Tailgate (SG)

This article is about the evil Autobot. For his heroic counterpart, see Tailgate (G1). For a list of other meanings, see Tailgate (disambiguation).

Tailgate is an evil Autobot from the Shattered Glass continuity family.

The guy on the right.

Tailgate just loves humans. They're so cute, scurrying around in their little houses and making noises almost like they're talking. He also knows the importance of giving his pet human the right amount of exercise, so whenever possible, he takes Butch out for fresh air and walkies. Always considerate of his pet's needs, he keeps an eye out for other strays the Autobots can adopt to give his pet new playmates.

Neutering helps ease a bad temper in some cases.Tailgate on proper treatment of humans, "Transhuman"

Fiction

Fun Publications Shattered Glass continuity

Tailgate indulged Butch's power fantasies by taking him to Franklin Burns High School and terrorizing the students there. Butch particularly urged him to shoot Lisa Presser. Before Tailgate could do so, he was confronted by Sephie Beller. He didn't see a car around, so he suggested to Butch that she was probably a stray and they could take her home. Unfortunately for Tailgate, Sephie possessed a suit made from Cybertronian technology, which she used to deliver a jolt to his chest. He picked her up and attempted to drain her power using his magnets, however she retaliated with a blast that sent him crashing into the side of the school building. He charged at her, only to find himself being hit by his own energy-draining power. At that point Beller's suit overloaded, and a badly damaged Tailgate retreated with his pet, while muttering that someone needed to call the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Autobots. Transhuman

While on a lunch date with Inferno, Tailgate let the larger bot talk him into a makeover. He was already self-conscious about the new paint job when Rodimus Prime pointed out it made him look like the dead 'bot, Blurr. Coalescence

Tailgate participated in an attack on Decepticon City led by Optimus and Rodimus. When Optimus was cut down in battle by Galvatron, the Autobots fell back into a retreat aboard Sky Lynx. Memory's Splinter When their ride announced they'd have to lighten their load, Rodimus promptly dumped Optimus Prime out the nearest hatch. Tailgate had no objections to Rodimus declaring himself the new leader. Familiar Reflections

Tailgate and the Autobots were soon attacked by the returning Optimus Prime, now the enlightened Nova Prime. Out of the One, Many

Timelines

You appeared on-screen together! It must be love!

From a negative polarity Axiom Nexus, the Transcendent Technomorphs observed Cyclonus and Tailgate of Cybertron -PE08. Epilogue Two

IDW Shattered Glass comic

As a member of the Wreckers, Tailgate helped tie up Jetfire when the group took control of Metroplex. Shattered Glass II #3

Following Ultra Magnus stealing Optimus Prime's body, Metroplex stumbling allowed Soundwave to break the Wrecker lines. Tailgate was the first to open fire on Soundwave only to have this shots dodged and Soundwave to throw him into Drift. Shattered Glass II #5

Toys

Timelines

• Krok / Nightracer (Multi-pack, 2015)

Timelines Nightracer was repurposed as a temporary body for Tailgate in "Coalescence".

Timelines Nightracer is a redeco of the Generations: Thrilling 30 Legends Class Tailgate mold, using the blues requested (but not used) for her original BotCon toy. She transforms into a muscle car of undetermined, probably-made-up model.

She shipped as the "freebie" figure in Version 3.0 of the Transformers Figure Subscription Service, in the same box as Krok, the sixth and final paid figure in the service. She came packed with a similarly-recolored version of Groundbuster named Shakar, whose name is an anagram of Nightracer's creator, Raksha, who also contributed the text for Nightracer's packed-in bio card.

This toy also doubles as Nightracer's clone and this mold was retooled into Combiner Wars Windcharger.

Notes

• For his first visual appearance in Another Light, SG Tailgate is modeled on G1 Tailgate's Legends Class Thrilling 30 body in one of the color schemes used for Camaro, the Brazilian redeco of the Windcharger toy, from which Tailgate's original G1 toy was retooled. In "Coalescence", released later but set earlier in-universe, Tailgate was given a temporary paint job based on Nightracer's colors, recycling a toy released by the Collectors' Club.
  • At one point, writer Greg Sepelak had considered repurposing the live-action film series incarnation of Clocker as Tailgate, but that idea never went anywhere.
• Tailgate and Cyclonus's joint appearance in "Epilogue Two" is an obvious homage to their positive counterparts' romantic relationship in the 2005-2018 IDW comics.
• Interestingly in IDW Publishing's comic, Tailgate maintains his previous IDW-styled Thrilling 30 body instead of using the 2017 Power of the Primes toy model.