Apex Bomber

This article is about Powermaster Optimus Prime's drone partner. For Ginrai's drone from Super-God Masterforce, see Godbomber.

Apex Bomber is an Autobot drone from the toyline portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.

The Heroic Apex Bomber What Bombs at the Apex

Apex Bomber is Powermaster Optimus Prime's drone buddy. He is non-cognitive, but he responds to Prime's orders and can be commanded to "perform combat functions," whatever that may mean. His standard alt-mode is just an extra trailer for Prime to tow around. But when Prime is in super robot mode, Apex Bomber can merge with him as Apex Armor.

He has been called a "roller drone," as in some universes he is an upgraded version of Roller.

Fiction

Ask Vector Prime

Vector Prime clarified that in some universes, the Apex Bomber is indeed an upgraded Roller. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/07/27

Toys

Commemorative Series

• Powermaster Optimus Prime with Apex Armor (2003)

When Hasbro re-released Optimus Prime's Powermaster toy in the Generation One Commemorative Series, it was simply a repackaging of Takara's earlier God Ginrai re-release, including Godbomber, which had only been sold in the Japanese market. In adapting the toy's presentation for an English-speaking audience, Hasbro was adding a whole new element to Prime's fiction, as Ginrai and Godbomber had nothing to do with Convoy. Thus did Godbomber become "Apex Bomber," which merged with Prime as "Apex Armor."

• More info on Apex Bomber at TFU.info

Notes

• The first Optimus Prime toy came with Roller, a small vehicle stored in the trailer. When the Powermaster Optimus Prime toy was released it did not include Roller. Despite this, the Marvel comic and other contemporary fiction still presented Roller as his familiar cart-shaped self in Prime's trailer. When the toy was re-released in 2003 as part of the Commemorative Series it now included Apex Bomber, who was described on package as a "roller drone", but what specifically this meant wasn't explained until Ask Vector Prime in 2015.
• Apex Bomber was somewhat close to receiving a new toy in the 2016-2017 Titans Return toyline. Early on in the duration of the line, an "insider source" claimed to have seen a Hasbro computer presentation indicating plans for an upcoming Deluxe Class figure designated "Iron Apex" (altered name probably for trademark and/or marketing reasons) using a placeholder image of Godbomber. As no figure was ultimately released under the name "Iron Apex", Hasbro probably scrapped the idea when TakaraTomy produced the roughly Voyager-sized Legends Godbomber to accompany Super Ginrai.