Roller car

This article is about a character or concept that lacks a name, but has an official term or designation. For more information, see Help:Nameless.

This article is about Motormaster's drone unit. For Optimus Prime's drone unit, see Roller (G1). For a list of other meanings, see Roller (disambiguation).

Roller car is an accessory from the Generation 1 continuity family.

KEEP ROLLERIN' ROLLERIN' ROLLERIN'

Motormaster has a third "ramp" alternate mode. Roller car is just the right size to drive up and down that ramp. When the Stunticons combine to form Menasor it takes its place as the chest-piece.

It is presumably a drone.

Fiction

Marvel The Transformers comics

The roller car appeared exclusively in the UK portion of the Marvel Comics continuity.

When Ratchet mind-linked Buster Witwicky to Optimus Prime in an attempt to guide and make sense of uncontrolled Creation Matrix-induced visions the human had been having, the vision that the pair - and through them, Shockwave - saw included Menasor with the roller car on his chest. Second Generation! Part Two

Earlier visions Second Generation! Part One had not included it on Menasor's chest, and when Menasor was actually built, Megatron didn't bother with it. Heavy Traffic!

Dreamwave Generation One continuity

The roller car can be seen in its proper place on Menasor's chest. Passive Aggression

The Beast Within

It seems that Roller Car wasn't hurt at all.

Just as the Decepticons were on the brink of a great victory over the Autobots, the tables turned when the Dinobots revealed their long-hidden combined form, The Beast. This misshapen monstrosity's raw power struck fear in all the Decepticons, but the Constructicons, Combaticons and Stunticons found the courage to combine and counter-attack. When the Beast effortlessly felled Bruticus and Devastator, however, Menasor thought twice about going through with an attack, and instead cowered before the monster, begging for mercy. But the Beast had none: it seized Menasor, lifted him above its head, and tore him to pieces. Throughout this process, Roller Car stayed on Menasor's chest. The Beast Within

G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers

After the Stunticons were recruited into Serpent O.R.'s army, Menasor attacked an Autobot peace ceremony with the roller car on his chest, teaming up with Predaking and Piranacon to defeat Omega Supreme. The Art of War #3 He then tracked down Optimus Prime, stomped on a civilian Optimus had just saved, and delivered Reflector to pass a message on to the Autobot leader. The Art of War #4

Toys

The Transformers

Secretly harbors romantic feelings for Ultra Magnus's chestplate.

• Motormaster (Stunticon, 1986)
  • Team ID number: S5
  • Takara ID number: D-50

• Known designers: Kaoru Matsumoto (TakaraTomy), Mark Watts (packaging artist)

Roller car was included with Generation 1 Motormaster, and is scaled to drive down his ramp in "base" mode. The Japanese release also includes a launcher mechanism to propel the roller car, but it was cut out for Western markets for safety reasons. The roller car is also combiner kibble, forming the chest piece for Menasor.

• More information on Motormaster at TFU.info

• Menasor (Giftset, 1986)
  • Takara ID number: D-55

Motormaster and the roller car were also available as part of a Menasor giftset.

Generation 2

• Motormaster (Stunticon)
  • Team ID number: S1

A purple roller car would have been included with Generation 2 Motormaster, but this release was canceled.

Your bargaining posture is highly dubious. Proceed on your way to oblivion. This item has been canceled, with no current plans for release.

Merchandise

Transformers Gum

• Motormaster (Candy toy, 2009)

The roller car was released in the Transformers Gum line with the snap-together model kit of Motormaster, and is based on the original G1 toy. The roller car is molded entirely out of navy-blue plastic, with a few included stickers that drape over the top of it, to give it its iconic black color scheme and some basic details.

Much like the G1 toy, the roller car is made to display in Motormaster's ramp mode and is also used as Menasor's chestplate. Unlike the original G1 roller car, it can tab onto the top of Motormaster's trailer in vehicle mode for storage, or onto Motormaster's back in robot mode. The set also came with a stick of gum.

Notes

• The roller car was left out of almost all Generation 1 fiction, including Motormaster's toy bio. Unlike Trypticon's Full-Tilt, the roller car was even left off Menasor's character model in both the original The Transformers cartoon and Marvel comics. The term "roller car" comes from Motormaster's instruction sheet.
• In Motormaster's Japanese instructions, the roller car is only referred to as "Protector A" (プロテクターA), a designation that only references its use in the combined mode. Similarly, the crotch-plate for Menasor is referred to as "Protector B" (プロテクターB). Unlike the US instructions which show the roller car being used in Motormaster's ramp mode, the Japanese instructions ignore its ability to function as a free-rolling toy car entirely, and instead utilize Drag Strip in the demonstration of the ramps' spring-loaded launching gimmick (the gimmick that was gutted for the US release of Motormaster).
• Combiner Wars Blackjack is a combined homage to Micromaster Blackjack and the roller car, being intended to take the latter's place on Menasor's chest. Menasor's unopened chest also looks similar to the roller car.