Race Car Patrol

The Race Car Patrol is a team of Autobot Micromasters from the Generation 1 continuity family.

Clockwise from top left: Free Wheeler, Tailspin, Roadhandler, Swindler

The Race Car Patrol consists of

• Roadhandler (leader)
• Free Wheeler
• Swindler
• Tailspin

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

Marvel The Transformers comics

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

The Race Car Patrol were some of the first Micromasters created on Cybertron by Emirate Xaaron. When the Battle Patrol were captured during a scouting mission, the Race Car Patrol, Rescue Patrol, and Off Road Patrol were sent in to destroy them, in order to prevent Micromaster technology from falling into Decepticon hands. These orders did not sit easily with Roadhandler, and the Micromasters agreed to disregard them, attempting a rescue instead. As it turned out, Thunderwing's Decepticons had already successfully reverse-engineered Micromaster technology and were using the Autobots to test their new Air Strike Patrol, but the Autobots managed to outwit them and rescue their comrades. A Small War!

The Race Car Patrol were then sent to Earth to reinforce Optimus Prime's forces and sent to investigate reports involving giant creatures spotted in the New Jersey swamps and unusual storm activity consolidating over Manhattan. Joining forces with the human reporter Cecilia Santiago, the group located Iguanus in New York City as he was planting an energy-collecting device on top of the Empire State Building. After rescuing Cecilia and defeating Iguanus, the Race Car Patrol decided to remain in New York. King Con!

While Tailspin and Mudslinger spent their time capturing human criminals, Roadhandler pursued a career in professional wrestling that caught the attention of Lord Zarak. Organising a bout between Roadhandler and the Decepticon Micromaster Storm Cloud, Zarak sought to sway the odds in his favour by kidnapping several members of Roadhandler's fan club. They were rescued in time for Roadhandler to defeat Storm Cloud in the ring but afterwards, the Race Car Patrol realised that living amongst humans only endangered them and they left New York. The Interplanetary Wrestling Championship!

Later, Roadhandler and his Patrol accompanied Optimus Prime on a mission to retrieve vital battle plans from Chainclaw but they were frustrated by the Decepticon Dealer, who demanded a ransom for Chainclaw's safe return. Encountering the Autobot Double, they agreed to let him carry out the mission but when he returned carrying the injured Chainclaw claiming that he had been betrayed by the Decepticons, the Autobots charged into battle against Scorponok's troops to seek revenge. (Double) Deal of the Century!

In 1989 the Race Car Patrol attended the Transformers' Christmas party. The Transformers #250 cover

Another Time & Place

After the battle of Klo, Roadhandler joined the Autobots in a mission to Hydrus Four to rescue the errant Dinobots. Another Time & Place

Transformers Comic-Magazin

The Race Car Patrol, Off Road Patrol, Rescue Patrol, and Sports Car Patrol emerged from hyperspace at several hundred mach into the Ark. A day later, a huge battle took place in New York as the Autobots battled the Decepticons. The Decepticons unleashed a robotic hell-beast known as 'King Con' which the Race Car Patrol helped to battle, however Optimus Prime rented a helicopter to fly a banner announcing huge raw oil deposit finds in the Rocky Mountains. After a short hesitation, the Decepticons retreated to pursue these findings. New York — A City Sinking in Terror

In a battle at Alaska, Roadhandler's team and the Off Road Patrol fought against the Decepticon Pretenders. The Transformers' Grand Hour: Headmaster of the Dimensions

Zone cartoon, manga, and story pages

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! 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

Toys

The Transformers

• Race Car Patrol (Micromaster Patrol, 1988/1990)

• Takara ID number: C-334

The Autobot Race Car Patrol are a set of four high-speed race car Micromasters: Roadhandler the red Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, Free Wheeler the yellow Lamborghini Countach, Swindler the gray DeLorean, and Tailspin to blue LeMans racer. The four were only sold as a complete set.

In Hasbro's markets, the Race Car Patrol, Air Strike Patrol and Off Road Patrol were released 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 The Transformers 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.

In Takara's markets, the Team was released as the "Race Car Patrol Team", released in the Zone portion of Takara's Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers toyline. They are physically identical to their Hasbro counterparts.

War for Cybertron: Siege

• Roadhandler & Swindler (Micromaster set, 2019)

• Hasbro ID number: WFC-S4
• TakaraTomy ID Number: SG-03
• TakaraTomy release date: February 23, 2019

Part of the first wave of Siege Micromasters, the Race Car Patrol (now reduced to just Roadhandler and Swindler) transform from robots to cars and back. They can also combine with each other to form a "Multi-Mech Particle Exhaust Cannon", which just barely resembles a weapon. As a part of the C.O.M.B.A.T. System, their weapon mode can be attached to any toy with a 5 mm post-hole. "Fire Blasts" can also be attached to their barrels. Alternatively each can be turned into a single blaster without the need of their teammate as a fan mode.

Out of the three available sets in the toyline's first wave, Roadhandler and Swindler were the set most frequently found shelfwarming. Both molds were later retooled into the Sports Car Patrol, who similarly became shelfwarmers.

Notes

Foreign names

• Japanese: Race Car Patrol Team (レースカーパトロールチーム Rēsu Kā Patorōru Chīmu)
• French: Patrouille Routière ("Road Patrol", Europe), Patrouille en voiture ("Car Patrol", Canada)
• Dutch: Patrouille Racewagen
• Italian: Sprintforce
• Portuguese: Patrulha Terrestre ("Road Patrol", Siege packaging)
• Spanish: Patrulla de Bólidos ("Fireball Patrol", Siege packaging)