Flak (G1)

This article is about the American Micromaster. For his Japanese counterpart, see Powerbomb. For a list of other meanings, see Flak (disambiguation).

Flak is an Autobot Micromaster from the Generation 1 continuity family.

MUST...TURN...DOORKNOB!

Flak is the deep thinker of the Autobot Battle Patrol. A tactical expert, he has single-handedly crafted an enormous "playbook" of maneuvers and scenarios for the Patrol to use whenever in the field and, at Big Shot's discretion, instituted a rigorous training schedule to make sure the entire team is constantly up to date on all his latest plans. Flak is meticulous, some would say downright anal, in his planning, but only because he feels he has to be. Flak respects Big Shot's authority and decisiveness under fire, but recognizes that his commander's lack of lateral thinking can potentially get their Patrol into trouble. Because of this, Flak has taken on the burden of responsibility in making sure Big Shot's military precision always has a military strategy to back it up.

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

Marvel The Transformers comics

Flak appeared exclusively in the UK portion of the Marvel Comics continuity.

SPOILERS: He's the small guy.

Flak and the Battle Patrol were given the mission to break into a secure Decepticon complex by their commander, Emirate Xaaron, in order to learn of a new "secret weapon". To his credit, Flak DID ask the complex's guard nicely to step out of the way... before transforming and unleashing his full missile firepower on the hapless 'Con. The joke was ultimately on the Micros, however, as it turned out the secret weapon was them. Lord Thunderwing had leaked word of the new weapon in order to lure some Autobot Micromasters into his web and use their bodies to reverse-engineer the technology for the Decepticon cause. Flak and his teammates fought back bravely, but were ultimately captured. They were dissected by Thunderwing's scientists and, although Roadhandler and the other Micros managed to free them, the Micromaster technology was successfully reproduced by the Decepticons. A Small War!

Marvel UK future timelines

Me? A normal-sized Transformer? Ridiculous!

Flak and Sunrunner were among the Autobots under Rodimus Prime's command when he returned to the future after the Time Wars. Unfortunately, despite Galvatron's death in the timestorm in 1989, the timeline had rebooted itself so that Galvatron still existed in the present of 2009. While trying to rekindle an Autobot resistance movement on Cybertron, Flak and Sunrunner were caught by Galvatron and the Triggercons along with Rodimus, Kup, and Arcee. As Rodimus Prime fought back against Galvatron, Flak and the others disabled the Triggercons, and the Autobots fled for safety. Aspects of Evil! The full Battle Patrol were among the 400+ Autobots who escaped to Earth on a ship with Rodimus. The Void!

Transformers Comic-Magazin

When the Autobots and Decepticons arrived on Earth, Flak and the Battle Patrol were said to be on the side of the Decepticons. New York — A City Sinking in Terror They later assisted the Decepticons in trying to captured a damaged oil tanker. The Transformers' Grand Hour: Headmaster of the Dimensions

Dreamwave Generation One continuity

Flak was a member of the Battle Patrol under Big Shot's command, but wasn't nearly as loudmouthed as his comrades, Sidetrack and Sunrunner. Destined for Nothing He and Big Shot were guarding the entrance to Autobase at one point, while their fellow Patrol-mechs were shooing the Hot Rod Patrol away at another gate. Recipe for Hate

2005 IDW continuity

"Hah! Look! A gorilla!"

Flak was one of the legions of Dead Universe Micromasters who pursued Hardhead and Nightbeat on Gorlam Prime. Spotlight: Hardhead

Wings Universe

Flak can't wait for the invention of the flatscreen monitor.

Flak began making his reputation as an "Alien Fighter" in the Cybertronian Revolution. Since then, he's fought space pirates, mutants, transorganics, and more. Above all else, he's practical. He doesn't relish battle; it just happens to be what he's good at. Flak does have trouble adjusting his tactics accordingly when it comes to fighting his own species.

Just before the civil war began, Flak was a crewmember aboard the Eight Track under the command of Thunderclash. Landshark and Flak played mentor to a young "protie" named Kup, though Landshark's lessons were a lot less practical than Flak's. After a solar cycle of scanning remote star systems, the Eight Track received a priority signal from Autobot High Command! Back home, the Decepticons had rallied around a new leader, and what once was a manageable group had suddenly become an army. Someone, possibly these Decepticons, shot down a freight hauler, the Van De Graaff, over the planet Beta-Nine, and its precious cargo could not fall into enemy hands. Flak and the others were ordered to retrieve the cargo and return it to Cybertron.

It's the size that matters.

The Eight Track was shot out of Beta-Nine's orbit by a Decepticon starship, and the Eight Track crashed hard in a swamp. The Decepticons were instantly upon them, and Kup was immediately separated from the rest. Landshark and Flak were ordered to divert the Decepticons away from the Van De Graaff, and so they headed deep into the jungle surrounding the swamp. Between the two of them, they were able to defeat Leozack and Hooligan.

Ultimately, the cargo was retrieved by Thunderclash and Kup and returned to Cybertron when a rescue ship came for them all. For their bravery, Magnum of Autobot High Command assigned Flak and the others to a new unit, the Elite Guard, which had been established to counter the Decepticons in the Civil War. Wings of Honor

A few years later, Flak's team teamed up with Metalhawk's team to battle a horde of Virulent Clones, a task in which they were eventually victorious.

The two squads then relaxed for a bit, until a call bleeped over Thunderclash's comm, with Magnum informing them that Metalhawk's squad had to ferry Thunderclash's squad to Space Port Bravo straightaway. After everyone's gear was loaded onto the Hawk's Claw, they all disembarked.

Once at the spaceport, the two squads bid their goodbyes, then Thunderclash's squad then walked off into the spaceport. Metalhawk's squad later learned that their compatriots had been given the Beast With Wings to take to Centry Quadrant for their next mission. The Coming Storm: Part 2

The Beast With Wings crew returned from a mission to find that an attack on Elite Guard HQ by Bruticus had wiped out most of the rest of the Guard. The Coming Storm: Part 6 The remainder of the Elite Guard, including Flak, gathered at the Autobot High Council Citadel with Magnum, to demonstrate that the Elite Guard was still functional, only to find the Council were appointing Optimus Prime as the leader of a new Autobot military. Battle Lines, Part 1

Magnum took the team out to find Deathsaurus's base, stopping off at the Auxiliary Weapons Locker, though Flak wasn't quite sure why they needed more guns. He was amused when Ricochet, Moonracer and Outback volunteered to join the mission, referring to them as "desk jockeys". Battle Lines, Part 2 When the team ran into Deathsaurus's troops, he put his missile launchers to work, blasting Starscream and a good deal of the Decepticons out of the air. In the middle of the chaos, Flak, Outback and Moonracer gathered around Ricochet, who had been shot down by Starscream and was dying. In response to Ricochet's question, Flak told him he'd done fine and called him "soldier". There was little time to mourn his death, as the trio were attacked by an enraged sword-wielding Lyzack. Battle Lines, Part 3 As the Decepticons started their retreat, Flak punched out an unsuspecting Onslaught and was subsequently seen guarding the captive Combaticons. Battle Lines, Part 4 A week after the battle, he was part of the Autobot forces at Iacon's city walls as the Decepticons broke through with Devastator. Battle Lines, Part 5 The battle was won, but not without casualties.

Theyyyyyyy've got the power to make a compelling sales pitch.

Some time afterward, Flak was convinced by Cop-Tur and Countdown to "go 'green'" and join the Micromaster Initiative to conserve the planet's energy. Battle Lines, Part 6

Beast Wars: Uprising

Flak was stationed at the High Pavilion of Iacon. During the Grand Uprising, he oversaw the last stand of the Builders against the advancing army of the Resistance. After establishing tactics and prepping his men as best he could, Flak ceded command of the tactic control center to his second, Skat-or, and decided to fight in the field with his men.

The Temple Guard gave a good accounting for themselves, typically killing ten Resistance fighters for every one of them that fell, but the enemy simply outnumbered them too heavily, and the outcome was inevitable. Thousands of Resistance troopers died, yet the Temple Guard diminished from 400 down to a mere eight. With the Resistance just outside the chambers of the Builder Assembly, Flak lost five of his remaining troops in a holding action. Seeing the end coming, he sent Steel Wind back inside the chambers and then joined Heavy-Tread in a final suicidal charge towards the enemy. Derailment

Legends comic

Flak was stationed on Zone when Violengiguar attacked, using the possessed bodies of the Powered Masters. They staged a counterattack using Dai Atlas and the real Powered Masters as a rallying point. Having mastered the use of Schaeffer Energy, the Micromasters could now transform and combine into powerful weapons. Flak and Topshot linked up into a combined Mini-Con Target Mode, wielded by their enlarged comrade, Airmaster. LG-EX Big Powered Prologue Part One Later on, they were passed to Dai Atlas. LG-EX Big Powered Prologue Part Two

War for Cybertron Trilogy marketing material

During the war for Cybertron, Flak was a Ground Command Artillery Private. Siege toy packaging

2019 IDW continuity

• First appearance: Transformers #14

OUR MISSILES!!

During the War of the Threefold Spark, Flak served under Strika as part of her elite artillery unit. After a disastrous battle at Yuss, Flak was among those who attacked Exarchon, nearly killing the Threefold Spark, until he was saved by the intervention of Skywarp. The Change In Your Nature Part Three

After the war, Flak became a member of Security Operations, and was part of a unit called in to deal with Ruckus and his Risers during a standoff in the Cybertronian Mountains. In an effort to flush out the Ascenticons, he wound up firing a barrage into the immersant Titan that housed their impromptu base. The Change In Your Nature Part Two

When the Ascenticons—now "Decepticons"—dropped all pretenses and captured the Senate, Flak and fellow veteran Top Shot joined Kup's ad-hoc artillery unit and launched a barrage on the building. While providing cover fire for Ironhide's team, Sunrunner marked Clench. The rest of their unit concentrated fire on his position and killed the Decepticon. Prime Later, when Optimus Prime journeyed to the Forge Pyramid, Flak was among the Autobots who maintained the perimeter. He engaged the Decepticons when they arrived to seize the Pyramid for themselves. 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. Strika used Storm Cloud to spot their position, though, and deployed her own artillery, forcing them to scatter. A Dust of Crystals

Games

Transformers: Earth Wars

"I'm no ape! I'm Flak!!!"

• Ability: Shoots 5 rockets, each dealing a percentage of your DPS value.

Flak at Transformers: Earth Wars Wiki

Toys

The Transformers

One small step for bot, one giant launch for botkind.

• Battle Patrol (Micromaster Patrol, 1989)

Released in the sixth year of the original The Transformers toyline, Micromaster Flak transforms into a self-propelled, artillery multiple rocket system similar to a TOS-1 Buratino. The missile battery, being his legs, can pivot up and down due to his transformation jointing, but cannot rotate.

He was only available as part of the Battle Patrol, along with his teammates Big Shot, Sidetrack, and Sunrunner. Flak is gang-molded with Sunrunner, causing the two toys to share the same plastic colors.

Flak was redecoed in Japan to make Powerbomb.

• More information on Flak at TFU.info

Timelines

Overload is the best thing that ever happened to this guy, really...

• Wings of Honor (multipack, 2009)

• Accessories: 2 missiles, negative energy freeze rifle, opaque black and white Cybertron-style Autobot key

A retool of Cybertron Voyager Class Cybertron Defense Scattorshot with a brand-new head sculpt based on the head of the original Flak, Timelines Flak transforms into a multiple-launch rocket system similar to a TOS-1 Buratino. The halves of the (non-firing) launcher end up on his arms in robot mode. In either mode, inserting a Cyber Key in each half reveals a new weapon: the right side has a slide-out double spring-loaded missile launcher which ends up on his left robot arm, while the left has a flip-out non-firing blaster barrel which ends up on his right robot arm. Both key-activated weapons feature fake handles which end up being "held" by his hands in robot mode, although the missile launcher on his right arm needs to be slid forward for him to be able to reach the deployed blaster's handle. He also comes with an extra long gray hand-held rifle that can be mounted in tank mode thanks to his Mini-Con-compatible Powerlinx plugs.

Flak was originally intended to be the same green, yellow, and red colors as his original toy, but the release of Universe Overload put the kibosh on that.

Flak comes in the BotCon 2009 "Wings of Honor" box set along with Kup, Landshark, Thunderclash, and a Decepticon foe, Scourge.

The original version of this mold was also used to make Universe Dropshot and the aforementioned Overload.

• More information on Flak at TFU.info

War for Cybertron: Siege

...I stand corrected.

• 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, Flak transforms from self-propelled semi-Cybertronic missile system to robot. He can also combine with his pack-in teammate Topshot 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, but due to how short the barrels are, the attachment won't be very secure. Alternatively he can be turned into a single blaster without the need of his teammate as a fan mode.

When initially revealed at SDCC 2018, Flak was labeled as "Flask". Yes, really.

This mold was also used to make Cratermaker.

Merchandise

Transformers Trading Card Game

• Private Flak, Artillery-Tactics (2019)
  • Wave 3: War for Cybertron: Siege I
  • Rarity: CT
  • Card Number: T14/T48
  • Stars: 5

Private Flak, Artillery-Tactics is one of forty-eight double-sided character cards available in Wave 3 of the Transformers Trading Card Game, War for Cybertron: Siege I. In order to represent Flak's size as a Micromaster, Private Flak, Artillery-Tactics is the size of a battle card, about half the size of a normal character card.

The card's artwork is based on the Siege Flak toy, with the Alt Mode artwork being reused from the toy's packaging art. The robot mode's lineart was provided by Dan Khanna.

Notes

(BotCon Wings profile art)

• It's possible that Flak's name was originally intended for Sidetrack. Flak typically refers to anti-aircraft cannon fire, something that Sidetrack is capable of due to being an anti-aircraft vehicle, and Flak is not, due to being a self-propelled missile artillery vehicle.
• A sample of Wings of Honor Flak showed up at the end of 2025 with the original Scattorshot head in black and transparent red, and only one missile front. It had the "not for sale" painted on top of the left arm pod similar to the Cobybot sample from earlier in that year, indicating it could be a color test shot and the late-stage at which the headswap was approved.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Flak (フラック Furakku)
• French: Rafale (Canada)
• Italian: Tartaro

test shot without final gimmicks