Battlecharger

The Battlechargers are a Decepticon subgroup from the Generation 1 continuity family.

"Heh heh. He said 'do'."

The Battlechargers are a decidedly devilish duo of deadly Decepticon dragsters diligently dedicated to destruction, demolition and dastardly deviance.

Individually, they are Runabout and Runamuck; collectively, they are a copyeditor's worst nightmare.

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

Marvel The Transformers comics

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

"DAAAA DAAAA DAN-DAH-DAH, DANANANANA DAAA-NAN DAH!"

The Battlechargers were summoned to Earth from Cybertron by Megatron, who wanted a dramatic way to announce his challenge to Optimus Prime for a fight to the death. Ignoring their orders, the two reckless Decepticons left and began to raise a bit of random highway havoc. During a break in the mayhem, they rested in a parking lot and saw a defiant youngster expressing his disgust of family vacations through graffiti. His dad angrily escorted him back to the station wagon, and their holiday trip resumed. The Battlechargers, impressed by the boy's disregard for authority, began following the family on a road trip through the U.S., defacing any monuments they happened upon (such as Mount Rushmore, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, and the Washington Monument). They wrote insults and jokes in Cybertronian, thus attracting the attention of RAAT, which had already captured thirteen Autobots. Decepticon Graffiti! Their actions also attracted the attention of Prowl, though he was ordered by Optimus Prime to back off due to the collateral damage the pursuit was causing. ...Perchance to Dream

"Diarrhea, cha cha cha! Diarrhea, cha cha cha! Di-ACK!"

RAAT caught up with them in Philadelphia, where Circuit Breaker engaged them in a battle that nearly killed the graffiti-inclined boy. Because of her disregard for civilian safety, Circuit Breaker was temporarily stripped of her command and ordered to stay out of action. Itching for revenge, she found her only allies to be the partially-disassembled Autobots in her RAAT lab. She didn't have time to rebuild them all properly, but she knew she could jury-rig them together into a single form which she could partially control. However, she needed the Autobots' consent, and they only agreed to do it if she would release them afterward. She agreed, and she soon fought an aerial battle with the two Decepticons at the Statue of Liberty (where, incidentally, they had written "humans are wimps" in poor English). The two hooligans met quick defeat at the hands of her makeshift gestalt, their charred bodies sent plunging into the harbor. Circuit Breaker's release of the captive Autobots cost her her job at RAAT, as well as that of Donny Finkleberg, AKA Robot Master, who had helped her do it. Donny had received a $50,000 reward for turning the Autobot Skids in, and he ended up using that money to help pay for the cleanup of the Battlechargers' antics. Decepticon Graffiti!

"Careers are stupid! Everyone, like, works in a booth."

For quite some time, the Battlechargers were completely absent except for one of them helping tourists with their suitcases at Club Con. We assume many things went missing from those suitcases. Club Con!

However, when Shockwave wanted to wrest control of the Earth-based Decepticons from Scorponok, the Battlechargers mysteriously returned and for unknown reasons joined his motley band of rebels. They attacked Scorponok's New Jersey base, and a battle ensued. Surrender! Just as the battle ended, the combatants were transported to Cybertron by Primus, who was gathering his Transformer children to stand against the demigod Unicron. The Void! Runamuck died during the planet-rending battle that followed. Still Life!

"The plan is to all go to Scorponok's base and stand shooting at him. Runamuck, your thoughts?"

"This sucks more than anything I have ever seen."

The next day Runabout was strolling with Battletrap when he was pulled below ground by a strange Cybertronian creature, and devoured. On the Edge of Extinction!

Rhythms of Darkness!

In an alternate post-apocalyptic future where the Decepticons had conquered much of Earth, Runamuck and Runabout were among the Decepticon ranks. Runamuck was shot down by Inferno. Rhythms of Darkness!

Earthforce

These stories do not fit into the normal Marvel continuity. See Earthforce for details.

"Breakin' da lawwww, breakin' da lawwwww!"

While under Shockwave's command the Battlechargers were part of a squad that ambushed the Dinobots in an attempt to discover how Grimlock had revived his warriors without the use of the Matrix. Grimlock however had other ideas, crushing Runabout's hand and knocking Runamuck down. The Dinobots had the upper hand but were interrupted by Optimus Prime, who lambasted Grimlock over his crude battle tactics, which he believed endangered the humans. The Decepticons used this distraction to hastily withdraw, leaving just Runabout with a neutron cannon to inflict some face-saving revenge. The Battlecharger had Grimlock in his sights at point blank range but when Grimlock pointed out that the Decepticon would be caught in the blast, the hapless Runabout took two steps back and fell over the edge of a ravine. Two Steps Back!

Later the Battlechargers fell under Megatron's command and were sent to retrieve some misplaced gas canisters. The gas was intended to accelerate the greenhouse effect to provide extra heat for conversion into energon for the Decepticon cause. However Shockwave also sent Drag Strip and Dead End to secure the canisters for himself in order to see his rival fail. The opposing teams arrived at the same time and, being incappable of finding a diplomatic solution, the situation soon degenerated into violence. Meanwhile, Prowl had already made the canisters safe and sat back with Jazz, Sunstreaker and some local humans to enjoy the Decepticons beating the frag out of each other! Life in the Slow Lane

Runabout and Runamuck were later seen attacking the Autobot Earthbase as part of a united Decepticon force under Soundwave's command but they ultimately failed to gain any ground and retreated. Divide and Conquer!

Marvel Generation 2 comic

Despite having apparently died, Runamuck was among the Decepticons under Megatron's command when they ran into Jhiaxus's Cybertronians. In a rather one-sided battle against the powerful second gen troops, he promptly died again. New Dawn

Generation 1 cartoon continuity

The Transformers cartoon

Runamuck attacked Kup and some other Autobots investigating a decimated Earth Defense Command station that had crashed on the planet Goo Number 8739-B. Riding Blast Off, Runamuck strafed the Autobots with a death-crystal shooter (the station had been destroyed by death crystals, so it's possible that was Runamuck's work as well). The Autobots engaged the duo in a short space battle that ended when Runamuck blew up a comet with the death crystals, delaying the Autobots long enough to get away. Chaos

"This is the fourth time you've been sent to my office today! And this laughing, what the hell's with this laughing?! All the generals are sick of it!"

Both Runabout and Runamuck were next seen guarding Trypticon's city mode on Chaar. They were attacked by Scourge and the ghost of Starscream, who wanted to steal one of Trypticon's eyes for Unicron. Starscream possessed Runabout, shot Runamuck, then ran into a wall, knocking Runabout unconscious. Runamuck, however, was able to sound an alarm, and Dirge, Thrust, and Astrotrain arrived to help. Scourge got Trypticon's eye, and Starscream possessed Astrotrain and escaped. Later, under Unicron's orders, Starscream returned to Chaar and took control of Trypticon, not knowing that Dirge, Thrust, and the Battlechargers were inside. Starscream used Trypticon to bring Unicron's head down Cybertron's surface, but Thrust sabotaged Trypticon from within before Starscream could connect Unicron to the planet. Starscream came out of Trypticon and demanded that Unicron give him a corporeal form so he could complete the connections. Just as Unicron did so, Autobot-planted explosives detonated and sent Unicron's head back into orbit. Starscream was also flung into outer space, where Galvatron began pursuing him. Trypticon (and the Decepticons inside him) were probably thrown into space as well. Although the Battlechargers never appeared again, Trypticon and the others did, so they most likely did survive. Ghost in the Machine

Wings Universe

Wings Universe is based on the Generation 1 cartoon, but deviates from it in cosmetic ways and continuity points.

"Yeah, yeah. We're in the bureau of beer and fire and cigarettes. And maybe some chicks, too."

Runabout and Runamuck were present during the battle that led to the destruction of Menasor and Defensor. Generation 2: Redux At some other time, the pair were hanging out with the equally-delinquent pair of Jetstorm and Deluge when a giant Autobot and his Quintesson cohort wandered into their territory. While Jetstorm and Deluge jumped the Autobot, Runabout and Runamuck tortured the Quintesson. The Decepticons misjudged the strength of their victims, and a short moment later all four Decepticons were defeated, left brutally embarrassed. The Coming Storm: Part 1

At some point, the Battlechargers were offered a flight mode but they turned it down. Runamuck's profile in Club magazine #43

When Galvatron abandoned Cybertron with the majority of the Decepticon forces, Runabout and Runamuck opted to stay behind because Galvatron was "crazier than a three-headed Nullusceran". They were recruited by Jhiaxus, who had them fill him in on recent history and decided it was time to rebuild his Cybertronian Empire. A Flash Forward Jhiaxus send the duo to find some personality components, and in the process, they discovered a stasis hibernation pod which opened to reveal Side Burn inside. A Flash Forward, Part 2. Then, they took the amnesiac autobot back to Jhiaxus. After that, Jhiaxus ordened the battlechargers to kidnap Hi-Q in Nebulos and bring him to Qre. A Flash Forward, Part 3 After they arrived on Qre, the pair engaged in some racing with the amnesic Side Burn. A Flash Forward, Part 4. When Side Burn's advances were rebuffed by Nightracer, Runamuck suggested giving her some space, but Side Burn followed Runabout's advice to follow her instead. Then, the Battlechargers trailed behind him. A Flash Forward, Part 5 Following Jhiaxus's defeat, Side Burn promised the pair leniency, and indeed after the pair returned to Earth with the Autobots, Hi-Q said he wouldn't press charges. A Flash Forward, Part 6

And then they lived happily ever after.

Young Corgi continuity

In the year 2000, the Battlechargers tried to destroy the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, but met resistance from Hot Rod, Slingshot and Skydive and were summarily defeated. The battle was shown on the news and recorded by the Autobot ally Jeff Grey, but he accidentally taped over it with an episode of the Gus Gopher Show. Battle Beneath the Ice

Dreamwave Generation One continuity

The Battlechargers are indestructible. First, Gnaw ate them when they tried to ambush Optimus Prime, Cold War but they evidently survived and later found Shockwave's lab. Then Sunstorm fried them, Night of the Combaticons but they survived to become part of Shockwave's small army on Cybertron, which Megatron then took over. Lost and Found

2005 IDW continuity

"Er, y'know, Runabout, everyone's always runnin' down Pat Lee and saying he sucks and stuff, but you know, he really does suck and this is one of those times everyone is right."

Runamuck and Runabout came from distant regions of Cybertron to attend Megatron's speeches and demonstrations of power as the Decepticon faction begun to take shape. Megatron Origin #3 When their leader gave the order to burn Kaon, Runamuck was one of the first to leap forward in order to carry out Megatron's orders. Megatron Origin #4

Runabout and Runamuck were part of a Decepticon insurgent cell that had operated covertly on Earth for at least four years, working to destabilize Earth's governing organizations and create global anarchy. Along with Thundercracker, they were assigned by Starscream to intercept the human Stoker and retrieve his SM-40 palmtop PC, which contained data on their Nebraska operation. The team caught up with and killed Stoker outside Phoenix, AZ, by which time Verity Carlo had already stolen the SM-40. Infiltration #0 The Battlechargers' attempts to retrieve it from Verity and Ratchet blew their cover; Infiltration #1 They appeared in full public view both in primary mode and in a secondary alternate mode, where the panels of their sports-car disguises split apart to reveal weapons and ram-plates. While pursuing Ratchet, both Battlechargers were run off the road by a semi-trailer. Infiltration #2 They got better, but were no longer part of any major operations. When Megatron arrived on Earth, they, along with the rest of the infiltration team, refused to stand against the Decepticon leader. Infiltration #6

Despite their part in Starscream's mutiny, Runamuck and Runabout were quickly forgiven by Megatron and returned to active duty. Escalation #1 Escalation #2

A year later, when Megatron called Sixshot to Earth, the Battlechargers questioned his sanity in ruining the careful planning of infiltration protocol. Devastation #1 The Battlechargers continued their trend of being brutally off-lined when the Reapers attacked the Decepticon command bunker in Oregon. Runabout was electrocuted until he exploded and Runamuck was decapitated and then had his errant head crushed by a large boulder. Following the Decepticons' defeat of the Reapers, Astrotrain referred to their deaths as "acceptable losses." Devastation #6

In 2017 when Joe Colton and Scarlett discussed the Cybertronian influence on Earth, they reviewed Ratchet's initial fight with the Battlechargers. Secret Raiders

Toys

"I think they make daytime TV suck so, like, we're forced to go to school."

The Transformers

• Battlechargers (1986)
  • Runabout
  • Runamuck

• Known designers: Hideaki Yoke (TakaraTomy), Takashi Matsuda (initial concept)

The primary gimmick of the Battlecharger toys is Autotransformation from car to robot mode through the use of a pull-back motor. The motor gimmick is still usable in their robot modes. It is unlikely that one is a retool of the other despite sharing exceedingly similar construction, since they had simultaneous production. They come with guns which, since they lack hands and arm articulation, mount on their shoulders. Neither toy was released as part of the original retail line in Japan.

Timelines

"Er, heh heh. I think it's working."

• Transformers Collectors Club (2012)
  • Over-Run
  • Runamuck

Runabout (renamed to Over-Run for trademark reasons) and Runamuck were promoted to Deluxe-class and are now new-head retoolings of Generations Wheeljack (itself a retool of Turbo Tracks), transforming into a sports car of made-up model.

Runamuck was the 2012 Transformers Collectors' Club free figure, while Over-Run was one of two 2012 Transformers Collectors' Club exclusive figures. As a side-note, extra space was included in Over-Run's display box to store Runamuck as well, because Fun Publications couldn't bear to break up the team.

Transformers (2010) mold: Tracks
Hasbro: Reveal the Shield Turbo Tracks Generations Wheeljack Fun Publications: Timelines Runamuck Over-Run Turbo Tracks (Shattered Glass) TakaraTomy: United UN-13 Autobot Tracks UN-19 Wheeljack

Kre-O

His spoiler tastes great on a cracker!

• Age of Extinction Collection 2 (2014)
  • Decepticon Runamuck (Kreon Micro-Changer, 2014)

Mysteriously going solo this time, Runamuck is a Kreon mini-figure that can be rebuilt into a sports car. While clearly based on the Generation 1 Battlecharger, the details of his deco are much more based on the live-action movie style of bot.

War for Cybertron: Earthrise

For the last time, my alt mode is not a secret agent's submarine! If you dare put me in water, I will shoot you!

• Runamuck (2020)
  • Accessories: Blaster

• Known designers: Ittoku Kuwazu (TakaraTomy), Hirofumi Ichikawa (detailing)

Earthrise Runamuck is an all-new mold that transforms into an 80's sportscar that is somewhat reminiscent of a Lotus Esprit X180 in 16 steps, and comes with a blaster that can be mounted on the vehicle mode. In a 2019 fan poll, Runamuck received more votes than Gnaw, Needlenose, or Shrapnel, and thus the Battlecharger got a toy in the War for Cybertron: Earthrise toyline.

Runamuck and his fellow Deluxe wavemates were first found in Singapore before wave 2 was released.

Turns out that fan poll was a two-fer.

• Decepticon Runabout (2020)
  • Accessories: 2 Blasters

Earthrise "Decepticon Runabout" is, astonishingly, a redeco and new-head retool of his compadre Runamuck, being one of the final figures revealed for the Earthrise toyline. Runabout transforms into the same 80's sportscar, with a blaster accessory that is now sculpted in black and covered in a sinister shade of red paint except at the nuzzle and handle.

Runabout is exclusive to Target stores in the United States.

Merchandise

Blokees

• Runabout (Blokees Wheels, 2025)

• Series: Blokees Wheels Transformers 01 - Roll Out!
• Pull rate: 1/12

• Runabout (Blokees Wheels, 2026)

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

Both Runabout and Runamuck were released as part of the first two waves of Blokees Wheels series of blind-boxed 1/64-scale vehicles, with their designs based on a brief scene from IDW Publishing's The Transformers: Infiltration issue #2 where artist E. J. Su depicted a Stealth Force-esque partial transformation; however, the details at the rear of the vehicle are instead drawn from their Adventure figures. While everything else is molded in ABS plastic, the inner body is made out of "2.5x density" Solidex to evoke the feeling of die-cast cars like Hot Wheels. They use the same universal Chassis Connector as the rest of the lineup, and their roof and doors can be opened to accommodate the driver figures from the chase kits.

Notes

Runamuckabout.

• Like Punch, the Battlechargers concept was boiling in the design stages long before it was actually implemented. The most notable version of the concept comes from a 1985 patent where the pullback motor detaches and transforms into a robot separate from the robot formed by the car.
• Fans joked for years that the Battlechargers, in their "Decepticon Graffiti!" story, eerily (though coincidentally) resembled the title characters of the MTV animated series Beavis and Butt-head in their attitude and dynamic (a bit of an anachronism, considering Beavis & Butt-head was a cartoon which came seven years later). If anything, Runabout and Runamuck share a dynamic more closely similar to that of Heckle and Jeckle (the wannabe sophisticate and the uncultured slob), whose cartoons had been making the rounds for decades prior to "Decepticon Graffiti". It wasn't until much later that Bill Forster, in The AllSpark Almanac II, made an official Beavis and Butt-head connection. Kudos, Bill.
• The Generations Combiner Wars Blackjack figure was originally designed as a new Runabout toy. The reasons for its new identity are unknown, but likely involve name unavailability and/or a desire for a more colorful toy. Takara later released the toy as Runabout and Runamuck for their Adventure toyline.
• The Battlechargers' design was used as the basis for the car Ground Soldiers in Transformers: Devastation.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Battlecharger (バトルチャージャー Batoruchājā)
• Dutch: Battle Springer
• Hungarian: Csatagép ("Battlemachine")