Tailspin

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

Oh-ee-ay!

Tailspin is the most impulsive member of the Race Car Patrol. He'll fire his weapons wildly in the general direction of the enemy without a thought for the collateral damage. While out on scouting missions, he'll start fights with the Decepticon forces they were sent to observe, often getting in over his head. Roadhandler admires his enthusiasm, but often has to remind Tailspin about the objective of their missions.

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

Marvel The Transformers comics

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

Tailspin and the rest of the Race Car Patrol, along with the Rescue Patrol, were tasked with preventing the Decepticons from experimenting on their fellow Autobot Micromasters from the Battle Patrol, previously captured during a scouting mission. They were given explosive charges to destroy the facility where the Battle Patrol were being held, but chafed against Xaaron's orders that did not permit them to attempt a rescue. When mission leader Roadhandler turned to the rest of the team for their opinion on the situation, Tailspin said what they were all thinking: the set-up stunk, and they would follow Roadhandler's lead if he decided to disregard Xaaron's instructions. With the others backing him, Roadhandler braved the installation. Entry to the facility proved a little too easy... Turns out the Decepticons had already successfully reverse-engineered Micromaster technology, and were now using the Autobots to test their new Air Strike Patrol. With a bit of trickery on Roadhandler's part, the Autobots nonetheless managed to liberate their comrades. Although the Decepticons now had Micromaster technology, everyone came back alive. A Small War!

Oh-ee-oh!

In need of reinforcements, Optimus Prime summoned Tailspin and his teammates to Earth, where they immediately started complaining about having to listen to big gas-guzzlers like him. Prime informed them on a pair of recent news reports involving giant creatures spotted in the New Jersey swamps and unusual storm activity consolidating over Manhattan. Believing there was a Decepticon link between the stories, the Race Car Patrol went to patrol the nearby roads. There, they ran into Cecilia Santiago, a reporter who was already investigating recent developments. With her help, they located Iguanus in New York City, as he was planting an energy-collecting device on top of the Empire State Building. A couple of police officers, mistaking them for humans in costumes, attempted to bar the Micromasters' way, forcing Tailspin and his teammates to tie them to nearby lampposts to proceed. While Tailspin had some trouble operating an elevator at first, the Race Car Patrol eventually made it to the building's roof, where they defeated Iguanus and prevented him from collecting any of the storm's energies. After the mission's completion, the Micromasters regrouped at the base of the Empire State Building, where Optimus offered to pick them up, so they could avoid any trouble from the local law enforcement agents. The Micromasters refused Optimus's help, preferring to instead act as an independent unit and deal with such matters their own way. They decided to stay in New York from then on. King Con!

During their stay in the city, Tailspin and Mudslinger spent their time capturing human criminals. Then, Roadhandler found a new forum with which to demonstrate Autobot virtues to a larger human audience: the professional wrestling circuit. He quickly achieved fame through this venue, attracting the unwanted attentions of the Decepticons. Lord Zarak eventually arranged to have one of his Micromasters, Storm Cloud, to face off against Roadhandler in the ring. To ensure a Decepticon victory however, Zarak planned to take some human hostages. Cecilia saw through this ploy and had Tailspin, along with the rest of the Autobot Micromasters, keep an eye on Roadhandler's fanclub. Tailspin and Highjump helped save the group from getting abducted by the Decepticons, and Roadhandler was able to emerge victorious without worry about casualties. The Interplanetary Wrestling Championship!

Friends for life, through thick and thin...

Later, Tailspin and the Race Car Patrol accompanied Optimus Prime on a mission to retrieve vital battle plans from Chainclaw, who was serving as a courier. When Chainclaw was intercepted and captured by the Decepticon Dealer, Tailspin argued for shooting them both out of the sky, quoting a protocol that allowed for such a sacrifice. Optimus Prime dismissed this course of action, saying that an Autobot must always consider other options. One such presented itself immediately, as Dealer then radioed Optimus and offered to sell the plans back to him for 5000 energon units. Optimus agreed to the Decepticons' terms, and turned to the Race Car Patrol for volunteers on the exchange. Another Autobot named Double popped up, claiming to be Chainclaw's escort seeking to redeem himself on his failed mission. Optimus allowed Double to go through with the mission, but grew antsy when there appeared to be a delay on his return. He did come back, badly damaged and carrying Chainclaw, claiming that the Decepticons had ambushed him and taken both the plans and the energon. Angered by the betrayal, the rest of the Autobots present vowed to deal with the Decepticons themselves, and charged into battle against Scorponok's troops, holed up in a nearby building. (Double) Deal of the Century!

At the Transformers' party for Christmas 1989, Tailspin sat on a bottle and raised a (tiny) glass. The Transformers #250 cover

Transformers Comic-Magazin

Tailspin and the Autobot Micromasters battled against their Decepticon counterparts in New York City. New York — A City Sinking in Terror They later fought the Pretenders while defending oil deposits in Alaska. The Transformers' Grand Hour: Headmaster of the Dimensions

Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity

Zone cartoon, manga, and story pages

When Victory Saber initiated the "Zone Project", the Race Car Patrol helped rebuild Planet Micro into Planet Zone. To counter this threat, Violengiguar began conquering planets in order to create his own Decepticon Zone. The Race Car Patrol and all other Micromaster teams were then sent on patrol across the galaxy, specifically to planets where their unique skills could do the most good. Zone Part 1

When King Poseidon and Trypticon attacked the aquatic planet of Wall, the Race Car Patrol team were deployed to defend it. With the aid of Commanders Overload, Erector, Missile Bull and Skywave, they emerged triumphant. Zone Part 3

The Race Car Patrol were one of the numerous Micromaster teams that helped defend Planet Zone from the Nine Great Demon Generals. Unfortunately, they were not able to prevent Overlord from stealing the planet's Zodiac energy capsule. Enter the New Supreme Commander, Dai Atlas! Transformers: Zone

When the Powered Masters flew off to the Tenth Planet for their showdown with Violengiguar, all the Micromaster teams took command of Zone and vowed to keep it safe in their Commander's absence. Zone Part 10

Legends comic

In 2038, Tailspin was on Zone when it was invaded by the forces of Violengiguar and Unicron Neo. Along with a number of fellow Micromasters, he swarmed the possessed body of Dai Atlas, distracting the Decepticon spirit inside until heavier weaponry could be brought to the battlefield. LG-EX Big Powered Prologue Part One

2005 IDW continuity

With another tail to spin!

Tailspin was one of the legions of Dead Universe Gorlamites who pursued Hardhead and Nightbeat on Gorlam Prime. He survived to confront Hardhead with the Jhiaxus-controlled Nightbeat in the planet's subterranean tunnels, but failed to prevent the Autobot from escaping into the Dead Universe. Spotlight: Hardhead Tailspin also attempted to stop Arcee from pursuing a weakened Jhiaxus. He failed but his fate was left unknown. Spotlight: Sideswipe

Beast Wars: Uprising

During the Grand Uprising, Tailspin was a Micromaster POW captured by the Resistance off the Mithril Sea. He was forced to fight in a new version of the Games against his fellow Micromaster captives. Safe Spaces

Commercial appearances

Tailspin was among the many Autobot Micromasters unleashed by Optimus Prime that managed to infiltrate the Decepticons' lair and muck up the place. Micromaster Patrols commercial

Toys

The Transformers

Spin it!

• Race Car Patrol (Micromaster Patrol, 1988/1990)

• Takara ID number: C-334

Released in the sixth year of Hasbro's US Transformers toyline (fifth year in European markets), Tailspin transforms into a blue Porsche 962 racecar. Tailspin is gang-molded with Swindler, sharing the same plastic colors.

He was only available in a four-pack with his teammates Free Wheeler, Roadhandler, and Swindler.

Together with the Air Strike Patrol and the Off Road Patrol, the Race Car Patrol was released by Hasbro in late 1988 (basically, a case of "next year product" being released at the end of the old year), in packaging that differed from the "proper" 1989 Micromasters' redesigned packaging (silver cards and boxes featuring an all-new "Transformers" logo) by retaining a variation of the faction-specific color-coded gradient background on the card and featuring a unique "Micro Transformers" title in a variation of the old, pre-1989 "Transformers" logo. This same basic packaging design was also used for Canada (albeit bilingual English/French) and parts of Europe (bilingual French/Dutch, and Italian-only packaging distributed by GiG). However, a running change variant of the French/Dutch version featuring the later 1989 packaging design also exists, and most likely a similar version (in English-only packaging) was also released in the United Kingdom alongside similar versions of the Air Strike Patrol and the Off Road Patrol.

The Race Car Patrol was released a year later as part of the Zone portion of Takara's Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers series, with no notable changes from the Hasbro version.

• More information on Tailspin at TFU.info

Notes

Foreign names

• Japanese: Spinchange (スピンチェンジ Supinchenji)
• French: Tête-à-Queue (Canada, "Head-to-Tail")
• Italian: Proton
• Hungarian: Örvény ("whirl")