Needlenose (G1)

This article is about the evil Decepticon. For his heroic mirrorverse counterpart, see Needlenose (SG).

Needlenose is a Decepticon Targetmaster from the Generation 1 continuity family.

Project Runway.

Needlenose is a fly airplane-bot who used to design the most righteous fashion microchips in all Cybertron, until a bunch of bogus dorks said they were totally last year. Whatever! This supreme dissage led to supreme pissage, and the cheesed-off designer joined the uber-bad Decepticons for revenge.

A willing if clueless soldier, Needlenose always keeps it fresh and fly. When he found out about Nebulans, he was all over that, and snagged himself two: Sunbeam, a gnarly surfer dude, and Zigzag, a cool old geezer whose black armor goes with absolutely everything. These two dudes can even combine into a single weapon, which is not at all weird. Telling Needlenose that this weapon is smarter than him is totally not cool. He'd, like, deck you in the locknuts for that.

He's bad-aft, is Needlenose. Not. Straight up, he's a big tin dweeb who thinks he's the bomb. He even plays video games. LAME.

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

Marvel The Transformers comics

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

"Needlenose Ned"? "Ned the Head"? C'mon, buddy.

Needlenose was sponsored by Spinister as a potential recruit for the new Mayhem Attack Squad, being gathered by Snarler to hunt down the traitors from the Time Wars, Carnivac and Catilla. Unfortunately, Needlenose was less than prepared for the stress of combat. During a training exercise in a simulation of Slaughter City, he abandoned the fight, an act punishable by death under Decepticon military code. In order to save him from this fate, Spinister deliberately allowed himself to be overcome by an Autobot solid light simulation, hoping the sight of a fellow Decepticon in trouble would be enough to snap Needlenose back into action. It was, and Needlenose "saved" Spinister from his attacker. When Snarler asked if the new Mayhems were ready, Spinister refrained from mentioning Needlenose's problems, and pushed the team forward to their active assignment. The Hunting Party

On Earth, Needlenose and the Mayhems caught Carnivac alone with their robotic Hellhound, Way of the Warrior and began hunting him down through the American desert. To better corner their prey, the group split up. This only served to embolden Carnivac, as he tried to pick off his pursuers one-by-one, starting with Needlenose. Before the Pretender got to do any damage, Octopunch threatened a nearby group of humans, forcing Carnivac to break off his attack and exit his shell. Survival Run Carnivac's fellow deserter Catilla came to his rescue, only to be skewered and killed by the Mayhem Bludgeon. The other Survivors arrived and chased off the Mayhems, and Carnivac swore revenge for the death of his friend. A Savage Place!

This particular strand of the Marvel UK continuity branched off into the Earthforce timeline—see below.

When Lord Thunderwing learned of a series of Autobot teams being launched into one small cluster of the universe, Thunderwing brought Needlenose, Windsweeper, Spinister, and Ruckus to investigate. Their pursuit brought them to Pz-Zazz, where Needlenose's team became known as the "Robot Mob." After quickly subduing and capturing Nightbeat, Siren, and Hosehead, Bird of Prey! they then turned their attentions towards an Autobot search team on the planet Cheyne. En route to Cheyne, after Thunderwing learned of the Autobots' quest for the lost Creation Matrix. Upon arriving at Cheyne, Needlenose accompanied the others to the planet's surface, where they discovered the Autobot team there had fallen victim to a family of psychic vampires, and thus useless to the Decepticons' mission. Kings of the Wild Frontier.

Their next stop was Pequod, where Thunderwing sent Needlenose and Spinister to attack the Autobots there while Thunderwing could mind-link to the Klud that had traces of the Matrix inside. As they were recalled when Thunderwing found what he needed to know, Needlenose and Spinister began quietly questioning the sanity of their commanding officer, and what he was willing to sacrifice to acquire the Matrix (i.e., them). Deadly Obsession

Thunderwing's team next went to the moon VsQs, where they found another Autobot team looking for the Matrix. Unfortunately, a creature had absorbed part of the Creation Matrix's energies and attacked them, starting with Windsweeper. Needlenose wanted to gun down the creature as it tore Windsweeper apart, but Thunderwing forbade him—the Matrix energies had to be preserved. The creature fled when the Matrix sensed Thunderwing's affinity for the Matrix. Realizing how little their leader cared for their well-being, Needlenose, Spinister, and Windsweeper opted to stay behind and allow Thunderwing to take care of his quest himself. Dark Creation But Needlenose's worst fears were realized after Thunderwing was possessed by the Matrix and went on a rampage through the Autobots' Ark—their former commander was a threat to Autobot and most importantly themselves. Thunderwing quickly proved this by firing upon Spinister when the latter tried to make him see that he was losing control of his own mind. Before things could go further, Thunderwing was cast out into space by the trio of Autobots captives, who had secretly escaped. Needlenose and the other Decepticons surrendered themselves into Autobot custody afterwards. All Fall Down

Trigger-Happy!

Needlenose, Spinister, and Windsweeper accompanied Crankcase and Ruckus in delivering battle plans to Megatron, the former three acting as the group's rear guard. The Autobots learned of the delivery and planned to ambush them, but their mission was botched by Backstreet, who gave away his faction's presence prematurely. Needlenose and the other Decepticons were provoked into starting a firefight that endangered the inhabitants of nearby Rivers' Town. Panicked over his mistake, Backstreet wound up going on the run from his fellow Autobots. Learning of the situation, Megatron had his troops track down the fugitive in the hopes of recruiting him to their faction. They found him squatting in an abandoned amusement park. Needlenose and the rest of the Decepticon rank-and-file were told to wait at a distance while Megatron personally saw to Backstreet's defection. While his leader was delivering his recruitment pitch, Needlenose was greatly amused over the idea that Backstreet might think the offer was genuine; in reality, Megatron planned to rid himself of Backstreet once he had outlived his usefulness. This didn't pan out; Optimus Prime interrupted Megatron's spiel and convinced Backstreet to return to the Autobots. Trigger-Happy!

Earthforce

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

"'Tis but a scratch."

Following Catilla's death, the Mayhem Attack Squad set up base on a deserted island, preparing themselves for the inevitable retaliation for the assassination. Unfortunately, the waiting was seriously stressing Needlenose's circuits. He staged a false Carnivac alert in order to time his fellow Decepticons' response times, and they were none too pleased with his antics. After Snarler and Spinister chided his lack of discipline, Needlenose returned to his quarters only to find Carnivac lying in wait, having slipped through the Mayhems' defenses during the ruckus. Needlenose cried out for help, but his fellow warriors ignored his death-screams, believing it to be merely another "test". Cry Wolf!

Transformers Comic-Magazin

Needlenose was present when Megatron made peaceful gestures to humanity in New York City; and the Decepticons gave a "statue" of Snaptrap as a gift to the city. Unsurprisingly, once Humanity was off-guard, the Decepticons struck, and the Autobots barely stopped them. 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 Needlenose, Darkwing, and Dreadwind were hiding in an airbase in Nevada, before revealing their liquid crystal Decepticon insignia and flying off. He then used the distraction of a hijacked tanker to attack oil fields and refineries. 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

The characteristics of Needlenose and the other "Small Targetmaster Decepticons" 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.

Bonjour, baka!

Needlenose joined Ruckus with his revised Mayhem Attack Squad in order to seek revenge on Nightbeat and Siren because they, like, totally threw him out into space once. They used an A.I. ship named Amory to lure their Autobot victims into an ambush. Unfortunately, Amory was only helping them because Ruckus was holding her pilot hostage and Ruckus, being an idiot, brought the hostage to the ambush for show-and-tell. One quick slash of Slag's sword and the hostage (and Ruckus's arm) were no longer in his possession. Now facing a group of Autobots AND a teed-off warship, Needlenose and the other Mayhems decided to beat a hasty retreat. Cheap Shots

Regeneration One

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

Twenty-one years after the defeat at Klo, Needlenose was one of the "Neo-Decepticons" who rallied to Soundwave's banner at Fort Scyk. Counterpoint Soundwave was off-planet when the resurrected Scorponok returned to Cybertron with a Gene Key capable of turning Autobots into Decepticons. Arriving at Fort Syck, the former Headmaster ordered the assembled troops to follow him and Needlenose readily agreed...after witnessing what happened to Misfire for questioning him. Natural Selection, Part Three

Needlenose was subsequently tasked with tracking down the missing Dinobots Sludge, Snarl, and Swoop. Natural Selection, Part Four He evidently failed to find them as he was next seen with Spinister alongside Scorponok at the Sonic Canyons, preparing to make his Gene Key's effects permanent, when Grimlock and the Dinobots attacked. When Grimlock's mole Perceptor neutralised the Gene Key's effects on the Autobots, turning the odds against Scorponok, Needlenose and Spinister chose the better part of valour, transformed to their aerial modes and fled. Natural Selection, Part Five

Later, Needlenose and Spinister convinced a few agitated Cybertronians to lob a grenade at Hot Rod as he was giving a speech at the Eugenesis Plaza. Destiny, Part One Now once more part of the Neo-Decepticons under Soundwave's command, Needlenose destroyed a communications facility as part of the plan to blind Cybertron's Autobots to the arrival of Bludgeon's forces. Destiny, Part Two When those forces arrived, they sent out an army of Blitz Engines to soften up the opposition while Soundwave dispatched Monstructor engage the Autobots' heavy hitter Omega Supreme. Though Bludgeon chose to remain on the Warworld, a group of his warriors descended to the planet's surface and engaged the Autobots directly alongside Needlenose and the other Neo-Decepticons, with Needlenose bagging Tailgate. The tide of battle soon turned against them, however, when the Dinobots and Demons destroyed the Blitz Engines, Omega Supreme tore Monstructor apart, Rodimus Prime threw Bludgeon through the Warworld's windscreen and Blaster took down Soundwave in single combat, Ultra Magnus was able to rally the Autobot forces with a rousing speech and they easily defeated the remaining Decepticons. Destiny, Part Five

2005 IDW continuity

First appearance: Spotlight: Blaster

Prior to the war, Needlenose was in business with his overbearing brother Tracks selling Chic Chips, which Needlenose had designed. However Needlenose began to dislike the fact that the chips he designed for everyone were being marketed and priced by Tracks for only the higher classes, and felt that his brother was hijacking his dream and ignoring him. After meeting Horri-Bull and becoming interested in the Decepticons' anti-class rhetoric, Needlenose, after an argument, dissolved the partnership and left, giving Tracks a warning about being on the wrong side of history. The Transgressors

Needlenose subsequently fell in with the Decepticons and became a gun-runner for the cause along with his new partner Horri-Bull Dance Among the Shadows, whom he developed a secret infatuation with. The Transgressors Following Jetfire's altercation with the law, they provided the conflicted Decepticon with a gun for self-defense reasons, unaware that Jetfire was secretly working with Orion Pax to bring the arms dealers to justice. Dance Among the Shadows The two later met with Jetfire again; when Jetfire wondered if Soundwave was aware of their shady dealings, Needlenose revealed that Soundwave had authorized the arms-dealing in the first place, which shocked the idealistic Jetfire. Future Glories Lost When Orion arrived to arrest them, Needlenose and Horri-Bull fled while Pax gunned down the third member of their group. Frustrated at the loss of their weapons, Needlenose berated Soundwave for letting their hard work go to waste, but Soundwave lied to them by telling them that their supply of weapons had been detonated by the Autobots rather than a pragmatic Starscream. Feel Safe Without Regrets

A few days later, the two Decepticons joined Deluge, who lured Jetfire into an ambush to get revenge. The three Decepticons quickly started beating the "traitor" to death, but were scared off when Bumblebee arrived. The Next Day, and the Next

Hundreds of years ago, when a Decepticon sleeper agent silenced "The Voice" just as the Autobot troops were waiting for a broadcast, Needlenose and a squadron of Decepticons under Razorclaw's command moved in for the kill. Spotlight: Blaster

Cannibalism was very on-trend at that point.

Much later, Needlenose answered Starscream's rallying cry as the latter assumed the Decepticon leadership. However soon over one hundred Decepticons were filling up the moon base and everything there began to degrade. Razorclaw made the base into a deadly place where the strong fed on the weak. Needlenose eventually gave into this way of thinking and showed it when he helped to brutally murder and then cannibalize Dreadwind after the soldier stole some energon. All His Engines Fortunately, Megatron soon took back leadership and announced to the gathered Decepticons that they'd take up arms once again... though Needlenose meekly pointed out that he might have trouble taking up anything, having fallen into such disrepair that he'd lost his hands. Spotlight: Megatron

When the Decepticons were captured after Galvatron's defeat (being weak after forming the Deceptigod), Needlenose was amongst the prisoners locked up and applied with an inhibitor/deterrence chip. Later, agreeing to Prowl's terms, he went on to 'discipline' the rioting NAILs. The Death of Optimus Prime

"You guys are just SO 1984."

Later, he and Horri-Bull were made "enforcers of the peace" and beat up Tappet, a NAIL who was drawing graffiti on a wall. They were caught in the act by Prowl and taken to Ratbat, who berated them for their willingness to serve the Autobots. Needlenose was curious to know whether Ratbat had a plan, which he did and told them to stay out of trouble until the next night. However, that night, Horri-Bull and Needlenose were caught bullying another NAIL. After being spotted and threatened by Bumblebee, Needlenose tried to calm down Horri-Bull, but the latter kept defying Bumblebee, resulting in the detonation of his I/D chip. Needlenose stared in shock at his deceased friend. The Autonomy Lesson To avenge Horri-Bull, Needlenose picked Zetca as the NAIL to take the fall for Ratbat and Skywarp's planned assassination of Bumblebee. The World & Everything in It Needlenose was later part of an angry Decepticon crowd who demanded answers from the Autobots for Ratbat's death. Stick Together

Needlenose later helped Swindle watch over Dirge, who had witnessed Prowl murdering the Constructicons and was afraid he'd be hunted down. While Swindle was bringing new arrival Sky-Byte up to speed with recent events, their hiding spot was discovered by the Autobots. Needlenose fought back with a flamethrower, injuring Streetwise, as Swindle and Dirge made a quick getaway. Unfortunately, Needlenose and Sky-Byte were arrested and about to be lynched in public when Ironhide intervened and let them go, trying to make a better future between Autobot and Decepticon. A Better Tomorrow

When Megatron reappeared from Cybertron's wilderness, Needlenose and the other Decepticons were horrified to see that the Autobots immediately attacked him. Acting as spokesman for the leaderless Decepticons, he interrupted the Autobots' assault and argued that Megatron was a hero for his actions during the battle with Galvatron, convincing Bumblebee to imprison him instead of kill him. Bumblebee then had him go look for survivors at the newly destroyed Decepticon pen, but by the time Starscream found him and the other Decepticons, they had instead formed an angry mob prepared to riot against the Autobot government in the name of Megatron. City on Fire As part of this mob, Needlenose led an attack on the Autobot prison, freeing Megatron and following him to the Black Room. The Verge Under Megatron's command, the Decepticons fell back into their old army role and moved to conquer Cybertron once again. Before the Dawn During the battle for Iacon, Needlenose stood by Turmoil's side and got himself bitten and flame-breathed when the Dinobots joined the fight. Plan for Everything

Finding Swindle to be helping injured Autobots, Needlenose was unimpressed and prepared to kill both the traitor and his friends, only to be confronted by a group of NAILs led by his old victim, Zetca. Fortunately for him the neutrals were merciful despite their grudges and let Needlenose escape with his life. Heavy Is the Head After Megatron lost the battle, the Decepticons were banished from Iacon into the wilderness, where Soundwave, Astrotrain, and Blitzwing began fighting over leadership. Needlenose broke them up to speak on behalf of all the grunts who were sick of the fighting: all they wanted was peace, but trusting their leaders in Iacon had only led to more war. Telling them he missed Horri-Bull and his peaceful life before the war, Needlenose declared that the Decepticons were done being soldiers. Shockpoint

In spite of Needlenose's little speech, Soundwave was able to rally him and the other Decepticons into battle for the sake of saving Cybertron from Shockwave's machinations. Soundwaves They marched on Shockwave's Necrotitan, only to end up in battle with the Autobots who were already there. Black Metal The battle came to an end when the Titan emitted a deadly energy wave, injuring Autobot and Decepticon alike and convincing the two sides to team up against Shockwave. Winners & Losers Needlenose joined the others in attacking Shockwave's Crystal City base, but the battle was lost when the rogue Decepticon summoned the Necrotitan to his side. Finest Hour

Needlenose ended up falling in with Soundwave again after all, Full Fathom Five this time under a plan to set up a free and conflict-free Decepticon commune rather than fight. The Transgressors Led by both Soundwave and Galvatron, the band of Decepticons went to Earth and formed an alliance with the Earth Defense Command so that the humans could help them build their commune. Needlenose was among those Decepticons who ambushed a small group of Autobots that had also come to Earth and been lured to Thundercracker's shack. As the Autobots fled towards Poverty Flat, Needlenose gave chase with his comrades and tried firing on Sideswipe, but the Autobot was quick to dodge. Detonation Boulevard When Devastator joined the battle, Needlenose opened fire on him alongside Blitzwing and Buzzsaw, but it had little effect on the behemoth. The Mind Bomb Not long after, Needlenose joined his fellow Decepticons in engaging the Autobots when they attacked the EDC's Bikini Atoll base. I Dream of Wires

You can't commit omnicide just because your sibling's a dick, Needlenose. Then everyone would be doing it.

Needlenose took a shuttle back to Cybertron with Brawl to make contact with the disgruntled Decepticons and teamed up with Dreadwing. The trio whipped up anger in the ghetto and tried to intimidate Camien Prime evangelists into fleeing. Needlenose believed the Autobots were deliberately forming diplomatic relations with peopled who "served the Primes" in order to tighten their grip on the body politic and that Starscream's was a "puppet regime", and he berated Sparkstalker for putting up with this just because Camiens had done the bare minimum of treating Decepticons like people. What goes around comes around though, as in a bar meeting, Needlenose struggled to convince Dreadwing of Soundwave's agenda and his chat only enraged Brawl into an off-message roar that the Decepticons should just take what they want. And Brawl spilled his drink! What'd make this worse?

Then Tracks showed up for a chat, after having never visited him in giant-gun jail. Tracks's very presence angered the bar and it only deteriorated as the brothers talked, both wanting no war but both blaming the other's faction for it, unable or unwilling to get common ground. After Tracks said they'd had their chance for a proper deal under Bumblebee and blew it, Needlenose snarled back at his brother that he'd never have worked with the robot who'd killed the only person he'd ever loved. Tracks decked him for that; Needlenose spat out that his brother had never cared and only taken; and the Decepticon bar almost exploded into open violence when a Badgeless came in to arrest Needlenose. Luckily, Arcee arrived to defuse things (by brutalising the Badgeless first) and Needlenose told his brother to tell Prime that the Decepticons didn't want to fight but would if they 'had' to.

After, Needlenose looked wistfully at a pile of old Chic Chips before crushing them and going on stage to lead a Decepticon rally. The Transgressors After the rally, Needlenose and his allies approached Starscream about getting unfettered access to the spacebridge for their people. Aphelion That night, Needlenose led the Decepticons through Iacon Spaceport 1. However Tracks embarrassed Needlenose again by showing up, how rude. Despite offering to let Tracks see the peace they were going to bring for themselves, Tracks instead opted to try and call Optimus. After Brawl shot him, Needlenose kicked his brother aside before leading his fellow Decepticons through the space bridge to the Ark-7, where they confronted the Autobots trapped inside Garrison Blackrock's force field. He gave orders for them to kill opposition, telling a shocked Swift a few more bodies wouldn't make a difference this close to peace. Lagrange

Needlenose led the Decepticons through the Space Bridge, and they captured the Autobot ship. Needlenose was prepared to bring his people to Sanctuary Station near Jupiter, announcing they'd achieved their raid was cleanly as was possible (while ignoring Sideswipe's execution) but Brawl revealed they had secret orders from Galvatron to begin conquest of Earth instead. The Ark-7 crashed down in Shanghai, China. Although this went against his plans with Soundwave, Needlenose reluctantly went along with Brawl's direction. When Brawl cheerfully said he was glad Needlenose hadn't gone soft and it was time to kill some humans, Needlenose looked away in shame but did not oppose the massacre. Perihelion

The resulting battle was a debacle and the Decepticons willingly fled onto a shuttle Soundwave had sent, though Needlenose put up a token whinge about an Autobot being there. Once Upon a Time on Earth During the retreat, he tried to shrug off the whole affair was just being an honest mistake from picking Galvatron, much to Swift's dismay. The two ended up talking about Optimus, where Needlenose 'explained' that Optimus had started overthrowing the hierarchy like they had but then prevented the Decepticons going much further, fighting to keep them under a Primacy. And Optimus wasn't even a true Prime since he didn't even do miracles and junk! New Worlds Order Feeling regretful over the Decepticons' violent treatment of Tracks, Needlenose made amends by agreeing to organize a meeting between Optimus Prime and Soundwave. The Medium and the Message Needlenose was part of the combined forces of Prime and Soundwave that went to attack the Nemesis in the Indian Ocean, with Arcee intending to use him as a guide because of his knowledge of the Decepticon ship's layout. It's Beginning To And Back Again Needlenose did indeed lead Arcee and several others, including Tracks, through the Nemesis, arguing with his brother all the way to the control room. Needlenose thought they had little to fear upon finding Garrison Blackrock, but he was soon proven wrong as Marissa Faireborn fired at him; Tracks pushed Needlenose out of the way, with Needlenose also yelling for his brother to watch out. As Above...So Below In the aftermath of the battle, Needlenose helped round up the wounded combatants; when the EDC showed up and started blitzing their position, Needlenose loaded his unconscious brother onto Sky Lynx as the team prepared to evacuate. White Light White Heat

Remember the heart and the magic!

Returning to Sanctuary Station, Needlenose was later interviewed during the Iron Ring's assault on Cybertron and shared his concerns for his brother's safety, wishing that he could be there. Primeless, Part 2 Needlenose was present in archived footage used for Thundercracker's Starscream: The Movie, but got to actually make his mark as a movie star in Rumble and Frenzy's own directorial debut, Dark Invasion, where he engaged in an epic, thought-provoking duel with Slugslinger. Starscream: The Movie

Deciding to visit Tracks on Cybertron for a week not long afterwards, Needlenose was subsequently present when Onyx Prime made his return. The two brothers, Dreadwing, and Swift then met with Soundwave to discuss the Prime's return, and when Soundwave tried to argue that Optimus wasn't corrupt like the Primes of the past, Needlenose brought up how he had turned a blind eye to the I/D chips and the actions of groups like the Dinobots and the Wreckers during the war, as well as how he had only turned against Zeta Prime at the last possible minute. The group then went with Soundwave when he invited them to join him on a trip to the Spire and see the captive Liege Maximo, Needlenose expressing his doubts all the way; while peering into the thoughts of those around him during this visit, Soundwave found that Needlenose wished he acted more like a Decepticon. Needlenose was subsequently in the Spire when it was rocked by a mysterious explosion, although he made it out with minimal damage. Another Mine.

In the aftermath of the blast, Needlenose became outraged by Onyx's claim that Soundwave was responsible, and even defended Optimus against the ancient Prime's slandering by pointing out how he had joined the Decepticons in fighting against Zeta and had given them a second chance after Galvatron's failed conquests. However, nothing could prepare Needlenose for what Onyx revealed next: security footage of Soundwave activating Horri-Bull's I/D chip to make sure the Autobots wouldn't discover that the Decepticons had taken control of the chips. Horrified that the 'bot he looked up to had murdered the 'bot he loved, Needlenose became enraged and attacked Soundwave, causing a massive riot to begin throughout Iacon. Needlenose was soon knocked away by Soundwave, who realized the Constructicons were up to something. The Ground Needlenose was soon distracted by his attempts at revenge by Onyx's craft, which had just blown a hole through Metrotitan. The First Who Was Named

Needlenose followed Soundwave when the latter went into hiding as a mob of disenfranchised Decepticons tried to track him down. Soundwave threatened Needlenose at gunpoint after he was told he was no longer worthy to be their leader, but Needlenose didn't flinch. The tense confrontation between the two was interrupted when the aimless Starscream appeared among the Decepticons, who quickly rallied around him and asked the Seeker to lead them once again. Taken aback at the prospect of Starscream retaking command, Soundwave targeted him from the shadows. Endless Forever Needlenose stopped Soundwave from firing, angrily pointing out that Soundwave was really no better than Starscream for trying to use lies and murder to get his way. Having given Soundwave pause, Needlenose departed the scene with the newly arrived Tracks, who had been looking for him in the chaos of the day. Needlenose declared that he only wanted to be around people who truly cared about him from now on and the brothers walked off together. Unforgivable Despite this, Needlenose still found himself hanging out with Starscream's group of Decepticons after they set up shop in Metrotitan's corpse. Unstopped and Unstoppable

When Unicron appeared above Cybertron, Needlenose and his fellow Decepticons hurried to Metroplex for a mass evacuation of the planet. Needlenose thought he could approach the on-duty Tracks to get the full measure of the situation, but before he could, all Decepticons in the area received a mental message from Soundwave. Soundwave informed everyone that they wouldn't make it off the planet in time, and that Starscream was planning to leave without them. This sparked a riot at the spaceport and Needlenose elbowed Tracks out of his way to try and board Metroplex. Before they could reach safety, everyone was suddenly terrified into inaction, looking up to watch Unicron sink its massive hands into Cybertron's surface. Our Finest

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As the monster began tearing the planet apart, Needlenose and many others were rescued by Blurr, who shoved them into a ribbon of magical energy created by the Talisman that teleported them directly to Earth. Road's End Needlenose took stock of his new surroundings alongside a stray turbofox that had also been rescued. A Sunrise Dark Needlenose and the two Tankors soon located Starscream and accosted him for attempting to abandon them to die on Cybertron, but were forced to drop their grievances because of the more pressing concern that Unicron was now approaching Earth. Needlenose subsequently boarded Metroplex and joined an attack force that directly opposed Unicron in Earth's orbit. Assembly He fought alongside Tracks and his fellow Decepticons, and ultimately Unicron was vanquished. Ceremony

In the post-Unicron world, Tracks and Needlenose sought the blessing of the new Mistress of Flame, Pyra Magna, to restart their Chic Chips business. Needlenose doubted she would even understand the purpose of Chic Chips, and Pyra was indeed perplexed as to what use they had to either Cybertronian or human. Nevertheless, Pyra gave her blessing, telling the brothers that their Chic Chips might make a difference in the life of SOMEONE out there, before "gently" ordering them to leave. Needlenose and Tracks were later seen in attendance at Optimus Prime's funeral. Post

TransTech

In Axiom Nexus, Ruckus, Needlenose, and Crankcase assaulted what they thought was an energon refinery, but it turned out to be a waste fuel storage depot. Eyuw. Around Cybertron #1

Another Needlenose was a fashionista in Axiom Nexus. With the help of his assistants Sunbeam and Zigzag, Needlenose was making waves in the fashion world, even outside of the Offworld Zone. He was interviewed by Andromeda. Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News, 2015/05/19

Of Masters and Mayhem

Needlenose and the rest of the Mayhem Attack Squad were selected by Shockwave to form the ultimate combiner, Thunder Mayhem. Their power amplified and the combiner's personality solidified by the Matrix of Malice, the Mayhem Attack Squad's destructive ability proved uncontrollable. The Squad captured Optimus Prime and restrained him within their ship, forcing him to watch as Thunder Mayhem went on an apocalyptic rampage across Cybertron, nearly driving the Cybertronian race to extinction. Deadly Aim Lively Pursuit Pandora's Gift

Years later, Needlenose and the others were drawn to a cavern on Earth by a Decepticon signal, finding upon their arrival that the extra-dimensional Ramjet was the one broadcasting it. Upon seeing him, Needlenose was unimpressed by Ramjet's color scheme, commenting that it was rather meretricious. Bludgeon spoke with their new acquaintance, who in short order showed that he had power that rivaled the Squad's. Agreeing to work together, the Decepticons began to plot the destruction of the universe. History

The Mayhem Attack Squad turned Thunder Mayhem loose on the city of Merida. Divination They were confronted by Metalhawk's team of Autobot Pretenders and the exiled Optimus Prime himself. Pandora's Gift Thunder Mayhem had little trouble keeping them at bay, but when the Wreckers arrived and unveiled their new combined form Wreckage, the Mayhems had a true fight on their hands. The superpowered human Elizabeth fired an energy blast that damaged Thunder Mayhem's chest, allowing Wreckage to expose the Matrix of Malice. Together, all parties focused their fire and destroyed the Matrix, causing the Squad to de-combine and ending Thunder Mayhem for good. In the aftermath, the Wreckers took the Mayhem Attack Squad into custody when they left the planet. Finale

Legacy VS500 Collection Special Comic

Needlenose was a spectator for the second week of the Speedia 500 on Velocitron. Velocitron Speedia 500 Part 3

Commercial appearances

Needlenose used his Targetmasters Sunbeam and Zigzag to chase down a group of Autobot-allied Nebulans. The Nebulans' Autobot allies then showed up, and used their own partners' gun modes to retaliate! Needlenose and Spinister transformed to robot mode to continue the fight on foot. Double Targetmasters commercial

Toys

The Transformers

He stole Super Grover's helmet!

• Needlenose (Targetmaster, 1988)

• Accessories: Sunbeam/light burst discharger & Zigzag/twin electrostatic overloader rifle Targetmaster partners/guns
• Known designers: Takashi Kunihiro (TakaraTomy), Masakatsu Saito (concept artist), Richard Marcej (packaging)

Released in the fifth year of the original Transformers toyline, Targetmaster Needlenose transforms into the F-16XL variant of the F-16 Fighting Falcon. In robot mode, Needlenose's articulation is located entirely in his shoulders, which can move up and down as well as swing out to the sides.

He comes with two Targetmaster partners, Zigzag and Sunbeam. Their gun modes can be mounted on 5mm hardpoints under his wingtips in jet mode.

Like all of the smaller Targetmasters, Needlenose was never released in Takara's Transformers line.

• More information on Needlenose at TFU.info

Combiner Wars

Super Grover's helmet went out of style.

• Needlenose (TFSS 4.0, 2016)

• Accessories: long-range rifle, "Sunbeam" and "Zputty" Targetmaster partners, "4C Cryo Coolant Concussion Cannon"/Combiner extremity

The first figure to ship in the Figure Subscription Service 4.0, Combiner Wars Needlenose is a redeco of Deluxe Class Firefly, transforming into a modified Harrier Jump Jet. He can also form either an arm or a leg for any standard-issue Combiner Wars-style gestalt (or into one of Legends Godbomber's legs), though his nominal placement is as the left arm to Thunder Mayhem.

He includes his Targetmaster partners Sunbeam and "Zputty" (renamed from Zigzag, likely due to trademark issues), who are redecoes of Caliburst and Holepunch respectively.

Combiner Wars mold: Firefly
Hasbro: Combiner Wars Firefly Firefly (Generation 2) Quickslinger Quickslinger (Generation 2) Decepticon Blast Off Decepticon Blast Off (Generation 2) Fun Publications: Combiner Wars Needlenose TakaraTomy: Unite Warriors UW-01 Firebolt UW-01 Sling

Legacy

Four years and two lost fan-votes later, Needlenose finally gets a bone tossed his way.
He could do with a reissue.

• Needlenose (Deluxe Class, 2023)

• TakaraTomy ID number: TL-23
• TakaraTomy release date: March 25, 2023
• Accessories: Vertical stabilizer
• Known designers: Mark Maher (Hasbro), Ittoku Kuwazu (TakaraTomy)

Part of the first wave of Legacy: Evolution Deluxe Class figures, Needlenose is based directly on his original toy, which gives him a rather simple transformation into his fighter jet mode. He comes with both his Targetmasters, "Decepticon Sunbeam" and "Decepticon Zigzag", whom he can wield individually or as a combined weapon (marketed as an Evo-Fusion gimmick); their combined form can also be inserted into the jet's exhaust to appear as a larger external thruster, or mounted on top of the jet mode if the vertical stabilizer is removed. They can also be stored individually on the tips of his jet mode wings. He also has some ports at the bottom of his jet mode/his robot mode chest, which can peg onto the top of the Prime Universe Skyquake/Prime Universe Dreadwing toy.

Zigzag is completely painted over, and his peg fits rather snugly into Sunbeam's port, so care must be taken to avoid stress marks and paint chipping.

The official Hasbro promotional images had the color of Needlenose's helmet incorrectly the same shade of gray as his torso, but the renders on the back of the packaging had the correct darker shade of the gray of the eventual release.

This figure was revealed during Hasbro Pulse Con 2022.

This mold was also used to make Windsweeper, and his Targetmasters redecoed into Cleansweep and Ozone. These Targetmasters were also later redecoed into Age of the Primes Hairsplitter and Singe.

• Mark Maher's designer commentary on Legacy Evolution Needlenose

Merchandise

Transformers Trading Card Game

• Raider Needlenose, Air Force-Soldier (2019)
  • Wave 3: War for Cybertron: Siege I
  • Rarity: RT
  • Card Number: T32/T48
  • Stars: 8

Raider Needlenose, Air Force-Soldier is one of forty-eight double-sided character cards available in Wave 3 of the Transformers Trading Card Game, War for Cybertron: Siege I.

The card features line-art drawn by Dan Khanna.

Notes

• Needlenose's Earth alternate mode in IDW's Robots in Disguise comic is obviously a F-35 Lightning II.
• Needlenose was a possible candidate for the Siege toyline as a part of a fan poll along with Tracks, but ultimately lost the vote. He was later a candidate again for the Earthrise toyline and again lost, this time to Runamuck.
• For the Transformers Trading Card Game, Dan Khanna gave Needlenose an original body as a redeco of Siege Voyager Class Starscream.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Needlenose (ニードルノーズ Nīdorunōzu)
• Hungarian: Tűorr (Needlenose)

Gallery

• 
  TFSS Of Masters and Mayhem art
• 
  War for Cybertron: Siege fan poll art
• 
  War for Cybertron: Kingdom fan poll art