Flying Attacker

Flying Attacker is a Beastformer from the Generation 1 continuity family.

"It's falling with style."

Flying Attacker (フライングアタッカー Furaingu Atakkā) is the kind of Beastformer who, when he shows up on the battlefield, unfamiliar allies are likely to go "Wait, him? What's he doing here?" Emperor of Harriso and fashionista extraordinaire, it's clear he'd rather be at work keeping his hometown on the shore of Lake Midi up to date with the latest trends or starting new ones, making it a hip place that's got everything to draw in visitors from all over the planet. He takes exquisite care of his looks, his wardrobe, his décor, and is always happy to show off.

And while he gives off a flighty, playful air, his training with his King Platinum Tiger has made him a deadly-effective combatant who blends supreme style with precise strikes. His specialty is swooping in silently from the air and attacking with his MVP Weapon the Musasabeamer (ムササビーマー Musasabīmā), hitting targets with repeated supersonic vibrations in a "Shockwave Attack" that can tear things apart from the inside out.

Toys

Beastformers

• Flying Attacker (Beastformer, 1988)

• ID number: 49
• Pack: H
• Accessories: "Musasabeamer" MVP Weapon

Released only in the post-Transformers "RPG"-themed Beastformers sequel series, Flying Attacker is a yellow anthropomorphic giant flying squirrel in blue robotic armor with big shoulder-wings. The Battle Emblem on his chest reveals one of three symbols when warmed up; Fire, Water or Wood.

In the Hasbro Battle Beasts line, the figure could come with red chest-detailing, or yellow chest-detailing and unpainted buck-teeth. It is uncertain if the latter version was released in Beastformers, though it did appear in at least one Beastformers checklist-poster.

As part of the first assortment of individually-boxed Beastformers in the "RPG" line, there was a chance his normal pack-in bio card would be replaced with a rare "Burstsun" holo card featuring White Leo on the front, with a Burstsun Battle Emblem sticker in a little baggie affixed to the back, for you to attach to whichever Beastformer you chose. He was later sold in the second style of "RPG"-era box, with a peg-hole in the top flap, and a sticker on the bottom with his name and role on it.

Late in the run, the "mood ring" styled rubsigns were replaced with new rubsigns that revealed full-color Fire/Wood/Water images on black backdrops. (These rubsign variants also happened at the same time in the Hasbro Battle Beast version of the line.)

Merchandise

Candy toys

• Flying Attacker (Gashapon/candy-toy Beastformer, 1988)
  • ID number: 17
  • Accessories: "Flying Typhoon" weapon

A 1-inch-tall, super-deformed, articulation-free version of Flying Attacker that could come in red, blue or green plastic, representing the Fire, Water and Wood elements (even though he still had a rubsign). All of the SD Beastformers come with a different Beastformer's weapon attached to their left shoulder by a snippable sprue: Flying Attacker came with Flykick's "Flying Typhoon", while Crabhit came with Flying Attacker's "Musasabeamer".

This toy was sold in three different ways. First it was available as a gashapon capsule prize by Takara. Then it was sold as a candy toy from Takara, randomly-packed in a box of three with a packet of ramune-flavored candy tablets. Then again as a candy toy, this time through candy/snack company Meiji, in randomized packs of two with a packet of "chocoballs" (chocolate covered malted milk balls). The Meiji release also has much more elaborate packaging, with newly-painted box art (which sometimes shows characters not made in this assortment), and the entire interior of the box printed with game rules, character bios, chunks of lore, etc.

• Ramune Beastformers Battle Card (1988)
  • ID number: 17

A gold-foil "Battle Card" of Flying Attacker, featuring painted character art of the kind found on early Transformers: Beastformers bio cards, was available in randomly-packed sets of cards that came with ramune-flavored candy tablets. The back of the card features a severely truncated bio, with data for the game from the Meiji chocoball SD figures' packaging.

Notes

• Flying Attacker is one of 22 figures that were advertised on multiple Transformers-era materials but not actually released in that iteration of the line.
• His 1988 bio card gives him the nickname Sasaby (ササビー Sasabī), based on "musasabi", the name for the Japanese giant flying squirrel, also the basis for his MVP Weapon name.

Foreign names

• English: Squire Squirrel