Scoop (G1)

This article is a featured article, and considered to be one of the most informative on this wiki.

The name or term "Scoop" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Scoop (disambiguation).

Scoop is an Autobot Targetmaster from the Generation 1 continuity family.

Can he fix it? You bet your turbocharger he can.

If you're out of ammo and pinned by heavy enemy fire deep in the bowels of a slag swamp, Scoop is the robot you want on your side. He's possibly the best field infantry robot there is. A gung-ho fighter who uses cool-headed logic and battle-hardened tactics, he can outwit the enemy at every turn. Relentless in his resolve, he's always willing to help others out, no matter how dangerous the situation. Scoop is also strongly religious, and he believes in the buried legends regarding Primus written about him in His Covenant.

Scoop's greatest asset, his dedication—both religious and job-related—is also his greatest weakness. Since he pushes so hard and for so long, he's prone to overheating, especially if pushing his shovel past its limit. He's also often so engrossed in his spiritual literature that he likely won't see hints of betrayal around him unless his texts explicitly spell it out.

His Targetmaster partners are Holepunch and Tracer.

Want my advice? Don't bring a sword to a gunfight!Scoop, "Invasion"

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

Marvel The Transformers comics

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

Scoop likes to send in his crotch as an advance scout.

Scoop was a member of the Autobot Resistance Movement on Cybertron, working for Emirate Xaaron. Along with several others, including the Rescue Patrol and the Classic Pretenders, he helped stage several successful raids on Decepticon fuel depots and military outposts. Yesterday's Heroes!

Trigger-Happy!

"I have here in-hand one rare "Decepticon Scoop", slightly-battered condition. Now, how much would YOU pay?"

As part of a sting operation to capture two Decepticons delivering battle plans, Scoop, Landfill, and Quickmix posed as ordinary construction vehicles to funnel them into an ambush. Unfortunately, the mission was botched when Backstreet, their lookout, fired his weapon prematurely, giving away the Autobots' presence and position. Rather than face the consequences of his actions, Backstreet went on the run, forcing the rest of the Autobots to hunt down their rogue comrade. Two days into the chase, Scoop's hunting party learned the full story behind Backstreet's flight from justice; Override had exaggerated Optimus's anger over the situation after Backstreet's initial foul-up, and told the Triggerbot that Optimus would call for his termination! The more empathetic Scoop berated Override for his part in the whole affair, telling him he should have known better considering Backstreet's notoriously anxious disposition.

Another Scoop, this one a Decepticon, helped Megatron track down the fugitive so he could be swayed into joining their faction. When Spinister sighted the Autobot, Scoop was the first to converge on his position, and together, the two thugs roughed up Backstreet some while waiting for Megatron to join them. Megatron was outraged that the pair had acted against his orders on his arrival, and violently sent both Scoop and Spinister away so he could make his recruitment pitch. Trigger-Happy!

Transformers Comic-Magazin

Scoop was present when Powermaster Optimus Prime led the Autobots against the joint Decepticon leaders Shockwave and Megatron, who had tried to hijack the oil reserves of Alaska. The Autobots drove off the Decepticons, but not before Quickmix shot a minibot because he turned off his targeting computer. Optimus then sat his troops down and explained to them the differences between Autobots and Decepticons. Attack at Dawn

Scoop was among the Autobots monitoring the Decepticons from a distance when Megatron made peaceful gestures to Humanity in New York City. The Autobots returned to the Ark and discovered that a statue of Snaptrap that the Decepticons had gifted to New York was actually Snaptrap in disguise. Snaptrap went on a rampage and the Decepticons used this distraction to attack various other targets. Optimus Prime led the Autobots to narrowly defeat this menace. Scoop, Quickmix and the Sparkabots managed to bring down Piranacon. The Troy Principle Those events were recorded on a videotape that was later found and watched by Autobots on Cybertron after a nuclear disaster in Kalis. In Memory of Earth

In 1973, Powermaster Optimus Prime - A Robot, a Hero Scoop helped in the rescue effort when the Decepticons attacked an oil tanker, generally standing around and asking Optimus Prime what to do. A Big Day for Powermaster Optimus Prime Those events would later be observed via log recording by Autobots in the year 2008. Powermaster Optimus Prime - A Robot, a Hero

When the Decepticons stole three nuclear missiles from the United State Federation to hold the world to ransom, Optimus Prime put the entire burden of discovering their whereabouts on the shoulders of the Double Targetmasters. Scoop and his robotic guns discovered the Decepticon hideout. Scoop lured Dreadwind and Darkwing away, while Tracer and Holepunch investigated further, before getting scared off by the Firecons. Megatron's Ultimatum

The characteristics of Scoop and the other "Small Targetmaster Autobots" were reviewed by Optimus Prime and Bumblebee in a simulation watched by Goldbug. Memories of Bumblebee

Classics

Classics continues from the Marvel US series, and does not include the UK stories or any subsequently published stories.

"Oh, great. Who made me stand next to a bunch of 1984-1985 guys? I might as well be wearing a red shhhhHOOOOLY SCRAP!"

Scoop and his Nebulan partners was under the command of Metalhawk at the Autobots' base Ironworks when the evil Ultra Magnus attacked. Scoop and his Nebulans were ignored by Ultra Magnus during the evil Autobot's demonstration of power. Moments later, the heroic Decepticons arrived and forced Ultra Magnus to retreat, the heroic Autobots only being able to watch, and then listened to Treadshot's story of how they came to arrive. Treadshot requested that one of Metalhawk's Autobots join the heroic Decepticon Octopunch in tracking down the evil Wheeljack. Scoop and his Nebulans accompanied Octopunch underneath the Ironworks base where they met up with the evil Decepticons Skullgrin and Octopunch. While the two Octopunches fought each other, Scoop fought against Skullgrin. Being a Targetmaster, Scoop's firepower easily defeated Skullgrin. The heroic Octopunch asked Scoop to shut down Wheeljack's device which Scoop delegated to his Nebulans. Tracer complained but the three partners had no luck in doing so. Even Octopunch couldn't do anything so they left. After the battle with the evil Autobots, Scoop was visibly upset as Cybertron, Nebulos, and all other planets in their home reality exploded due to the energy backlash. Invasion

Scoop continued to work with Treadshot in hunting down the evil Ultra Magnus on his dimensionally-displaced Earth, adopting a new body at some point. Distant Fissures After Magnus's defeat, the Autobots fled the planet before it unexpectedly transformed into a Light God-styled being named Gaea. The Future Buried...

Regeneration One

Regeneration One continues from the Marvel US series, and does not include the UK stories or any subsequently published stories.

Scoop and Landfill constructed part of a space bridge network to link Earth and Nebulos in the Glass Mountains, Oklahoma. The War to End All Wars, Part 2

Ladybird Books continuity

And now we know why he gets to be a Wrecker.

Scoop was part of an Autobot team that located the Decepticons and their secret underground city on Nebulos. Along with Quickswitch, he sealed the only exit, trapping the Decepticons. Quickmix subsequently sealed the exit with cement. Decepticons Underground

The Transformers cartoon

He may be hard to see, but we're sure he's being resolute.

Many millions of years ago, on the planet Cybertron, life existed. But not life as we know it today. Intelligent robots that could think and feel inhabited the cities. Apparently among those robots were the Autobots Landfill, Quickmix, and Scoop, who transformed from their vehicle modes and shot at some unknown attackers. G2: More than Meets the Eye, Part 1

Footage from the commercial featuring the Autobot "Double Targetmaster" trio was spliced into the Generation 2 version of the episode by way of the Cybernet Space Cube. Outside of this, the only other "appearance" by the Double Targetmasters in The Transformers was reuse of this commercial animation in the season 5 title sequence.

2005 IDW continuity

First appearance: Stormbringer #2

An old-fashioned hole-digging! By gar, it's been a while!

Scoop may seem too good to be true when you first meet him, but the truth is he really is too good: he's a true believer in Primus and likes doing good deeds. Three Monologues He first learned the prophecies of the Covenant of Primes while at the Jhiaxian Academy of Advanced Technology studying under Senator Shockwave. The Becoming

On Varas Centralus in the Kol system, the Wreckers were called in by Bluestreak's infiltration team to deal with the Decepticon Siege Armature. Scoop and Twin Twist made slow progress in making a storm tunnel to the enemy base, and wondered how in Primacron the Decepticons could get their base up in such dense rock. Stormbringer #2 The Wreckers were recalled to Cybertron by Operations Command to investigate the possible return of Thunderwing and rescue Jetfire's missing science expedition. After the Wreckers saved Afterburner and Nosecone, Scoop and Twin Twist were again assigned to tunnelling into the enemy stronghold. Stormbringer #3

When Thunderwing returned to Cybertron, Scoop, Broadside, and Roadbuster were sent as scouts. As the memories of Thunderwing's failure to convince Megatron to go along with his bio-cybernetic exo-shell technology flooded the monster's mind, it unleashed a wave of rage that forced Broadside to carry off Scoop by the scruff of his neck as the scouts ran for cover. The three Autobots later attempted to get some heat off of Twin Twist by firing on Thunderwing, but were all blown away by a thunderous clap of the monstrosity's hands. Stormbringer #4

So it seems Starscream found Scoop's Rapture Ready account.

After the war's end, Scoop returned to Cybertron, where he renounced the Autobots in favor of the "Chosen One", Starscream. Signals, Calls, and Marches He founded the Construction Patrol to fix the battle damage in Iacon, help the wounded, fix blackouts, and restore Cybertron's deep space communications. He was such a beloved, awesome dude that Starscream, who had recently become leader of the neutrals, believed the builder was running an angle to seize power himself. An old Autobot comrade of Scoop's, Rattrap, warned Starscream that Scoop was a jealous, greedy sort and that he'd found evidence that the builder had caused the blackout he'd 'fixed'. This was actually a big crock: Rattrap was framing Scoop because he's a git, and the altruist really was trying to help and even believed that Starscream was a Primus-appointed leader. Since "altruists are unpredictable", Starscream let Scoop be arrested for crimes he hadn't committed. Three Monologues

Once imprisoned, Scoop began researching the Covenant of Primus, and so when Starscream came knocking on his cell after the Necrotitan appeared outside of the city, Scoop had more dogma for the "Chosen One." Scoop still believed in Starscream's Primus-designated stature, though he warned of a legend that predated Nova Prime's reign. There would be a "false prophet who would remake everything," and that the "stars would scream." Black Metal Starscream left, and Rattrap sneaked in to talk to Scoop next. Scoop worried that while Starscream was the chosen one, he might have been chosen to bring about the end of the world. Scoop's doomsaying started seeming plausible once a surge from the Necrotitan razed the city. Scoop, now free, chose to help his fellow citizens rather than take revenge on Starscream. Winners & Losers

"You were the Chosen One!!! It was said that you would bring balance to Cybertron, not leave it in darkness!"

Scoop and his Construction Patrol continued to pull survivors from the city's wreckage, but when Starscream returned, Scoop began turning his scorn and the city against Starscream. Scoop pointed at the dark growth on Starscream's chest and called it a mark placed by Primus. Into the Abyss Soon thereafter, the Necrotitan itself marched across the city, leaving it in flames. Scoop's anger burned as well, and he accused Starscream of betraying Cybertron because of his lack of faith. The Dead Are Not Enough

During the battle with the Necrotitan, Scoop and Rattrap worked together to evacuate the other neutrals. Burning Bright Starscream pointed out that Rattrap was only helping out to make himself look good, bothering Scoop who told him to stop thinking about schemes for once. Finis Temporis The Necrotitan was eventually defeated by Metroplex, proving the prophet Scoop had believed in for so long untrue and leaving him rather glum and confused. When Starscream showed up for some friendly taunts over his misgivings, Scoop shocked the former Decepticon by revealing he'd first learned about the prophecy from Shockwave himself. The Becoming At that moment, Shockwave enacted his master plan, dispatching an army of Ammonites to cause chaos on Cybertron. Scoop joined a team of Autobots and Decepticons setting out to stop Shockwave, but elected to stay behind instead when the group proved too large for Skywarp to teleport. Black Planet

"No one ever really changes."
"Well, in my first appearance I was a Wrecker."

After Shockwave was defeated, Scoop ended up in the company of Galvatron and Soundwave's Decepticons. ...And the Damage Done Full Fathom Five He remained with them as they traveled to Earth, claiming to have renounced his faith in Starscream, Signals, Calls, and Marches when in fact he was acting as Starscream's agent, secretly keeping him up to date on the Decepticons' conflict with Optimus Prime's forces. The World of Tomorrow His end goal was to use Galvatron to find the ancient Enigma of Combination and deliver it to Starscream. The Obliterati At one point Scoop was sent by Soundwave to fetch Galvatron, who responded by pointing a gun in his face and mocking his beliefs. Signals, Calls, and Marches He then accompanied the Decepticons to Tokyo on their mission to capture Spike Witwicky. Vs.

Having learned the location of the Enigma of Combination, Galvatron led Scoop and the others to Wanmu, ONoffON where they fought Prowl's Devastator who was also after the relic. When Devastator dropped the Enigma, Scoop revealed his true colors, snagging the item when no one was looking and returning to Cybertron on the Decepticons' shuttle. The Obliterati Delivering the Enigma to Starscream, he was annoyed by his leader's sudden decision to change bodies, but grudgingly accepted that he was the Chosen One and could do what he wanted. First Contact He was surprised that that Starscream remained on the same subject even when Cybertron's spacebridge to Caminus opened, unaware that his leader was behind it all to begin with. The Sum and Its Parts

"I'm not mad, I'm disappointed."
"That's 'Mom' for 'mad'!"

Scoop got to visit Starscream's secret prison when he was done manipulating Swindle and had him locked up. The Possible Light In need of a loyal combiner, Starscream then freed the Constructicons and used the Enigma of Combination on Scoop to make him part of their combined form, Devastator. As he took the late Scrapper's place as Devastator's right leg, Scoop's faith in his Chosen One influenced the combiner's personality, forcing him to follow Starscream's orders. You, Me, and the Universe However, the other Constructicons' rage against Prowl 'betraying' them and Devastator's desire to not be controlled anymore prevailed when Optimus Maximus appeared through the space bridge, causing Scoop to lose control. He later apologized to Starscream about his failure, but Starscream had Scoop and the Constructicons imprisoned anyway. All That Remains

He was let out of jail sometimes; on one occasion, he noted with some satisfaction that Starscream was terrified by a broadcast of Lost Light crewmembers awaiting execution. How Bright Their Frail Deeds Starscream made allowances for releasing his own combiner, loyal to the Chosen One, when necessary. The Constructicons reformed Devastator at Starscream's command to thwart a group of Decepticons commandeering the space bridge, Once Upon a Time on Earth and to besiege the colony ship Carcer when Elita One refused to transform her Titan in defense of Cybertron from Sentinel Prime's evil fleet. Desperate Measures

Everyone should look this cool shortly before dying stupidly.

By the time that Starscream had been impeached and imprisoned for his own myriad transgressions, The Chosen One Scoop was thoroughly disgusted by the 'bot he'd once served, having lost faith in his religious ideals. When Alpha Trion invited him to meet the Mistress of Flame, he scoffed at her tale of the time when she encountered Onyx Prime, prompting the Mistress to sternly remind him that it wasn't the Primes who let him down. Though Scoop attempted to meet with Starscream in his cell, Onyx himself and Liege Maximo arrived over Iacon, throwing the city into chaos. Surfeit of Primes

Scoop and the other Constructicons watched from a rooftop as Onyx and his Maximals joined Optimus's forces for a meeting in the Spire. The fact that Starscream had seemingly foreseen the coming of Onyx—in reality, the ex-leader had simply been alerted to the threat by an infraspacial version of Bumblebee—was enough to reignite his lapsed faith, reaffirming his belief in the Chosen One... though the other Constructicons weren't so moved by this breakthrough, and told him to find a different cause. Another Mine As Onyx's manipulations turned the population of Iacon against one another, exposing yet another Prime as a callous manipulator, Scoop's belief in his "Chosen One" led him to form Devastator with the other Constructicons and break Starscream out of prison in the hopes that Starscream could "light their darkest hour." The Ground

As Devastator, Scoop's faith continued to guide the combiner onwards; with Onyx Prime now revealed as a time-travelling Shockwave in disguise, the gestalt came to the conclusion that Starscream's role as the Chosen One meant that he was the reincarnation of the treacherous Megatronus. This epiphany was short-lived; Shockwave revealed that he had deliberately orchestrated Starscream's rise and fall, and that the legends of the "Chosen One" were a lie he'd invented specifically to place a fool like Starscream on the throne. The Hallowing

As Devastator, the Constructicons - who had been ordered to destroy indiscriminately - wound up battling Victorion. When Arcee smashed Liege Maximo and his payload of Ore-4, which had been buffering Devastator from Victorion's gravity powers, the female combiner was able to overpower the Constructicons with a surge of gravitational energy, fatally crushing Scoop and the other Constructicons. Unforgivable

Commercial appearances

Scoop, Landfill, and Quickmix came to the rescue of their Targetmaster partners as they were being chased down by Needlenose and Spinister. Holepunch and Tracer first attached themselves to Scoop's vehicle mode, then Scoop transformed and wielded them both as guns. Afterwards, Scoop allowed both of his Targetmasters to combine into a "superweapon" to better blast their opponents. Double Targetmasters commercial

Games

Transformers Legends

Scoops [sic] discovered an ancient Cybertronian prophecy speaking of a chosen one, whom Scoops believed to be Starscream. Starscream wasn't so sure. Dark Cybertron

Transformers: Battle Tactics

He's upset about his toy gun.

Scoop participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was a Common character that could be recruited for 10 units of Cybermetal. Transformers: Battle Tactics

Transformers Roleplaying Game

Scoop was a stand-in member of the Constructicons. Decepticon Directive According to unconfirmed reports, he was once part of an alternate configuration for Devastator. The Enigma of Combination

Toys

The Transformers

Bob the Builder not included.

• Scoop (Targetmaster, 1988)

• Accessories: "Holepunch" dual compression cannon & "Tracer" twin laser-guided ion blaster Targetmasters
• Known designers: Richard Marcej (packaging)

Released in the fifth year of the original Transformers toyline, in the second year of the Targetmaster assortment, Scoop transforms into an orange and yellow front payloader with an articulated loader bucket, loosely resembling a Michigan 275A.

Most of the smaller Targetmasters have two 5mm mount points for their Nebulan companions, however Scoop is quite the exception with a total of five mount points. Holepunch and Tracer (or any other accessories with handle pegs of the correct size) can be mounted on either side of the vehicle, on either of two points at the rear, or at a single, central point at the front of the vehicle. Scoop's Targetmaster partners can attach to this central point in robot mode to create the illusion that he is looking through a gun sight. He also has very small hands, so his Targetmasters instead mount on the outside of his wrists. Holepunch and Tracer can become two separate handguns, or either can attach to the rear of the other gun to form a single rifle.

No version of this character or mold was released in Japan.

• More information on Scoop at TFU.info

Generations

I must rebuild you because God told me to.

• Autobot Scoop (Deluxe, 2014)

• Series / Number: 02 / #014
• Accessories: "Holepunch" & "Caliburst" Targetmasters
• Known designers: Joe Kyde (Hasbro)

Part of the eighth wave of Generations Deluxe Class toys, Thrilling 30 Scoop is a modernized, more articulated version of his original toy. He comes with equally-modernized versions of his partners, Holepunch and Tracer Caliburst (trademark reasons), who retain their abilities to transform from robots to guns, and to combine into a larger weapon. This time around, though, Scoop's got 5mm fist-holes to wield them normally, while still having some peg-holes on his arms and legs if you're feeling nostalgic.

Scoop comes packaged with a copy of the IDW Publishing "Black Metal: Dark Cybertron Chapter 2" comic issue. He was a fairly reliable shelfwarmer, often found on store shelves alongside the Combiner Wars toyline long after his own line had ended.

Scoop's stock photography shows his loader bucket with two differently colored halves, the front half being yellow like the original toy.

This toy was later robbed of one of its Targetmasters when it was redecoed into Adventure Roadblock, but got it back again when it was retooled into BotCon 2015 Sgt. Hound.

• More information on Generations Scoop at TFU.info

Merchandise

Blokees

"If God had wanted to omit me from combining, He would not have created me!"

• Scoop (Blokees Wheels, 2026)

• Series: 02 - Wreck'N Rule
• Pull rate: 1/12

Part of the second wave of the Blokees Wheels series of blind-boxed 1/64-scale vehicles, this model kit of Scoop is modeled after his Cybertronian payloader form from Stormbringer, with an articulated loader bucket. He uses the same universal Chassis Connector as the rest of the lineup, and also features an opening canopy to reveal an inner cockpit for the Blokees Driver to ride on.

Notes

• When Hasbro designer Joe Kyde set out to include a construction vehicle in the Thrilling 30 line, he narrowed down the choices to Armada Scavenger and Scoop. Scavenger would've been harder to do justice as a Deluxe Class toy, and Kyde preferred the idea of an orange toy, so Scoop won out!

Foreign names

• Hungarian: Kotrógép ("Excavator")
• Mandarin: Dá Tiěchǎn (大铁铲, "Big Shovel")