Multiforce

The Multiforce is an Autobot combiner team from the Generation 1 continuity family.

The Multiforce are one warrior of the heart away from combining to form Captain Planet.

The Multiforce (マルチ戦隊 Maruchisentai) are a group of young Autobots serving in the Universal Defense Force Sector One unit. Originally working under Supreme Commander Star Saber on Planet V, the group transferred with him to Earth where they began training under the elite unit known as Brainmasters. Despite being the new bots on the block, Multiforce members are often sent out on missions solo, though for some sensitive missions they are assigned a senior officer to command them. Each member is possessed of the power of an element. The Multiforce serve as the Autobot counterpoint to the Decepticon unit known as Dinoforce.

The Multiforce consists of:

• Wing (leader) — the warrior of the wind
• Waver — the warrior of the water
• Dash — the warrior of the Sun
• Tacker — the warrior of the fire
• Mach — the warrior of the Moon
• Tackle — the warrior of the earth

These robots can combine in pairs, with each one able to form either the top or bottom of the resultant robot, whose names are formed simply by combining the names of their component parts, top-first. The team can assume thirty potential combinations, but the primary three configurations the Multiforce operate in are:

• Wingwaver (leader)
• Dashtacker
• Machtackle

This trio can further combine to form the mighty Landcross, the Multiforce's ultimate form.

On the rare occasions that the Multiforce are the tallest guys in the room, they are known as the DX Micromasters.

Fiction

Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity

Victory cartoon

Dashtacker and Machtackle served about the Sector One space station under God Ginrai and the Car Trio while Wingwaver served directly under Star Saber on the Planet V. After the destruction of the Lunar Energy Plant and Space Station it was decided to transfer all survivors and the Sector One troops to Earth for the time being. While Wingwaver was transferring from Planet V to Earth he came under attack by the Dinoforce but was saved by the Brainmasters. At their next engagement, Multiforce was able to employ their own secret weapon, Landcross, to combat the Dinoforce combiner Dinoking. Time after time the Multiforce has been called upon to detect hidden energy plants, uncover Decepticon plots, and defeat superior Decepticon forces.

After the end of the conflict, they were collectively appointed governor of Vega Sector.

Micromaster

The Multiforce were testing new stealth technology on Earth (presumably at some point before their appointment to the Vega Sector) when they suddenly found themselves sucked through a rift in time and space. Deposited on Earth in the early 1980s, the team discovered that they had arrived at the foot on Mount St. Hilary prior to its eruption. The volcano was being protected by a team of Autobot Micromasters, and the six Multiforcers cautiously approached their headquarters, Metrobase, in their stealth modes. When the base's sensors finally detected them, they decloaked and introduced themselves to the Micromasters, forming a fast alliance. The group was soon attacked by the Micromasters' Decepticon enemies, but the Multiforce quickly combined into Wingwaver, Dashtacker and Machtackle to fend off Decepticon Sixbuilder, then merged into Landcross to send Sixwing packing. Landcross wondered if it was destiny that they had been pulled back in time to this point, so that they could help protect the Transformers slumbering within Mount St. Hilary and thereby safeguard their own future. The Menace of Landcross's Combining Formation!

Ask Vector Prime

The Multiforce followed the normal flow of time to return to their native period, making sure to not interfere with events they knew had to transpire. To this end, they avoided the other Transformers and explored the Skomiloch Territories, eventually clashing with the Predators. Their journey enabled them to be able to stop the Praetorian from using the corrupted Reconfiguration Matrix to rewrite all robotic life in the Vega Sector into loyal Scrapmetal, and at some point in their battles they evolved into Gaiacross. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/06/01

Games

Transformers Roleplaying Game

The Multiforce hailed from Planet V. The Enigma of Combination

Toys

Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers

Landcross

• Wingwaver (Multiforce, 1989)
  • ID number: C-316
• Dashtacker (Multiforce, 1989)
  • ID number: C-317
• Machtackle (Multiforce, 1989)
  • ID number: C-318

• Known designers: Kōjin Ōno (TakaraTomy)

The Multiforce were sold in three sets of two robots: Wingwaver (Wing & Waver), Dashtacker (Dash & Tacker), and Machtackle (Mach & Tackle). Each individual robot has the same engineering, which enables them to form either the top or bottom half of a two-robot combiner, with 30 different possible combinations all told. All six can also combine together to form Landcross.

See the individual pages for more details on each toy.

• Landcross (Multiforce gift set, 1989)
  • ID number: C-319

• Known designers: Kōjin Ōno (TakaraTomy)

Landcross was also available in a complete gift set containing the entire Multiforce team. All of the toys in this set are physically identical to their individual releases.

However, this set does not include the bio/trading cards for any of the component duos, only the combined Landcross mode.

• More information on Landcross at TFU.info

Micromaster

• Wing (DX Micromaster, 2002)
  • Micromaster ID number: 1
• Waver (DX Micromaster, 2002)
  • Micromaster ID number: 2
• Dash (DX Micromaster, 2004)
  • Multiforce ID number: 3
• Tacker (DX Micromaster, 2004)
  • Multiforce ID number: 4
• Mach (DX Micromaster, 2002)
  • Micromaster ID number: 5
• Tackle (DX Micromaster, 2002)
  • Micromaster ID number: 6

Takara re-released Multiforce in the final wave of Micromaster, as "DX Micromasters". Landcross was never sold as a "complete" robot; you had to separately-purchase his individually-boxed components. The boxes have a small hole in the front to show a number printed on the instructions, revealing which toy is inside.

These toys all have slight deco differences from their original releases, see the individual components' pages for further details.

• More information on Micromaster Landcross at TFU.info
• Translations of the Multiforce's Micromaster bios by Doug Dlin

• Wing Stealth Mode (DX Micromaster, 2002)
  • Micromaster ID number: 1
• Waver Stealth Mode (DX Micromaster, 2002)
  • Micromaster ID number: 2
• Dash Stealth Mode (DX Micromaster, 2004)
  • Multiforce ID number: 3
• Tacker Stealth Mode (DX Micromaster, 2004)
  • Multiforce ID number: 4
• Mach Stealth Mode (DX Micromaster, 2002)
  • Micromaster ID number: 5
• Tackle Stealth Mode (DX Micromaster, 2002)
  • Micromaster ID number: 6

All six components were also available as black "stealth mode" chase figures, with two randomly-chosen boxes per case of twelve toys replaced with the chase versions. And no, you can't peek in through the hole in the box to see if it's a chase or not, as the instructions block it off.

• More information on "stealth mode" Landcross at TFU.info

Notes

• Although the word "Multiforce" is spelled out in English on the team's toy packaging, the group breaks Japanese Transformers convention by not actually being referred to by this English name in the animated series, where they are identified as the Multisentai, using the Japanese translation of "force".
• The Multiforce have the interesting distinction of being the first instance in Transformers of a combiner team made up of several smaller combiner teams.
• The Multiforce seem to be the precursors to the Powerlinx concept used in Energon.
• Hasbro evidently planned a U.S. release of the Multiforce long enough for Tacker, Tackle, and Mach (right) to receive dedicated packaging art with new color schemes, which was eventually uncovered and published by Jim Sorenson and Bill Forster in Legacy: The Art of Transformers Packaging.