Powerdasher

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The Powerdashers are Autobots in the Generation 1 continuity family.

Why's that one snapping his fingers? 'Cause he's a Jet.

The Powerdashers are here to help! Friendly, cheerful, and obedient, their purpose is to aid the Earthbound Autobots and their cause. Little is known about the extent of their abilities, as they are a new form of Autobot whose power is still growing.<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-0" title="">[1]</a></sup> Perhaps because of this uncertainty, strange statements have been made about them, such as that they are "able to take on a variety of shapes and forms" and "operate at various levels of kinetic energy."<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1" title="">[2]</a></sup> What these intriguing abilities actually mean is unclear, as is their status in the spectrum between drone and sapient Transformer. Tellingly, they have never been identified by individual names, and even their pronouns have been impersonal – "they" and "it," never "he" or "she." But they have also been said to be "constantly evolving,"<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2" title="">[3]</a></sup> so no apparent limitation will necessarily confine them forever.

Fiction

S.T.A.R.S. pack-in flyers

He has no elbows, and he must Macarena.

The Powerdashers featured in two early recruiting messages sent to humans by the Autobots. The messages were almost identical in content, claiming that the Autobots marooned on Earth were becoming desperate in their battle against the Decepticons, sending an S.O.S. to Cybertron even though they didn't know if anyone would be there to receive it. Luckily, their plea was answered in the form of the Powerdashers, Omnibots, and Time Warriors. The only Powerdasher seen was the jet-form model, but the message noted that because the Powerdashers' state of constant evolution meant that they might not appear the same later. Reinforcements from Cybertron! The battle is far from over!

Future messages did not include mention of the Powerdashers.

Dreamwave comics

What am I even DOING here? I'm a FLUTIST, for crying out loud!

The three Powerdashers were created with a primitive design based on the forms of very early Cybertronians. Meant to aid the Autobots on Earth, the Powerdashers' powers and personalities were still growing when they were put into duty. More Than Meets the Eye They were packed in stasis aboard the supply ship Orion, which ended up crashing on Earth after getting shot down by Sunstorm. The crew activated the Powerdashers, who awoke without a word and immediately began working on the ship. When they finished, they packed up their tools and quietly went back on board. Black Sunshine

<div style="width: 90%; margin: 0 auto .2em auto; background-color:#efefef; border: 2px solid #eeeeee; padding: 2px; text-align: left;">Note: The car-form Powerdasher was on the cover of the first issue of for Dreamwave covers.</div>

Toys

Generation 1

He comes from France!

• Powerdasher (car) (Mail-order, 1984)
• Powerdasher (drill) (Mail-order, 1984)
• Powerdasher (jet) (Mail-order, 1984)

There are three types of Powerdasher: a Cybertronic car, a Cybertronic drill, and a Cybertronic jet. All three have a pull-back motor in vehicle mode, allowing them to quickly roll forward across flat surfaces. They were only available via mail-order from Hasbro for $3 and 2 Robot Points. The jet was the only model pictured, but the customer was told that a different "style" might be sent instead.

The jet-form Powerdasher appears to be the most common.

• Car-form Powerdasher information at TFU.info

• Drill-form Powerdasher information at TFU.info
• Jet-form Powerdasher information at TFU.info

Trivia

• The wording in the Powerdasher instruction-sheet bio is choppy and unclear, and it can be interpreted to say that "Powerdasher" is actually a single being who changes from bodyform to bodyform. However, the mail-order flyers use the term "Powerdashers" in the plural, and their portrayal in the Dreamwave comics confirms this.

• The Diaclone names for the toys that became Powerdasher were "F-1 Dasher", "Drill Dasher", and "Sky Dasher". These names are sometimes used by fans to refer to the individual Powerdasher toys.

• The term "Powerdasher" first appeared in Takara's US-marketed Diakron toyline, and was then apparently carried over by Hasbro into Transformers.

• In Diakron, GiG's Italian Trasformer line and Joustra's French release of Diaclone, the Powerdasher toys received individual names: "Aragon" (car), "Cromar" (jet), and "Zetar" (drill).

• The Powerdasher(s) were the first Cybertronian (well, non-Earthen) vehicular toys released - and were released in 1984, to boot.

References

<ol class="references"><li id="cite_note-0"><a href="#cite_ref-0" title="">↑</a> Powerdasher profile in Dreamwave's More Than Meets the Eye #4 <li id="cite_note-1">[#cite_ref-1" title="">↑</a> Powerdasher instruction-sheet bios: <a href="http://www.botchthecrab.com/archive/instructions/autobot/1985/instr_powerdasher_(car).jpg car,] drill, and jet, all written identically. <li id="cite_note-2"><a href="#cite_ref-2" title="">↑</a> Powerdasher description from the mail-order flyer "Reinforcements from Cybertron!"</ol>