Battle Patrol

This subject of this article goes by multiple names that apply to other articles as well. See Battle Patrol Team, Battle Squad.

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

Are they all throwing sand in our faces?
Left to right: Big Shot, Sunrunner, Sidetrack, Flak

The Battle Patrol is, for an Autobot team, rather ruthless in its assaults on enemies. Known to talk tough and back it up with harsh action, their many battles have hardened them into purveyors of brute-force destruction. They launch into combat hard and fast and will not slow down until their target is nothing but scrap.

The Battle Patrol consists of:

• Big Shot the team leader and self-propelled gun
• Flak the multi-missile launcher
• Sidetrack the anti-aircraft tank
• Sunrunner the plane

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

Marvel The Transformers comics

The Battle Patrol appeared exclusively in the UK portion of the Marvel Comics continuity.

The Battle Patrol were created on Cybertron in the 20th century using the Micromaster process, under the oversight of Emirate Xaaron. Because the Micromaster process was so revolutionary, each Autobot Micromaster was outfitted with a self-destruct button in case they were captured, to prevent the Decepticons from acquiring the technology.

Big Shot led his team on a mission deep inside Decepticon territory, only to learn that they had been lured there by Thunderwing, in order to get ahold of the Micromasters for examination. Big Shot momentarily considered using the self-destructs in his team, as he had been ordered to do, but ultimately the "Never say die!" Autobot fighting spirit won out, and the Battle Patrol resolved to go down fighting. Well, they did. Thunderwing captured the Battle Patrol and used their circuitry to reverse engineer the process, creating the first Decepticon Micromasters. Roadhandler and a team of Autobot Micros managed to retrieve the Battle Patrol before they were finally disposed of, though. A Small War!

Marvel UK future timelines

In 2009, the Battle Patrol were among the hundreds of Autobots aboard a ship fleeing Cybertron after Galvatron assumed command of their homeworld. The Void!

Transformers Comic-Magazin

The Battle Patrol and Air Strike Patrol appear from an air vortex that leads from a gate to another dimension, to join their fellow Decepticons (yes, Decepticons) on Earth. Later, they were present when the Decepticons unleashed a robotic hell-beast known as 'King Con' on New York; 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

2019 IDW continuity

"All of you, pose in-character!"

Topshot and Flak fought in the War of the Threefold Spark as members of Strika's elite artillery unit. War World: Prime In the post-war era that followed, Flak joined Security Operations. The Change In Your Nature Part Two When Megatron overthrew the Senate and took over Iacon, Topshot and Flak joined the rookies Sunrunner and Sidetrack to form a new artillery unit. Under Kup's command, the three artillery vehicles distracted the Decepticons by bombarding the Senate from afar; during the subsequent firefight, Sunrunner marked Clench's position and allowed the other three to target his artillery emplacement with a fatal barrage that blew him to bits. War World: Prime

The Battle Patrol helped defend the Forge Pyramid when the Decepticons launched an attack on it. Titans After the Autobots retreated to Crystal City, it eventually came under siege by Strika and the Decepticon army. Kup organized the Battle Patrol for long range bombardment before the Decepticons got any closer. They were forced to retreat after Sidetrack was eviscerated by Obsidian and their position was bombed with an artillery counter-strike. A Dust of Crystals

Toys

The Transformers

Red pants, blue pants, brown pants, and no pants.

• Battle Patrol (Micromaster Patrol, 1989)

Released in the sixth year of the original The Transformers toyline, all four members of the Battle Patrol came packaged on a single card, as part of the first year of The Transformers Micromaster assortments. Their transformations are fairly diverse in comparison to the legions of identically-engineered Micromasters that came later.

This team was redecoed in Japan as the Battle Patrol Team.

War for Cybertron: Siege

• Autobot Topshot & Flak (Micromaster, 2019)

• Hasbro ID number: WFC-S6
• TakaraTomy ID number: SG-09
• TakaraTomy release date: March 30, 2019

Part of the first wave of Siege Micromasters, the Battle Patrol is a pair of new molds. Topshot and Flak transform from robots to military vehicles and back. They can also combine with each other to form the "Electroverge Neuro Blaster". 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.

Notes

• Amusingly, their on-package bio quote has a typo that significantly changes its meaning. "It's better to strike first, then to not strike at all" was probably meant to say "than" instead. So instead of celebrating a shoot-first bravado, the quote as written seems to suggest picking fights and then running away.

Foreign names

• French: Patrouille de Combat ("Battle Patrol")
• Italian: Pattuglia mezzi d'assalto ("Assault Vehicle Patrol"), Pattuglia Soccorso ("Rescue Patrol")
• Portuguese: Patrulha de Combate ("Combat Patrol")
• Spanish: Patrulla de Combate ("Combat Patrol")