Editing Nightbeat (G1)

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{{disambig3|Nightbeat}}
:''Nightbeat is an [[Autobot]] [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]] from the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Nightbeatg1.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Nightbeat in: "The Mystery of the Jaunty Irish Jig!"]]
'''Nightbeat''', a self-declared detective, loves mystery, suspense, and conspiracy.  When Nightbeat is on the trail for clues, nothing else matters. This monomania has famously gotten him into trouble over his head more times than he can count. Yet in the face of adversity, he remains cool, confident, and even irreverent. He has insulted creatures many times his size and committed huge faux-pas to uncover the truth. It is not so much that Nightbeat is brave, but more that when the thrill of the hunt has him -- he will not be denied.

Nightbeat has a [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]] partner, [[Muzzle]], who he gets along ''amazingly'' well with. The two seem to have been of one mind even before they were [[Binary bonding|binary bonded]].

{{bigquote|Interrogation is a '''science''', combining psychology and bluff, observation and--<br>''(Nightbeat ducks, [[Siren]] receives punch meant for Nightbeat)''<br>--Reflexes!'''
|Nightbeat, "[[Bird of Prey!]]"}}

:''Hungarian name:'' '''Éjvadász''' ("Night Hunter")
:''French-Canadian name'': '''Veilleur''' (Watcher) 

==Fiction==
===Commercial animation===
[[Image:NightbeatTV.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Feel the beat of the rhythm of the Nightbeat.]]
While being driven by [[Muzzle]] on the surface of an unidentified planet (with [[Siren]] and [[Hosehead]] at his side), Nightbeat transformed into robot mode. Shortly thereafter, three [[Decepticon]] Headmasters burst through a wall, and Nightbeat engaged [[Horri-Bull]] in battle. {{storylink|Commercial/Generation 1|Small Headmasters Commercial}}<ref>[http://youtube.com/watch?v=Hf-MDd7cdi0 Small Headmasters commercial at Youtube]</ref> 

{{note|This is the only time that Nightbeat's [[character model]] was animated. His "shades", like the eyes on his toy, would have been black, though they glow blue as Muzzle connects.}}

===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Generation 1====
{{noteukonly}}
[[Image:Sirennightbeatbigshutdown.jpg|left|250px|thumb|"Nightbeat, I thought 'Truth is revealed in the smallest detail' is what you always say." "...Shut up, Siren."]]

''Shortly after being made a [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]] and joining [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime's]] crew on Earth, Nightbeat learned of a mysterious robot corpse which had seemingly washed up on the California shoreline. He decided to investigate, bringing along [[Siren]] to serve as his personal "Watson". At the scene of the crime, they found a pair of Transformers hovering over [[Playback|the body]], and who quickly burned rubber once they spotted the Autobots. Sending Siren off to chase them down, Nightbeat pulled out the giant retractable magnifying glass in his sleeve and went to work collecting evidence from the body.''
''Finding a serial brand from a Decepticon prison on the body, and identifying a signature Decepticon blaster as the murder weapon, Nightbeat concluded that a lone, well-armed Decepticon was hunting down escaped Autobot prisoners. Siren returned at that moment, correcting Nightbeat's analysis by informing him the prisoners weren't escapees, but deliberately let loose as prey to be hunted down. His source? The surviving prisoner, [[Hosehead]], and the lone, well-armed Decepticon named [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]] who was right on their tails. Thinking quickly, Nightbeat had his Nebulan partner Muzzle binary-bond with the dead Autobot in order to partially reactivate his motor functions. Caught off-guard by his prey supposedly coming back to life right in front of him, Thunderwing left himself wide open when Muzzle disengaged and Nightbeat blew up the Autobot's fuel core at close enough range to send Thunderwing packing into the waves to dose the flames. Hosehead then returned to the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] with Nightbeat and Siren.'' {{storylink|The Big Shutdown!}}

[[Image:Nightbeatdeathbringer.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Get your head out of 1984, Prime!]]
''Optimus Prime was confiding in Nightbeat his desire to find a way to restore the warriors who were destroyed during the [[Underbase Saga]] when they received a distress signal from the Earth's surface. Nightbeat assembled a combat team that included [[Landmine (G1)|Landmine]], Siren, Hosehead, [[Getaway]], and himself, and under Optimus Prime's command, they rushed to Earth to help their fallen comrades. There they found the [[Deathbringer (species)|Deathbringer]], who had come to cleanse the planet of life. Ironically, Deathbringer was powered by the energies of the [[Matrix of Leadership|Creation Matrix]], the very thing Prime had desired earlier to restore his fallen warriors! And it must be destroyed to save Earth!  While the rest of the combat team were getting slaughtered by Deathbringer, Nightbeat pulled away and consulted via comlink [[Waverider]] on the Ark. Through Waverider's information digging, Nightbeat learned that Deathbringers are mechanoids who are designed to give death painlessly to the terminally ill. Though this particular Deathbringer's purpose had been twisted, Nightbeat used its own programming against it. Nightbeat told the Deathbringer that its own body was diseased, and it should destroy itself. It did, leaving Nightbeat and Prime a hollow victory with questions about the true essence of the Matrix. {{storylink|Deathbringer (issue)|Deathbringer}}''

''Later, Thunderwing emerged from the ocean, intent on destroying Nightbeat, Hosehead, and Siren, the Autobots who had defeated him earlier. {{storylink|Rage!}} To this end, he led his troops on a suicidal attack on the Ark. Though Thunderwing and his troops were forced to retreat, when he returned to Cybertron he was named Decepticon leader for his single-minded ruthlessness. {{storylink|Assault on the Ark!}}''

[[Image:Nightbeatincontrol.jpg|left|200px|thumb|But what does he think about waterboarding?]]

During the Matrix Quest, Nightbeat led Hosehead and Siren on a search of the planet [[Pz-Zazz]] for any sign of the Matrix. Pz-Zazz was on file as a vibrant, lush world; in reality it was a cesspool, festering with mob violence and untamed decadence. While questioning the wrong sort of people, the Autobots were caught in the middle of a crossfire between B'hgdad's men and Gutt's boys. One alien on the street fared worse than they did, passing on a mysterious [[the bird|bird statue]] to Siren before dying in his arms. Despite Nightbeat's keen interest in the clear film noir plot developing around them, Siren and Hosehead convinced him to put the bird aside and continue searching for the Matrix.

At the next bar they were canvassing, the Autobots were confronted by the delightful Miss [[Fatale]]. Fatale informed them of a legendary Font of Life which had once lit a nearby mountaintop. The sick and weak would pilgrimage to the mountain in order to touch a "sacred idol" and heal their wounds. She offered to lead them to the temple on the mountain in exchange for the bird, which she claimed was her property. Suspicious, Nightbeat sent Hosehead and Siren ahead to the mountain with Fatale while he retrieved the bird from where they had stashed it. Confronted by B'hgdad and his men, Nightbeat only managed to escape after chipping off a piece of the bird's outer enamel, revealing the radiant life-source within. Briefly considering keeping the bird as a replacement for the Matrix, to help heal all his comrades aboard the Ark, Nightbeat quickly rejected the idea and returned the bird to its rightful place on the mountain's altar, releasing waves of pure light and hope to revitalize Pz-Zazz and its people.

Then he got shot in the back. No good deed goes unpunished.  {{storylink|Bird of Prey!}}

Thunderwing and his [[Mayhem Attack Squad]] had gotten wind of Autobot parties searching this one area of the galaxy, and his curiosity was piqued. Hooking Nightbeat and the others up to his torturous Mind-Leech device, Thunderwing extracted all he needed to know about the Matrix Quest and the possible planets on the search list.  {{storylink|Kings of the Wild Frontier}} The Autobot trio remained captives on board the Mayhem ship until Thunderwing backhanded his minion [[Ruckus (G1)|Ruckus]] into some equipment.  {{storylink|Deadly Obsession}} This caused a short circuit which, unknown to the Decepticons, freed Nightbeat and his team. Learning that Thunderwing had successfully found the Matrix in their absence and was planning to sneak aboard the Ark in a stolen [[Ark shuttlecraft|Autobot shuttle]], Nightbeat and pals stowed away on the shuttle in the hopes of disrupting the Decepticons' schemes somehow.

[[Image:Nightbeatmatrixguideme.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Stop writing our captions for us, Nightbeat.]]

The situation was worse than they thought. The Matrix was corrupted from a series of unstable hosts, and now had an evil sentience that had overwhelmed Thunderwing and made him a puppet to its will. With the combined forces of the Ark unable to best the Thunderwing / Matrix combo, Nightbeat devised a desperate plan. As Siren triggered the shuttle's self-destruct sequence, Nightbeat fired the ship's grappling harpoon straight through Thunderwing's chest and shut off the docking clamps, just as Hosehead turned off the artificial gravity in the hangar bay. The result was the shuttle being sucked out into the black void, taking Thunderwing and the Matrix along with it before exploding. Thunderwing was last seen hurtling through space, still harpooned to a piece of flaming debris.  {{storylink|All Fall Down (issue)|All Fall Down}}

[[Image:Nightbeateyeofthestorm.jpg|left|200px|thumb|And a second gunman!  On the grassy knoll!]]

Optimus Prime next gave Nightbeat an investigational assignment to look into the disappearance and supposed death of [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] and [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] in a massive explosion on Cybertron some months back. After review witness statements and making a few leaps of deductive logic, Nightbeat reached the hypothesis that Ratchet may have been cast into a [[Trans-Time Dimensional Portal|dimensional portal]] they knew had been active at the time of the explosion, and then been caught between space as the explosion destroyed the delicate portal mechanism. To test his theory, Nightbeat arranged for an inter-dimensional probe to search for and retrieve Ratchet's spark signature in [[unspace]], assuming it was anywhere to be found. {{storylink|Eye of the Storm}}

It was. Ratchet reappeared on the Ark fused at a molecular level to Megatron. This wasn't a [[Silverbolt (BW)|"pure, strong, and fast"]] fusion; it was a horrific blending of two mechanoids, both in constant and indescribable agony. Prime managed to subdue the creature, and Autobot medic [[Fixit (G1)|Fixit]] took steps to separate the pair, who were then placed in stasis chambers. {{storylink|The Pri¢e of Life!}} During the aftermath, Optimus Prime surrendered his forces, including Nightbeat, to [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok's]] Decepticons on Earth, hoping to use his desperate action to unite both factions against [[Unicron]].  This alliance was about to form when the entire Decepticon base imploded in on itself due to an attack from [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave's]] small team of rival Decepticon forces. {{storylink|Surrender!}} Nightbeat survived this initial strike, and along with Optimus Prime and the other Autobots, emerged and tried to keep the new Decepticon Civil War from spreading beyond the area.  Optimus charged himself and Nightbeat with keeping Scorponok specifically out of Manhattan. {{storylink|...All This and Civil War 2}}  However, when [[G.B. Blackrock|G.B. Blackrock's]] team of robot-fighting mutants, the [[Neo-Knights]] arrived, Nightbeat was the first to fall at the hands of the psychotic [[Circuit Breaker]]. As the fighting neared its end, and the alliance began to form again, [[Primus]] teleported the Earth-bound Transformers to Cybertron; Nightbeat's antenna was in contact with the Neo-Knight's helicopter, accidentally bringing them to Cybertron as well!  {{storylink|Out of Time!}}

[[Image:Nightbeatsnapdragon.jpg|right|160px|thumb|Oh no! Muzzle!]]

Once on Cybertron, Nightbeat, able to stand up again, watched as Primus spoke through [[Emirate Xaaron]], telling "his children" of their origin and their charge to defeat Unicron. {{storylink|The Void! (US)|The Void!}} Once Unicron arrived, the alliance was put to the test, and Nightbeat was among several Autobots who  utilized [[hoverscooter]]s in their attacks on the Dark God. Nightbeat survived this cataclysmic battle. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}

Nightbeat was seen nailing both an Autobot and Decepticon logo on the wall of their fragile alliance's headquarters  {{storylink|Still Life!}} and joined the Autobots in their delayed evacuation of Cybertron.  As they headed for [[Klo]], he urged [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] to cool down and save his bring-a-prick for the Decepticons.  {{storylink|The Last Autobot?}}  Unfortunately, the Decepticons were aware of the Autobots' surprise attack, and all but five Autobots were destroyed.  [[Snapdragon]] kicked a head away from Nightbeat's remains.  {{storylink|End of the Road! (US)|End of the Road!}}

{{note|It can be assumed that Nightbeat was revived along with the other casualties by the [[Last Autobot]].}}

=====''Another Time and Place''=====
{{note|The "Another Time and Place" text story was meant to be a conclusion to the Marvel continuity, but its events were ignored by ''[[Generation 2 (franchise)|Generation 2]]''. It was [[Withered Hope|later labeled]] a "dead end" [[splinter timeline]].}}

When the Decepticons took control of the [[Nucleon]] on [[Hydrus Four]], Nightbeat joined a commando unit of Autobots to infiltrate their position. Their first obstacle was [[Fangry]], but luck was on their side. The Decepticon tracker was looking to kill something, and bent waaaaay over the water trying to skewer a fish. Nightbeat just had to give him a tiny nudge, and Fangry fell over into the waiting arms of the Autobots hidden in the murky water.  {{storylink|Another Time and Place}}

====Generation 2====
[[Image:Dirge DeathSwarm.jpg|right|250px|thumb|We hate you, Furman, forever.]]
Nightbeat worked on a computer console as Optimus Prime and Megatron observed some data on the [[Swarm (G2)|Swarm]]. When [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]]'s Cybertronian army attacked the base, Nightbeat's console exploded, sending him flying across the room.  {{storylink|Swarm (issue)|Swarm}} 

He later appeared among the Autobot forces just long enough to sacrifice himself futilely against the Swarm, self-destructing alongside [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]]. Moments later, Megatron showed up with the [[rheanimum]] that could have saved him.  {{storylink|A Rage in Heaven!|A Rage in Heaven!}}

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====Classics====
{{note|The ''Classics'' stories take place after the end of the original Marvel Comic, but in a [[splinter timeline]] that does not include the events of the Marvel UK-exclusive stories or Generation 2.}}

[[Image:Nightbeatsirencheapshots.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Detective by trade, but moonlights as a babysitter.]]
When the war ended with the Decepticons' defeat on Klo, Nightbeat initially accepted [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock's]] offer to search the galaxy for [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] and his scattered troops.  However, Nightbeat soon tired of this mindset, and formed his own team.  He, his former [[Binary bonding|binary bond]] partner [[Muzzle]], [[Siren]] (and his partner [[Quig]]), [[Lug]], [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]], [[Slag (G1)|Slag]], and a new [[human]] recruit, [[Minerva]], scoured the galaxy for mysteries to solve.  

[[Image:Nightbeatcheapshotsnoggin.jpg|right|200px|thumb|You&#39;d lose the ears, too, if you hung out with Siren.]]

Nightbeat's crew once had to <strike>set their ship down on the planet [[Azure]] for repairs</strike> crash their ship into the only repair bay on Azure equipped to repair their ship, and they were stranded there for the interim.  After a barroom brawl, Nightbeat found that he was a person of interest to a potential client, a sentient ship named ''[[Amory]]''.  ''Amory'' required the services of Nightbeat and his team in finding her pilot, [[Phyrion]].  However, the entire arrangement was a setup put together by the Decepticons [[Ruckus (G1)|Ruckus]] and [[Needlenose]], who had assembled an alleged "new [[Mayhem Attack Squad]]" by promising payment to [[Octopunch]] and [[Stranglehold]] for their assistance.  Ruckus wasn't very smart, however, and had brought his hostage with him.  The Decepticons were brutalized and Phyrion was returned to ''Amory''.  Regretting her involvement, ''Amory'' paid the Autobots for her services, plus she chipped in for a new head for Nightbeat, as his was damaged during the battle.  

Despite their short run-in with good luck, Nightbeat and his crew were still stranded on Azure without a working ship. In the meantime, surely someone was in need of a detective...  {{storylink|Cheap Shots}}
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===Dreamwave comics continuity===
[[Image:Nightbeatageofwrath.jpg|right|150px|thumb|''War Within'' Nightbeat transforms into Roger Clemens.]]
One of the few remaining Autobots battling the Decepticons during the [[Age of Internment]], Nightbeat was leader of a strike team consisting of Hosehead, Siren, [[Slapdash]], [[Joyride (Autobot)|Joyride]], and [[Getaway]]. They were tasked with acquiring a member of the [[Aerospace Extermination Squadron]] for [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] to study and, hopefully, find some sort of defense against.  Using Getaway as a decoy with the rest of the team hiding under a [[null-field cloak]], they managed to lure three of them into a trap at [[Nova Cronum]]. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath issue 2}} After the first two drones were destroyed, the third simply shut itself down.  As Nightbeat discussed the best couse of action with [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]], he approached it with an [[inhibitor claw]] - only for it to suddenly reactivate and slam Nightbeat against a wall, temporarily knocking him out of commission.  Nightbeat revived shortly afterwards but was helpless to stop the rampaging drone, which was eventually put down by Getaway. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath issue 3}}
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===IDW comics continuity===
Long ago, Flame was tried by [[Aequitas]] for several crimes as [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], [[Chief Justice Tyrest]], [[Emirate Xaaron]], Nightbeat, and others watched in disgust and/or intrigue. They decided that the records of the trials would be sealed until the final verdict would be reached, for fear of the damage the information about the trials would do to Autobot morale and potential for Decepticon propaganda usage. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 5}}

[[Image:SpotlightNightbeat NightbeatKrakon.jpg|left|220px|thumb|Nightbeat, star of CSI: Kalis.]]
Nightbeat, passing the time by trying to answer the mystery of the first ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'', went to meet with a mechanoid trader named [[Krakon]], only to find him dead by unknown means. Nightbeat followed the clues that the late Krakon (and his killers) left behind and was lured into an apparent trap on [[Gorlam Prime]]. He found a strange dimensional portal deep beneath the world, but got captured by an [[Straxus (G1)|unknown villain]] before he could tell anyone. They put something in his head, erased his memory, and then sent him back out into space. Shortly thereafter he was contacted by [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and ordered to head for [[Earth]].  {{storylink|Spotlight: Nightbeat}}

Aboard ''[[Ark-32]]'', Nightbeat arrived in Earth orbit with [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] and [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]] in tow just as Optimus Prime and his troops were confronting [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] head-on in the breakaway Soviet state of [[Brasnya]]. {{storylink|Escalation issue 3}} While his two rather over-eager companions headed to the surface, Nightbeat remained aboard the ship and provided intel for the Autobots below.  {{storylink|Escalation issue 4}}

Planetside, Hot Rod succeeded in carrying out his primary mission, the capture of the Decepticons' [[Facsimile Construct|facsimile avatar]]. Anxious to re-join the battle, he requested Nightbeat to send him through a double orbital bounce—transporting him up to the ship just long enough to drop off his captive, then returning to the planet. Nightbeat was rather bemused at the thought of the thrill-seeking Hot Rod abandoning a combat zone, but complied. At that instant, though, [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] and [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] arrived and attacked Hot Rod.  Nightbeat reported back to [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] that Hot Rod was in a [[CR chamber]], and the facsimile—injured by flak—had expired. {{storylink|Escalation issue 6}}

[[Image:Nightbeat-devastation1.jpg|right|200px|thumb|I can bluff my way through anything, he thought, even Pictionary.]]

After [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker's]] disappearance, Nightbeat began investigating the sequence of events that led to his capture.  Examining the [[SM-40]] Notepad stolen by [[Verity Carlo]], he discovered a homing device that had allowed Sunstreaker's unknown assailants to discover the underwater location of ''[[Ark-19]]''.  Nightbeat ordered [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] on a scouting mission along the shores of [[Lake Michigan]], where Bumblebee discovered a great deal of advanced surveillance equipment.  Deducing that ''Ark-19'''s location was compromised, Nightbeat advised Optimus and Prowl to move the ship immediately.  Nightbeat handled navigation chores as the ship lifted off.  Unfortunately, the Decepticon [[Sixshot]] attacked shortly thereafter, sending ''Ark-19'' plummeting to Earth.  {{storylink|Devastation issue 1}}

Per Optimus Prime's order, Nightbeat transferred the damaged ship's data to ''Ark-32'', then moved with the other Autobots to the ship's cargo bay shortly before it crashed into the [[Gulf of Mexico]] and self-destructed.   {{storylink|Devastation issue 2}}

Nightbeat and the others survived, however and while the other Autobots battled Sixshot, Nightbeat attempted to activate the orbital bounce abilities of the ''Ark-32''.  After a few Autobot injuries, Nightbeat was able to beam them up to the ship, along with [[Jimmy Pink]] and Verity Carlo, who may have died during the bounce.  Optimus Prime stayed behind to battle Sixshot alone, but once Sixshot left the battle, Nightbeat also evacuated Prime seconds before an air strike by the U.S. military.  {{storylink|Devastation issue 4|Devastation issue 4}}

Afterward, Nightbeat studied the telemetry [[Hound (G1)|Hound]]'s unit sent on [[Leadfoot (G2)|Leadfoot's]] death.  {{storylink|Devastation issue 5}} After examining the data, Nightbeat observed that it was as though a virus of unlife had attacked and destroyed every living cyber-cell in Leadfoot simultaneously, in a fraction of a [[Units of time|nano-klik]]. While it was something he had never encountered before, he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that he had forgotten something important, as if his memory had been tampered with. Seeking inspiration to jog his memory, he went down to the hanger of ''Ark 32'' where his personal ship was stored.  {{storylink|Devastation issue 6}}

[[Image:Nightbeatexecuted.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Watson had finally had enough of Holmes' lip.]]

He soon found out that he logged a message about his trip to Gorlam Prime, but that he has no recollection about it.  He asked Hardhead to help him with his investigation.  {{storylink|Spotlight: Cyclonus}}

Discovering a large part of his memory missing, a worried Nightbeat realised someone may have tampered with him and asked Hardhead to accompany him to Gorlam Prime, with orders to terminate Nightbeat if he turned. Upon arrival, they found the entire planet frozen. Nightbeat theorised that the planet was evolving somehow, from organic to techno-organic... to something like Cybertronians. His musings were interrupted by a force of small Transformers. As Hardhead held them off, Nightbeat found some kind of tunnels leading down to a strange cavern. There, losing control of himself, he turned his gun on Hardhead and [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] revealed himself to be in control of the Autobot. After providing some background on their plans, Jhiaxus, as Nightbeat, shot Headhead in the head. However, he had not counted on Hardhead's resilience, and the Autobot escaped to the strange pool that served as a portal to the living and Dead universes. Jhiaxus attempted to persuade Hardhead into accepting a quick death over pointless resistance, but as he did so, Hardhead suddenly shot Nightbeat. As the Autobot died, Jhiaxus screamed, revealing to [[Nova Prime|Nemesis Prime]] that their agent was gone. Nemesis considered that he was now forced to take Nightbeat's mission as his own: Find and kill Optimus Prime.  {{storylink|Spotlight: Hardhead}}
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==Toys==
===Generation 1===
[[Image:G1Nightbeat toy.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Too cool for Playskool.]]
* '''Nightbeat with Muzzle''' (Headmaster, 1988)
**''Accessories'': "Muzzle" Headmaster driver, seat/helmet, "Plasma Blaster" rifle, right and left "[[Photon pistol|Photon Pistols]]"

: [[Transformation (toys)|Nightbeat transforms]] into a blue and yellow Porsche 959. The roof is hinged and can be opened to reveal an interior that his Headmaster unit, Muzzle, can sit inside of. His head guns can be stored just above the headlights while his rifle can be plugged onto the roof.

: In robot mode, like all Headmaster toys, Nightbeat has a flip-down panel on his chest which covers a spring-loaded mini-[[Tech Spec|Tech-Spec]]-meter which gives readings for Speed, Strength and Intelligence. The tumblers are activated when Muzzle (or any other Headmaster unit) is plugged into his neck socket. Muzzle has Nightbeat's face plainly visible on his back because, as a smaller Headmaster toy, he lacks the flip down panel that covers the face, featured on larger Headmasters. As another consequence of being a smaller Headmaster, his chest cavity was apparently too small for 3 individual tumblers. As a result, all Headmaster heads inserted will display Nightbeat's pre-molded (and painted) Speed, Strength, and Intelligence readings (7, 5, 8) on one large sliding plate.

:He shares a mold with the Japanese ''[[Super-God Masterforce (toyline)|Super-God Masterforce]]'' [[Headmaster Junior]], [[Minerva]], who also got a mail-order exclusive version in Nightbeat's colors.

===Timelines===
[[Image:Nightbeattimelinestoy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your...]]
* '''Nightbeat''' (Deluxe, 2008)
**''Accessories:'' Missile launcher, missile, radar 

: This [[retool]] of ''[[Energon (toyline)|Energon]]'' [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]] is one of two 2008 [[Fun Publications]] Fan Club exclusives.  The new head is based on the character model's head (by which we mean [[Siren]]'s with some nods to the toy-Nightbeat's, see Trivia below), but is missing its "ears" thanks to clearance and production timing issues.  Nightbeat comes with a clear-plastic spring-loaded missile launcher. He can also form the top or bottom half of a combined robot with any other "[[Powerlinx]]"-style 2-bot combiner toy. Though the toy is compatible with the [[energon star]]s from its parent toyline, its [[spark crystal]] lacks the internal chroming characteristic of earlier uses of the mold.

: Nightbeat was originally announced to be available by [[BotCon 2008]] in April, but after multiple delays, preorders finally went up months later on [[August 27]], 2008, with a release date of "within four weeks" of September 30, 2008.  

: The retooled version of this mold was used to create ''[[Shattered Glass (toyline)|Shattered Glass]]'' [[Nightbeat (SG)|Nightbeat]] at [[BotCon 2008]]'s customization class.

:* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnhbeRLlVnI Promotional YouTube video for Timelines Nightbeat, featuring lots of spinny-spinny]

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==Trivia==
[[Image:Nightbeatsirenswappedheads.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Top row: toy Nightbeat, toy Siren. Bottom row: comic Siren, comic Nightbeat.]]
* In Nightbeat's [[:Image:Transformsfromracecartorobot.jpg|toy packaging photography]], Muzzle's legs are blue instead of the final black, and the flame stickers on Nightbeat's doors are different.  This early flame design made it into [http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&amp;char=Nightbeat Nightbeat's ''Universe'' profile art] and, as a result, into some Marvel Comics stories.
* For their [[Character model|character models]], the face/Nebulan and helmet/seat pieces of Nightbeat and [[Siren]] were inexplicably switched. (It is difficult to tell for sure, but they may have kept the correct antennae/guns judging by the basic shapes involved.) This switch gave comic book Nightbeat the "shades" he's remembered for, as well as the crest on his forehead, while comic book Siren ended up with his trademark combined brow/nosepiece. How or why this switch happened, and in what stage of development it occurred, is unknown.
* He was was depicted with his own toy's head (for the first time) in [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s ''[[War Within: The Age of Wrath]]''. Nightbeat's appearances in [[IDW Publishing|IDW]]'s Transformers comics retain the Siren face design, but inside the Nightbeat helmet. In [[Fun Publications]]' "[[Cheap Shots]]", his appearance is based on his new toy, whose head is based on Siren's face and helmet.  

[[Image:Nightbeatchests.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Where'd he get that extra boob?]]
* Another Nightbeat visual oddity is the large difference between the design of his toy's chest and of the character model's chest. While the toy's chest is an asymmetrical shape with one "boob" and a "tummy grill" not unlike Optimus Prime's, the character model gives him a concave octagon which symmetrically houses two hollow boxes. Where did this design come from, and why is it the only thing on his character model, other than the swapped head, that departs from his toy design?
* Due to his asymmetrical chest details, Nightbeat's original [[package art]] is noticeably flipped horizontally, putting his "boob" on the left instead of the right. Dreamwave's ''[[More Than Meets The Eye (G1)|More Than Meets The Eye]]'' profile art of him, seen at the top of this page, seems to have been based on the boxart's flip, as well as IDW's material for a long time. In [[Devastation issue 6]], IDW's Nightbeat chest is symmetrical, mirroring the half of his chest with the "boob," giving him an approximation of the made-up Marvel Comics/character model chest -- but in [[Spotlight: Hardhead]], it's back to the asymmetrical design again.
* Nightbeat has worn the trenchcoat and fedora on occasion. [[:Image:MarvelUK-230.jpg|Sometimes]] the artist remembers he has very tall shoulders under there, [[:Image:MarvelUS-62.jpg|sometimes not]].
* In the (hilariously bad) [[Omni Productions|English-Malay dub]] of ''[[Super-God Masterforce (cartoon)|Super-God Masterforce]]'', [[Minerva]] is called "Nightbeat."
* At [[BotCon 1997]], [[Simon Furman]] was asked why he killed Nightbeat in ''[[Generation 2 (Marvel Comics)|Generation 2]]''. He said:
{{bigquote|I don't have a good answer for you... It was too easy to say, I'll kill off all the incidental characters, all the ones I don't like. It sort of added to the bigger picture by ... some of the favorites got it in the neck as well... It's like, say [[Rattrap]] or something died, it's like.. Who cares? I do like Beast Wars as well... it was too easy to just knock off 'B' characters...}}
:Suffice to say, Furman wasn't very familiar with ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' at the time.<ref>[http://www.builtstlouis.net/tf/nightbeat/index.html Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About NIGHTBEAT at builtstlouis.net]</ref>
* A "dinner mystery theatre" starring Nightbeat was planned for [[OTFCC 2004]], with Optimus Prime as the murder victim. Instead, the Transformer theme was shelved and attendees were subjected to [[DEATH BY CHOCOLATE]].  
{{-}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.tfu.info/1988/Autobot/Nightbeat/nightbeat.htm Nightbeat at TFU.info]

*[http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&amp;char=Nightbeat Nightbeat's Universe profile at NTFA.net]

*[http://www.google.com/patents?vid=USPATD311042&amp;id=O6IoAAAAEBAJ&amp;pg=RA1-PA4#PPA2,M1 Nightbeat's patent on Google.]

*[http://youtube.com/watch?v=Hf-MDd7cdi0 1988 Headmasters commercial starring Nightbeat, on Youtube]

*[http://www.builtstlouis.net/tf/nightbeat/index.html Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About NIGHTBEAT]

[[Category:Autobots]]
[[Category:Classics characters]]
[[Category:Fan Club exclusives]]
[[Category:Combiners]]
[[Category:Generation 1 characters]]
[[Category:Headmasters]]