Triple Changer: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 21:14, 10 May 2026

Blitzwing demonstrates his triple-changing abilities, transforming from an *incredibly* unconvincing jet into a tank that's only *slightly* unconvincing.

In their quest for ever-greater machines of war, the Decepticons developed warriors with two distinct alternate modes. These Triple Changers can travel by land and air with equal ease and in the heat of battle they can rapidly change form to confuse and outflank the enemy. To counter this threat, the Autobots also developed their own group of Triple Changers.

The Triple Changers are:

In Transformers fiction, the term "Triple Changer" refers almost exclusively to these two subgroups which are the only such characters ever shown as cohesive teams. However, other official sources such as toy packaging, catalogs, Hasbro spokespersons and commercials have applied the term "Triple Changer" rather haphazardly to other characters from various continuities. Further muddying the waters, a few characters with three distinct modes have never been labeled as Triple Changers in toys or fiction even in cases where it would really make sense to do so.

Fiction

Generation 1

The Transformers cartoon

The Triple Changers Astrotrain and Blitzwing joined Megatron's forces sometime after their leader woke up from a 4-million year sleep. Blitzwing took part in the sacking of Dinobot Island Dinobot Island, Part 1 while Astrotrain helped take over Earth after the Autobots were exiled. Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2 The pair were soon integrated into Megatron's forces with Astrotrain regularly providing transport Blaster Blues The Secret of Omega Supreme The Gambler Sea Change and Blitzwing providing extra muscle. The Golden Lagoon Quest for Survival Astrotrain had the opportunity to command a mission after shooting down Cosmos over Titan and took advantage of the native species's superstitions by posing as one of their Sky Gods. The God Gambit

It wasn't long before the two Triple Changers fell in with Starscream and plotted to overthrow Megatron. What their co-conspirator didn't realize was that Astrotrain and Blitzwing intended to rule alone and once both he and their leader were out of the way the Triple Changers attempted to take over Earth in their own fashion. Astrotrain created a number of trains he controlled while Blitzwing took over a football stadium. Their rule lasted roughly as long as it took for Megatron and Starscream to thaw themselves out and then the pair found they faced Devastator. Triple Takeover

The two Triple Changers were dispatched to negotiate with Lord Chumley for his help in destroying the Autobots, but the pair instead fell foul of the traps Chumley had intended for Optimus Prime. Chumley released them when it became clear he'd lost against Optimus, but instead of attacking the Autobots as he assumed they would the two Decepticons went after him. Prime Target Astrotrain largely returned to transportation duties following this The Search for Alpha Trion Hoist Goes Hollywood Cosmic Rust even transporting Starscream into exile. Starscream's Brigade

By 2005, the Autobot Triple Changer Springer had arrived on Earth and was at Autobot City when the Decepticons, including Astrotrain and Blitzwing attacked it. Following the climactic battle between Megatron and Prime, Astrotrain served as getaway ship taking the surviving Decepticons back to Cybertron. After a second attack on Autobot City, Springer fled Earth with the other Autobots and after a stopover on Junk took part in the effort to defeat Unicron. The Transformers: The Movie Following Unicron's defeat the Decepticons including Astrotrain, Blitzwing and Octane ended up seeking refuge on Chaar where they survived in an energon-starved state. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1 The Quintessons took advantage of this and manipulated both sides to attempt to destroy them all. Blitzwing, in the process of helping halt the Quintesson plan effectively turned traitor in Galvatron's eyes and was banished from the Decepticon ranks. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5

Broadside also arrived on Earth and helped take part in investigations when Octane took control of Trypticon, using the huge Transformer's might to secure him a deal with Carbombya. At the end of the affair Octane was also banished from the Decepticon ranks. Thief in the Night The Autobots encountered another Triple Changer, Sandstorm on the planet Paradron. Sandstorm was descended from early Cybertronian migrants who had come to Paradron fleeing the war. After Paradron's destruction, Sandstorm joined the Autobot forces on Earth. Fight or Flee It was while on Earth that he befriended Octane though he was unable to prevent the Decepticons tracking the renegade down. Octane eventually fell in with Starscream, who had been reduced to an apparition and was trying to resurrect Unicron. This didn't go well. Starscream's Ghost Broadside continued to work with the Autobots as transport and occasionally muscle Carnage in C-Minor The Burden Hardest to Bear and for the Decepticons so did both Astrotrain The Big Broadcast of 2006 The Burden Hardest to Bear and apparently Octane. The Ultimate Weapon

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Marvel Comics continuity

Marvel The Transformers comics

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

Steamhammer fought Autobots in a battle near the town of Yuss using both his jet and tank modes. He was killed. The Magnificent Six!

Didja ever wonder what guys like Astrotrain do if they have an itch in the middle of their back? That's gotta *suck* for 'em. There is *no way* he can reach back there.

The Decepticon Triple Changers served alongside the Coneheads and Insecticons on Cybertron where Octane and Blitzwing developed a reputation as two of the Decepticons' deadliest killers: key targets in Operation: Volcano. Target: 2006 The deadly killer Octane would later oversee a fuel store and run away screaming from Autobots. Resurrection!

The Decepticon Triple Changers were called into service by Ratbat when a freighter that he had sent to Earth failed to make contact upon its arrival. The three Triple Changers traveled to Earth via space bridge and located the crashed freighter at the bottom of an impact crater. They quickly discovered that the pilot had become infected with scraplets...which immediately infected them as well. Despite the rapidly spreading disease, they were happy to attack two Autobots who arrived to investigate the crater. One of the Autobots fled while the other proved to be a fair match for the trio. Crater Critters

Eventually, they overpowered and captured Blaster, taking him prisoner. Astrotrain contacted Ratbat on Cybertron, requesting a cure. Instead, Ratbat dispatched a group of captured Autobots with orders to destroy all the infected Transformers on Earth with canisters of acid... including his own troops! Weakened by the disease, the Triple Changers could do little but sit around in the crater and wait for the end to come, whether by acid melting or scraplet consumption.

Luckily for the Triple Changers, the other Autobot, Goldbug, had managed to find a cure for the disease. Though Blaster demanded that Goldbug kill him along with the Decepticons rather than curing them, Goldbug's hand was forced the other way when the scraplets merged into a titanic combined form. He sprayed the cure on all the crater's occupants, including the Decepticons. Quickly recovering, the Triple Changers rallied to the attack, bringing down the combined scraplet monster with their weapons. Subsequently, they grabbed the cargo of the crashed freighter and made good their escape. The Cure!

The Triple Changers subsequently joined the main force of Decepticons on Earth, initially under Shockwave's command, then later Ratbat's. They participated in the great battle against the Autobots on the Moon, Totaled! played host to human guests at Club Con, Club Con! and battled Scorponok's forces in the Arctic, a battle in which they fared particularly well. Cold War! They didn't fare so well against the Underbase-powered Starscream, however, who slaughtered all three of them in a single blast. Dark Star

In a dystopian future, they served under Galvatron and killed Crossblades. Rhythms of Darkness!

The Autobot Triple Changers first came to prominence in the days leading up to Operation: Volcano; they were called into service by Emirate Xaaron to fill in for Ultra Magnus, should the latter not return from Earth in time to participate in the mission. They convinced the Wreckers' leader, Impactor, that they would be up to the challenge by beating the stuffing out of him before rocketing back to the Autobot base, Debris. When Impactor was killed in the aborted mission, Triple Changer Springer took over as Wrecker leader, with the other two becoming part of the force as well. Target: 2006

The Triple Changers participated in several of the Wreckers' missions on Cybertron City of Fear! and Earth. Wrecking Havoc After the latter mission turned into a near-disaster, Sandstorm and Broadside were sent to Earth along with Inferno as an advance guard. Firebug! Cold Comfort and Joy!

They were still with the Wreckers during the catastrophic battle against Megatron and Galvatron, which saw Sandstorm destroyed. Broadside and Springer survived Time Wars eventually going on to form the Survivors group. Survivors!

The Survivors' storyline then suffered a minor continuity switch ending up in the Earthforce continuity as seen below.

Earthforce

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

During the Decepticon Civil War on Earth, the Decepticon Triple Changers would serve under Shockwave. The Bad Guy's Ball! Their great highlights were helping beat the snot out of Megatron Secrets and joining the massed attack on Autobot Earthbase. Divide and Conquer! Their lowlight was Octane getting stuck on a military firing range while full of fuel, and Astrotrain and Blitzwing leaving him behind out of annoyance. Manoeuvres!

Meanwhile, Springer and Broadside had to deal with the Decepticon Carnivac leaving the Survivors to avenge his friend Catilla's death at the hands of the new Mayhem Attack Squad, Wolf in the Fold! hooking up with Grimlock's Earthforce to assist him in defeating the Decepticon unit. Where Wolf? They would go on to defend an oil tanker from Starscream in the Gulf of Mexico. Divide and Conquer!

Marvel UK future timelines

In one possible future, Broadside, Springer and Sandstorm would be three of the last Autobots when the war ended in 2510. Rodimus Prime made Springer his successor, only for fighting to break out over it; Sandstorm fired the second shot, killing Triton. Peace

Marvel Generation 2 comic

Broadside was part of a team of "Firestormers" that raided various Decepticon outposts across the galaxy. War Without End! Springer, meanwhile, had apparently joined Optimus Prime's main force of Autobots and participated in a counter-Decepticon raid on Ethos Escalation! as well as the final battle against the Swarm on Earth. A Rage in Heaven!

Octane was also present in the conflict, but not for long. Total War!

Regeneration One

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

Megatron reanimated and lobotomized all three Decepticon Triple Changers after recovering their remains from the Ark, and utilized them as part of his zombie army. Loose Ends, Part 3 The Autobot Triple Changers, as part of the Wreckers, travelled to Earth to combat this threat, though Megatron executed Springer in cold blood to provoke Optimus Prime. Loose Ends, Part 5 With Megatron dead and Auntie deactivated, the inert zombies were dumped into a pit and vaporised from orbit. Natural Selection, Part One

Sandstorm and the injured Broadside returned to Cybertron aboard the Valiant Natural Selection, Part Five where Sandstorm continued to serve with the Wreckers; keeping the peace at Eugenesis Plaza Destiny, Part One and Auto-artery RG1 Destiny, Part Two and participating in a failed attack at Fort Scyk to root out Soundwave's Neo-Decepticons. Destiny, Part Three With the arrival of Bludgeon's Warworld above the planet, he formed part of a raid on the Decepticon ship but was caught unawares by the master of Metallikato and found himself impaled by a sword. Destiny, Part Five

Both Broadside and Sandstorm were well enough recovered to join Rodimus Prime's assault on the Hub Network, with the Wreckers operating separately from the main Autobot forces and using the Hub's interplanetary "slam rail" tube system to avoid detection while causing massive explosions to detach planets from its superstructure. The War to End All Wars, Part 4

Dreamwave Generation One continuity

This detailed scientific cutaway view reveals that underneath all that armor Blitzwing is... made of mechanical stuff.

Triple Changers Blitzwing, Octane, Astrotrain and Fumes were involved in Decepticon battle operations around the time that Optimus Prime rose to command the Autobots. They participated in a major attack on Iacon The War Within #3 and came close to victory The War Within #5 before Starscream managed to destroy the entire city-state. The War Within #6

Blitzwing is shown to transform into all three modes during the attack on Iacon though this would seem to be retconned away by subsequent issues.

Blitzwing was a dangerous experiment of Shockwave's captured and kept in containment by the Autobots. He possessed unique qualities that led the Fallen to seek him out for the Unbinding. During this time, Springer led the splinter faction the Wreckers. War Within: The Dark Ages

Later, Blitzwing and Astrotrain spontaneously began to grow new parts perhaps heralding their evolution into Triple Changers. (Yes, we know this makes no sense.) Recipe for Hate

Obsessed with improving the Cybertronian race, Shockwave created the Duocons and though they were unstable it convinced him to go one stage further and modify several other Transformers into Triple Changers starting with Springer. Triple Changers can change between modes three times as fast as a normal Transformer. More than Meets the Eye

Sandstorm, Broadside, Octane and Blitzwing formed Shockwave's Triple Changer Strike Team and travelled to Earth to apprehend the rogue crews of the Ark and Nemesis. New World Order On their return to Cybertron it was revealed the Autobots had doubts about their alliance with the former Decepticons and released Prime's crew to the Autobot resistance though Sandstorm was killed by Runabout. Meanwhile, Octane chanced across the Dinobots and provoked Slag into decapitating him. Cold War When Megatron returned to wrest control of the Decepticons from Shockwave, Blitzwing remained steadfastly loyal to the one-eyed commander and so was torn apart by the Predacons for his trouble. Lost and Found

2005 IDW continuity

Long before the war started Blitzwing and Overcharge were members of the Triorian Guard, the Senate's unit of multi-terrain Triple Changers charged with guarding the body of Nominus Prime as it lay in the Primal Basilica. An Intimate Beheading Around the same time, Trepan's Relinquishment Clinic was running a special offer on Triple Changers that proved very popular. Patternism

Astrotrain and Blitzwing joined the Decepticons early in the war Autocracy and Tankor transported energy for the Decepticon army on several occasions. Faces of Darkness The Iron Age

The orphaned Camien Stardrive was a Triple Changer able to turn into both a car and jet. After meeting more Cybertronians, she was surprised and confused to learn not all of them possessed this ability. Shining Armor #3

Astrotrain and Blitzwing were part of Starscream's infiltration unit on Earth. Infiltration They survived attacks by the Reapers and Autobots before they were driven from the planet. Devastation When the Autobots returned with Omega Supreme the Decepticons retreated into space ferried by Astrotrain. All Hail Megatron Tankor was left behind until Megatron returned to Earth and reunited his army. Enemy Mine

The Autobot Triple Changers were part of the Wreckers until the team fractured leaving only Springer Bullets who was then put in a coma by Overlord. Zero Point Broadside and Sandstorm ended up with Optimus Prime's forces on Earth after the Surge. The Transformers After the war formally ended, Broadside aided Autobot High Command in rebuilding society on Cybertron. Astrotrain and Blitzwing aided Soundwave and Shockwave in preparing for Megatron's return while Tankor fell in with the neutrals and left the Decepticons. The Verge

The two remaining Decepticons would then fall under the command of Galvatron ...And the Damage Done and returned to Earth as part of his plan to locate Alpha Trion. The Mind Bomb Broadside and Sandstorm served as Megatron's guards during his trial on Luna 2; Towards Peace Broadside then went on to serve under Megatron as part of the crew of the Lost Light. Words Hang in the Air Meanwhile, Tankor joined a motley crew of former Autobots and Decepticons on Cybertron who would become allied with the Camiens Windblade and Chromia. Windblade #3

The Hydrobots counted at least two Triple Changers among their number: Aquabat and "the other one". Towards Peace

Live-action film series

According to hypotheses chronicled in Vector Sigma's datatrax, the ability to have two or even more alternate modes may be connected to a Transformer's genetics.<ref>Hasbro's online Transformers glossary.</ref>

When resurrected by an AllSpark fragment, Megatron gained the altmode of a flying Cybertronian tank thanks to an infusion of new parts from ze little one, in addition to his Cybertronian jet mode from before. Revenge of the Fallen comic adaptation

Mixmaster is shown contorting into a gun-emplacement artillery mode during Operation: Firestorm. Revenge of the Fallen

Laserbeak takes on many different disguises including a printer, TV and human-sized pink Bumblebee. Dark of the Moon

Drift is shown to be able to transform into both a helicopter and a Bugatti Veyron at will without having to scan a new form. Age of Extinction Since switching into a Mercedes AMG GT R, it is currently unknown if he still possesses a third mode. The Last Knight

Blitzwing is also a Triple Changer, following along with his roots. Bumblebee Movie Prequel

Shatter and Dropkick were originally standard Transformers, each with their own muscle car mode, before upgrading into Triple Changers by scanning a [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Harrier Jump Jet|{{#if:Harrier jet|Harrier jet|Harrier Jump Jet}}]] and a [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Bell AH-1 SuperCobra|{{#if:||Bell AH-1 SuperCobra}}]] helicopter, respectively. Bumblebee

Animated

Blitzwing was experimented on by Blackarachnia and rebuilt as a Triple Changer, but this had the result of fracturing his mind into three distinct personalities: "Icy" Blitzwing, a cold, cunning and stone-faced tactician; "Hothead" Blitzwing, a destructively uncontained vent of rage; and "Random" Blitzwing, a comically insane and rambling maniac. The AllSpark Almanac However, when it came to an Earth-based alternate mode two of his personalities, Icy and Hothead were unable to choose between a jet for the former and a tank for the latter until his Random side suggested scanning both of them. Unfortunately, his personalities changed primarily in sync with his vehicle modes, especially if he converted from Icy or Random to Hothead, which Prowl later noticed and exploited via Bumblebee's obnoxious personality, causing Blitzwing to crash when he converted from jet mode to tank mode mid-flight. Lost and Found Megatron Rising - Part 2

After Blitzwing placed a bounty on Optimus Prime, the bounty hunter Lockdown noted to himself there was an old Decepticon saying to "never make a deal with a triple-changer". A Few Loose Strands

It is unknown if Longarm Prime/Shockwave counts as a Triple Changer since his "Longarm" form had a crane-alternate mode while his default "Shockwave" form had a tank-alternate mode. This may have been due to his unique size changing abilities he employed during his extended infiltration of the Autobot ranks. Autoboot Camp TransWarped

Cloud

Within Cloud World, the ability to triple change was an inborn ability possessed by a few, including Blitzwing Crisis and Astrotrain. Lightwave Many were envious of this capability, including Starscream, which influenced his upgrade into a Triple Changer body by SARA's energies. Transfiguration Hot Rodimus would also attain a third mode through SARA's energies, although his body did not change form. Awakening

It was possible to modify one's body to gain a third mode, but this carried a large risk of terminating one's life. Shockwave, being a mad logician, was able to endure the pain of modifying himself to attain a "battle mode" that combined advantages of his two natural modes. Shock

Rescue Bots cartoon

Transformers can readily scan additional modes bringing up their total to three or more. Changes Land Before Prime Optimus Prime, Heatwave, Boulder, Chase, and Blades are all eventually referred to as Triple Changers, having each taken on third Dinobot forms. Quarry's Quarry Blades believes the use of Triple-Changing is unfair when used in a game of Rescue Ball. Rise of the Heroes

Games

Transformers: Earth Wars

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Toys

The Transformers

Decepticon Triple Changers (1985)

Astrotrain
Blitzwing

Autobot Triple Changers (1986)

Broadside
Sandstorm
Springer

Decepticon Triple Changers (1986)

Octane

The original Triple Changers were released in the second year of Generation 1, and were sufficiently popular to inspire four more in 1986. Springer, Sandstorm, Astrotrain, and Octane were re-released in 1991 as part of the European Classics line.

Classics

Astrotrain

Universe (2008)

Tankor

Octane with a new name.

Generations

This list includes only toys that actually have three modes. Several of the Triple Changer characters have had later releases in other toy molds, most notably Sandstorm and Springer, but these forms lacked the third mode required to qualify as Triple Changers.

Subsequent toys labeled as "Triple Changers"

Generation 1

Scorponok (called a "Headmaster Triple Changer base" in a commercial and in "Doomsday for Nebulos.")

Generation 2

Dreadwing (1994)

The bomber/tank/robot describes himself as "triple-changing Dreadwing" in a television commercial. Another commercial has the announcer saying "Dreadwing is a Triple Changer."

Beast Wars

Depth Charge: a triple-changing Transmetal from the *Beast Wars*

Depth Charge (1998)
Rampage (1998)

Although the packaging says "3 mode conversion", the commercial announcer says that each of these characters "triple changes".

Armada

The only Triple Changer from *Armada*: Laserbeak

Laserbeak (2002)

Energon

Scorponok (2004)
Shockblast (2004)
Six Shot (2005)

Cybertron

Megatron (2005)
Anti-Blaze (2006)
Checkpoint (2006)
Scythe (2006)
Cryo Scourge (2006)
Galvatron (2006)

Animated

Blitzwing (2008)

Revenge of the Fallen

Mixmaster (2009)
Soundwave (2009)
Megatron<ref>Megatron was identified as a Triple Changer in Revenge of the Fallen: The Movie Universe and was shown with two alternate modes in Revenge of the Fallen comic adaption. He did not display this ability in the film, nor his toys.</ref> (2009)

Dark of the Moon

Triple-changing Backfire, who's being ridden by some guy.

Thunderhead (2011)
Sandstorm (2011)
Icepick (2011)
Backfire (2011)
Whirl (2011)
Tailpipe & Pinpointer (2011)
Drag Strip (2011)
Half-Track (2011)
Reverb (2011)
Crosshairs (2011)

All the Human Alliance Basic-class robot figures are Triple Changers.

Striker Optimus (2011)

Construct-Bots

Unreleased

"Dropshot"
"Fumes"
ATB Megatron (called a Triple Changer by a Hasbro pitch man.)
Marauder Megatron

Retroactively labeled as Triple Changers

Dreamwave's More Than Meets The Eye profile book series identifies Apeface and G1 Snapdragon as Triple Changers.
- This is further acknowledged in Earth Wars game where both Horrorcons are classified as Triple Changer class. Snapdragon, depicted as a Mercenary, is also available on Autobot side with the same abilities.
Doubledealer's rendition in WFC trilogy (which is also applied for his character in Earth Wars game) is classified as a Triple Changer with his bird mode being air-based alternate mode rather than his Decepticon mode.
Since Scorponok is classified as a Headmaster Triple Changer base, his primary adversary - Fortress Maximus is technically a Headmaster Triple Changer base as well.
Dreamwave's More Than Meets The Eye: Armada book labels Armada Over-Run as a Triple Changer, also stating that other Mini-Cons with a third mode are Triple Changers.
IDW's Beast Wars Sourcebook labels B'Boom as a Triple Changer but not Apache.
The mobile game Earth Wars identifies G1 Sky Lynx as a Triple Changer, with the appropriate in-game ability boost.

Notes

Foreign names

Japanese: Triple Changer (トリプルチェンジャー Toripuru Chenjā), Triplebot (Autobots, トリプルボット Toripurubotto), Tripletron (Decepticons, トリプルトロン Toripurutoron)
Hungarian: Triplaváltozók
Italian: Tripla Azione ("Triple Action")
Mandarin: Sānbiàn Rén (Taiwan, 三變人, "Triple Changer"), Sānbiàn Jīngāng (Taiwan, 三變金剛, "Triple-change Vajra"), Sānbiàn Zhànshì (China, 三变战士, "Triple-change Fighter")
Polish: Trójzmienny
Russian: Trokhrezhimnik (Трёхрежимник, "Three-Moder")

References