako Tank to perform a devastating "Vulcan Rush" attack, firing 20 consecutive shots from the Octo Laser guns. Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars
Toys
[edit]Beast Wars
[edit]
- Ikard & Tako Tank (1998)
- ID number: X-5
- Release date: October ??, 1998
- Accessories: "Sumiicar" motorcycle, 6 missiles, pump
- Known designers: Takashi Kunihiro (TakaraTomy), Masakatsu Saito (concept artist){{#if: |, {{{2}}}}}
- Part of the ninth wave of Takara's Beast Wars II toys, the Tako Tank is a large mechanical octopus. Twin puppet-rods in the back give control of the front two tentacles, which are made of a soft rubbery plastic, and are also one of the most fun play-features in Transformers ever. A plunger in the back runs through the body, which activates a removable water-squirting pump in the tank's "mouth". A small wheel behind each "eye" allows them to spin in concert, though for what purpose is unknown.
- The tank-head splits open to reveal a removable "Sumiicar" motorcycle Basic-scaled toys can ride. This bike has two flip-around spring-loaded missile launchers, featuring small pegs that are compatible with the Claw Jaw/Scuba mold's tentacle-hands. The wheel assembly can serve as either a traditional land-based vehicle or swivel and tilt to perform as a hoverbike. The launchers fold up into the bike's rider compartment for storage inside the Tako Tank, so the Tank cannot be "piloted" in this form; however, once the bike is deployed, there is room to seat a Basic-scaled figure in the left-over socket to pilot the tank body, plus a nice window for them to look out of.
- The Tako Tank came with its pilot, Ikard.
Merchandise
[edit]Beast Wars
[edit]
- Ofurode Tatakae Tako Tank (おふろで戦えタコタンク, 1998)
- Accessories: Ikard figurine, 3 effervescent bath pucks
- "Bath Fight Tako Tank" is a "diving" style tub-toy, which came with a translucent blue PVC of Ikard. It uses one of the three [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}bath bomb|{{#if:||bath bomb}}]] pucks included to generate carbon dioxide gas from within the Tako Tank, raising the toy to the top of the water, where it dispels the gas and then sinks back to the bottom to repeat the process.
- The bath bombs also give their color to the water... unfortunately, that color is yellow.
Notes
[edit]- Tako (蛸, 鮹, 章魚, 鱆, or タコ) is Japanese for "octopus".
- Like the Niagara Base from the same line, there is speculation that the Tako Tank was originally an unreleased Microman concept. This may explain the Sumiicar's dubious-at-best compatibility with its pilots and why—uncharacteristically for Transformers toys by that time—there was no mode that could store all the missiles at once.
- "Sumiicar" (スミイカー Sumiikā) is a pun on sumiika (墨烏賊, "cuttlefish"). English approximations would be "Carttlefish" or "Shuttlefish".
- "Surumewinder" (スルメワインダー Surumewaindā) is a pun on Screamwinder (スクリームワインダー Sukurīmuwaindā), replacing "scream" with surume (鯣, "dried squid").