Electro-scrambler

Let us introduce you to the electro-scrambler, courtesy of Marvel US #17!

Blaster's weapon of choice is the electro-scrambler. This rifle emits electromagnetic waves that cause all but the most heavily shielded electrical systems to go haywire. Theoretically, it should work the same way on the electrical impulses of a human's nervous system, but that's something Blaster would rather not find out, tempting as it may be.

Fiction

Marvel The Transformers comics

• 
  The electro-scrambler also makes its wielder kind of a jackass, but that's never mentioned. The Bridge to Nowhere!
• 
  The electro-scrambler gets a $10 check in the mail for every namedrop. Mechanical Difficulties!
• 
  (The electro-scrambler has an estate worth more than Leona Helmsey's dog.) Crater Critters
• 
  The electro-scrambler appreciates assists from the narrator. Used Autobots
• 
  The electro-scrambler wants one more for the road. Totaled!
• 
  The electro-scrambler returns for an encore. Club Con!
• 
  The electro-scrambler, at long last, gets its comeuppance. Dark Star

Regeneration One

• 
  Some idiot thought the electro-scrambler was an "acoustic attack." It's okay, Blaster throttled him for this slanderous error.Destiny, Part Five

Generation 1 cartoon continuity

While rescuing the Bop Crew from Furg's gang, Blaster used the electro-scrambler at Tracks' behest to jam the attackers' laser pistols. Auto-Bop

Japanese cartoon continuity

• 
  The electro-scrambler is not confined by language barriers! Full Throttle Scramble Power!

Attack of the Insecticons

Blaster was armed with his Electro-scrambler gun on a mission to rescue Sparkplug Witwicky, but didn't think it was powerful enough to take on both Starscream and Bombshell. The weapon was put to good use nonetheless, and the Autobots' human ally was rescued from the Decepticons.

Confusingly, sometimes Mirage referred to his Electro-disrupter as an "Electro-scrambler." Attack of the Insecticons

2005 IDW continuity

Some guy who was super-cool through association with Drift was carrying around the electro-scrambler. He never used it, and, so deemed a waste by the narrative, he disappeared by the climax of the final battle. All Hail Megatron issue 5 All Hail Megatron issue 8

Toys

The Transformers

I come with some guy, I guess. He's unimportant.

• Blaster (Autobot, 1985/1986/2006)
  • Japanese ID number: 38, TFC-21
  • Accessories: Electro-Scrambler Gun

• Known designers: Hideaki Yoke (TakaraTomy)

Originally a Micro Change "Radi-Casse Robo" ("radio-cassette", you see), Blaster transforms into a miniature "ghetto blaster" boombox with a fold-out carrying handle. Blaster and his electro-scrambler were re-released in 2006 as part of "The Transformers Collection" "bookbox" series, packaged with Steeljaw.

• More information on Blaster at TFU.info

Don't judge. We all went through our own Nineties phase.

• Blaster with Flight-Pack (Action Master, 1990)

Available only with the carded Blaster toy, the Flight-Pack features flip-out wings connected by gears so they swing forward and back in concert. Pressing the trigger pops out a spring-loaded rifle barrel from the top, which can be extended by adding most Action Master handguns to it, becoming an "electro-scrambler" cannon. It can be hand-held in cannon mode or back-mounted in jetpack mode by most Action Master figures.

• More information on the Flight Pack at TFU.info

Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers

Just trying out a new color.

• Twincast (Autobot, 1987/2006/2012)
  • Japanese ID number: C-116
  • Accessories: Electro-Scrambler Gun

The first Blaster toy was redecoed and had its tape door retooled in order to accommodate two cassettes at once. It still came with the electro-scrambler, which is all that really matters. A red electro-scrambler! Hoo-ha!

In 2006, Twincast was reissued as an e-HOBBY exclusive, packaged with the new character Flip Sides, and again in 2012 as an Encore reissue, packaged with Stripes and Nightstalker.

• More information on Twincast at TFU.info

Universe (2008)

• Autobot Blaster (2010)
  • Accessories: Electro-Scrambler Gun

This San Diego Comic-Con exclusive reissue of Blaster comes with Steeljaw, Ramhorn and Eject. Released as part of the Universe (2008) toyline, the packaging also has a special foil-detailed outer slip case. Electro-scrambler? Yes.

This set was also made available at the Animation-Comic-Game Hong Kong Fair 2010, and was later released on the Hasbro Toy Shop and then also sold at FanExpo Canada 2010.

Generations

I see my reputation precedes me.

• Autobot Blaster (Voyager Class, 2012)
  • Accessories: weapon

This toy was a retool of Fall of Cybertron Soundwave and came with Steeljaw. But who cares about that, the new tooling included a rifle that is definitely totally the Electro-Scrambler gun, even if the packaging didn't find it necessary to say so. Sometimes things are so great they just don't need introduction.

Shattered Glass

it's probably terrible

• Solar Requiem (Evil Blaster) (2013)
  • Accessories: Electro-Scrambler Gun

This mirror universe version of the Electro-Scrambler is a very dark blue.

Titans Return

• Autobot Blaster (Leader Class, 2016)
  • Accessories: weapon, Twin Cast Titan Master figure, and a spotlight/rocket sled cartridge

• Known designers: John Warden (Hasbro)

Electro-scrambling power to the tiny people!

This Leader Class toy does a lot of stuff, but check the heck out of that (again un-named) Electro-Scrambler weapon. There's a peg on the back of Blaster just in case of the unlikely possibility that the weapon needs to be stowed out of view. In Blaster's base mode, the Electro-Scrambler pegs into the inside of the open chest compartment next to a seat so that Titan Masters are granted the honor of firing it. This toy was retooled as Soundwave, who comes with a BLUE Electro-Scrambler!

Vintage G1

• Autobot Blaster (October 2020)
  • Accessories: Electro-Scrambler Gun #2

Vintage G1 "Autobot Blaster" is a cassette-less reissue of the Generation 1 toy, packaged in a nostalgic Generation 1-styled box. Unique to this release, the box better reflects traditional Vintage G1 boxes vs. more modern, thicker cardboard & features a plastic tray. This release appears to use bronze/beige coloring to the legs, as seen in the previous Universe (2008) and Platinum Edition releases. Unlike Vintage G1 Soundwave, Blaster includes a rubsign, which -as per usual with the line- has a mirror-like silver border and solid red symbol. This release also has a new molding stamp reflecting its production in Vietnam, in addition to modern black ink markings. The included Electro-Scrambler Gun is a reuse of the #2 mold, and is difficult to tell apart from its vintage counterpart.

Blaster prevailed over Skywarp in a Hasbro poll to choose a second Vintage G1 release to follow after Astrotrain, winning with 56% of the vote.

In the United States and Canada, this figure, like all Vintage G1 releases, is exclusive to Walmart.

War for Cybertron: Kingdom

At last, the perfect electro-scrambler update!
And some other stuff, presumably!

• Autobot Blaster & Eject (Voyager Class, 2021)
  • Hasbro ID number: WFC-K44
  • Accessories: Electro-Scrambler rifle

• Known designers: Mark Maher (Hasbro), Shogo Hasui (TakaraTomy)

Part of wave 5 of War for Cybertron: Kingdom Voyager Class toys, Blaster transforms from robot to stereo cassette deck in 20 steps. He comes with his electro-scrambler rifle and Eject, who transforms into a mini-cassette which fits in Blaster's chest.

Though the electro-scrambler rifle (and Blaster and Eject) were scheduled for a first quarter 2022 release, they arrived on U.S. store shelves in December 2021.

This toy presumably serves as the basis for the electro-scrambler rifle's evil mirror-universe doppelganger in IDW Publishing's 2021 Shattered Glass comic series.

Legacy

• Autobot Blaster & Eject (Voyager Class, 2022)
  • Accessories: Electro-Scrambler rifle

Part of the first wave of Legacy Voyager Class toys, Blaster is a re-release of the previous Kingdom figure above, now in all-new packaging. Blaster was discovered on shelves in France in late January.

Boy, I really hope somebody got fired for that blunder.

• Twincast & Autobot Rewind (Voyager Class, 2023)
  • TakaraTomy ID number: TL-40
  • TakaraTomy release date: September 30, 2023
  • Accessory: Electro-Scrambler rifle

• Known designers: Mark Maher (Hasbro)

Legacy: Evolution Voyager Class Twincast includes a nigh-identical rerelease of the above Kingdom electro-scrambler rifle, rather than the red coloration from the original Twincast toy from The Headmasters seen above, due to the piece being cast from unpaintable plastic that needed to be black for most of the rest of the toy. The figure's "Evo-Fusion" ability is attaching the electro-scrambler to one of the 5 mm holes on the back of the radio mode, mimicking the look of an antenna.

Shattered Glass Collection

An electro-scrambler so evil it stole the Evolution one's redeco privileges.

• Autobot Blaster – Autobot Rewind (Voyager Class, 2022)
  • Accessories: Electro-scrambler gun

• Known designers: Mark Maher (Hasbro)

Released as part of the Shattered Glass Collection subline, the villainous "electro-scrambler gun" is a redeco of the Kingdom electro-scrambler rifle in navy. It is packed with "Autobot Blaster," a grey, black, navy blue, and cyan redeco of Kingdom Blaster, transforming from a robot to a boombox, and his smaller partner Autobot Rewind.

Studio Series

Finally, an opaque electro-scrambler!

• Autobot Blaster & Eject (Voyager Class, 2024)

• Accessories: Electro-Scrambler rifle
• Known designers: Evan Brooks (Hasbro), Mark Maher and Shogo Hasui (original tooling)

The Studio Series '86 electro-scrambler rifle is yet another redeco of the above War for Cybertron: Kingdom accessory in a presumably more cartoon-accurate light gray (or at least accurate to how it appeared in Scramble City).

Once more, it is packed with Blaster and Eject, this time cast in entirely opaque plastic with Generation 1 cartoon-inspired decoes.

Blaster and Eject were revealed two hours ahead of the March 7 Hasbro Pulse fanstream via Hasbro Pulse's social media accounts. A Target exclusive in the US, the pair went up for preorder later that morning on their website, along with a small number of stock on Pulse.

Merchandise

Decoy

• Blaster (Decoy, 1987)
  • Decoy number: 29

Like all Decoys, the decoy electro-scrambler was a randomly-chosen pack-in available with the carded Throttlebots, Aerialbots, Protectobots and Technobots.

• More information on Decoy Blaster at TFU.info

Attacktix

It would have been glorious.

• Blaster (Booster, 2007)

The electro-scrambler was likely to have been one of several Transformers Attacktix Booster pieces, using a powerful spring-loaded "blaster" missile launcher attack. Though displayed as part of the Attacktix display at the Star Wars "Celebration IV" convention, it —and all the other pieces revealed at the show— were ultimately never released.

Game over. This Attacktix item has been canceled, with no current plans for release.

Notes

• Sometimes Blaster doesn't come with an electro-scrambler, but stupid weapons like "particle feedback blasters" or "harmonic wave cannons". We hate this.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Electro Scrambler Gun (エレクトロスクランブラーガン Erekutoro Sukuranburā Gan)