Skyjack (G2)

This subject of this article goes by multiple names that apply to other articles as well. See Skyjack (disambiguation), Skyfall (disambiguation).

Skyjack is a Decepticon Cyberjet from the Generation 2 portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.

I'll take "Transformer names not to shout in an airport" for 500, Alex.

Skyjack (aka Skyfall) is a master spy who should never be trusted. He'll toast your health one moment and blast you in the back the next. Rumors swirl about Autobot sympathies and meetings with Optimus Prime himself, but that may very well be simply part of his cover and the web of lies that he surrounds himself with. In his free time he's been known to use human cars as target practice together with his mentor Dreadwing.

“	Trust me if you dare!	”
—Generation 2 Skyjack's toy bio quote

Fiction

Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity

Metrowars

Skyjack was part of a Decepticon assault on Scramble City. They were forced to retreat when the Autobots showed off the power of a reborn Metroplex. Metrowars

G-2 pack-in comic and story pages

Skyjack was once good friends with the Autobot Cyberjets back when they were Decepticons. However, once they switched sides, Skyjack and the remaining Decepticon Cyberjets swore vengeance. G-2 Part 4

During the Generation 2 battles, Optimus Prime and Volt were trying to remain hidden from the enemy. Skyjack managed to sneak up behind them using his advanced cloaking technology which was able to fool even the Autobots' anti-aircraft sensors. Skyjack blasted the two Autobots then escaped to inform Megatron of their location. G-2 #7

Skyjack and the other Cyberjets then joined with Jolt and Sizzle, encircling the Autobot Laser Rods. Unfortunately, Road Rocket was able to blind them with a smokescreen, allowing for their enemy's escape. G-2 #11

Skyjack later joined Megatron in his final all-out assault on the Autobot headquarters. When Megatron was defeated, he and all the other Decepticons were banished into deep space. G-2 Part 6

Legends comic

In the year 2038, Skyjack was a member of the Decepticon faction led by Galvatron II. They attacked the planet Beast to steal its energy and became aware of the power of the Three Wise Ones' Gems. Skyjack and the G-2 Decepticon jets strafed the Monsterbots and their Legends World allies so that Galvatron's Nemesis could begin harvesting power. However, the Legends Beast Warriors assumed their Transformer bodies and wreaked havoc on board Nemesis, bringing down the ship. The Road to Legends' Revival Chapter 3 Galvatron seized the Gem of Fire and attempted to wield it against his enemies, but the Monsterbots and local Beastformers proved better able to harness the Gems' power. Galvatron, Skyjack, and the Decepticons were forced to retreat from Beast. LG-EX Grotusque

G-2 Comic BomBom comic

The googly-eyes make it hard to take this seriously.

In the year 199X, the Decepticons came to Earth to plunder its forestonite, a newly discovered super energy source. The Decepticon Cyberjets made their presence known when they attacked the Japan Self-Defense Forces airshow and began shooting at the humans in the crowd for the fun of it. Space Case was about to kill Junpei when Electro arrived to save the boy. The Cyberjets teamed up on Electro and wounded him badly. However, Electro managed to deliver a fatal-looking blow to Skyjack, slicing off a good portion of his body and causing him to explode. The New Battle!!

Wings Universe

Skyjack was part of the "second generation" of Transformers created on Earth with no specific faction in mind, only to join Clench's Decepticon Syndicate anyway. He participated in the invasion of the Large Hadron Collider, and did battle with Sideswipe when the Autobots showed up to liberate the facility. He was then jump-kicked by Pyro, hit by friendly fire from Clench himself, and possibly exposed to forestonite gas. In the end, Skyjack and the Decepticons were forced to retreat. Generation 2: Redux

2005 IDW continuity

Skyjack served under the command of Turmoil when their second-in-command Deadlock violated orders. Deadlock attacked the Autobots when Turmoil ordered him not to, and then executed a fellow Decepticon who planned on reporting his insubordination. Deadlock tried to rally Skyjack and several other soldiers from Turmoil's forces under his new leadership. Skyjack and his comrades refused, and turned Deadlock over to Turmoil to answer for his attempted mutiny. Drift #1

Eventually, Skyjack became one of several prisoners held by Fortress Maximus and his staff at Garrus-9. He had been disassembled and reduced to just his spark for storage. His crime is unknown. Spotlight: Arcee

Toys

Generation 2

"Skyjonathan", formally. (Standard deco pictured)

Skyjack returned from his European vacation looking like this. (European running change variant pictured)

• Skyjack (Cyberjet, 1995)

• Takara ID number: TRF-7
• Accessories: 2 missiles
• Known designers: Takio Ejima (TakaraTomy), Masakatsu Saito (concept artist)

Released as part of the first wave of the Generation 2 Cyberjets assortment, Skyjack's alternate mode is based on the Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk, colored in black with a red pseudo-flame pattern on the trailing edges of the wings and tailfins. Like his fellow Cyberjet Hooligan, he has a pressure-launch missile launcher on the dorsal side of his airplane mode, which becomes the right arm of the robot. Clips on the underside of each wing store his missiles when they're not being used in the launcher.

Skyjack's robot mode makes use of ball-and-socket joints for a high degree of articulation; the Cyberjets are the first Transformers toys to make extensive use of this simple yet effective method of construction to make the toys super-posable as well as resistant to permanent breakage. (The previous year's Laser Rods were also very posable, but those were almost completely made up of standard swivel joints.)

Skyjack was redecoed into Air Raid for wave 2 of the Cyberjets assortment (who's identical to his Japanese-market counterpart Aero Raid other than the name and packaging). Apparently, the decision to market the redecos as separate characters was a last-minute change of plans that was only put into use in America and Japan; in Europe, Hasbro supposedly stuck to the original idea for said assortment (here named "Mini-Jets"), with the redecos being sold as running change color variants of their wave 1 mold-mates instead, in unchanged packaging featuring package art in the original deco and the original character's name. Thus, Skyjack was available in Air Raid's colors but still marketed as Skyjack himself. This practice is only confirmed for the versions available in multilingual French/Dutch/German packaging; thus far, no specimens in English/Spanish/Portuguese packaging or in Italian GiG packaging have surfaced.

• More information on Skyjack at TFU.info

Generation 2 mold: Skyjack
Hasbro: Generation 2 Skyjack Skyjack (European blue) Air Raid Universe (2003) Air Raid Takara: G-2 Skyjack Aero Raid Robotmasters Delta Seeker

Universe (2008)

AKA "Skyjack in a Box."

• Skyfall (Ultra Class, 2009)

• Series: Generation 2 Series
• Accessories: Blaster, missile
• Known designers: Andrew Scribner (deco artist)

A Walmart-exclusive redeco of the 2008 Universe series Ultra Class Silverbolt, "Skyfall" transforms into a (fictional) FB-129 supersonic fighter-bomber, as indicated by a designation on his fuselage (recalling a similar detail from his first toy). As an Ultra-sized toy, he comes with various light and sound gimmicks (exactly the same ones as Universe Powerglide), including a machine gun type sound when one presses the big button on the fuselage, and different classic transformation sound effects depending on whether he is being transformed from vehicle mode or vice versa. His spring-loaded missile-launching blaster features a B-2 Stealth bomber as a decorative shape.

This mold was also used to make Universe Darkwind. This toy was also repurposed as the Unicron Trilogy character Skyfall.

• More information on Universe Skyfall at TFU.info

Notes

• Generation 2 Skyjack's deco includes stickers which read "FB-117". While not the official U.S. Air Force designation for the plane, an "FB" (Fighter Bomber) designator, although non-standard, would be appropriate for the F-117A in real life, since the aircraft was often used in a strike bomber role similar to the now-retired FB-111.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Skyjack (スカイジャック Sukaijakku)
• French: Epervier (Europe, "Sparrowhawk"), Pirate (Canada)