Lance

This article is about the type of weapon. For the Mini-Con from Rescue Bots, see Lance (RB).

A lance is a type of hand-held weaponry. Long and pointed, it is used to pierce one's opponent. It can either be handheld, to be thrust up-close into the opposing combatant, or a ranged weapon, thrown to achieve similar results over long distances. Several Transformers have been equipped with both types of lances over the years.

When thrown, lances are sometimes known as javelins. Other variations on the weapon include spears and pikes.

Fiction

Generation 1 cartoon continuity

The Transformers cartoon

I got nothing. What am I supposed to say?

• Rumble and Ramjet once joined a jousting tournament, with Rumble wielding a shield and lance, and Ramjet serving as his trusty steed. A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court
• When the Quintessons hooked Daniel Witwicky up to a device to turn his dreams into reality, one of the illusionary monsters conjured up was a large pink dragon which dwelt in a castle. Springer and Razorclaw teamed up to slay it using a magic lance. Nightmare Planet

Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity

The Headmasters cartoon

• The Beastformer Elephan wields a lance with several additional spikes.

Wings Universe

Wings Universe is based on the Generation 1 cartoon, but deviates from it in cosmetic ways and continuity points.

• Similar to his Animated counterpart, Sentinel Major wields a hard-light lance.

Marvel The Transformers comics

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

• The sonic lance was a Decepticon invention used to disrupt cerebro circuitry.
• One of the Louisiana bounty hunters encountered by Starscream was garbed similarly to a medieval knight, and wielded a lance accordingly. Assassins

2001 Robots in Disguise cartoon

• After Megatron was upgraded into Galvatron, his personal weapon, the Mega Sword, was renamed the "Striker Lance".

Dreamwave Generation One continuity

• Elita One has been known to angrily throw a spear into monitor displays, to the amusement of Quintesson onlookers. The Route of All Evil

Energon

• Skyblast's Energon weaponry can be configured into the shape of a spear.

2005 IDW continuity

• J'organ lance are artifacts. Krakon had some in his possession.

Robotmasters

• R-Blade's arsenal includes "Sonic Lance" Missiles. It is unknown if the "lance" part of their name is purely figurative, or if R-Blade is known to throw them manually.

TransTech

• Escargon's Love-Love Lancer has some interesting properties.

Cybertron

• The pole segment of Signal Lancer's traffic light altmode becomes a lance for him to wield in robot mode; one end is tipped with a drill, presumably to impale enemies.

Live-action film series continuity

• Skyblast wields an enormous spear.
• Air Raid, in one of his earlier bodies, possessed a spear of similar make to Skyblast's.
• Megatron, uses javelin to kill an Autobot in Optimus Prime's hologram

Animated

• To go along with the defensive capabilities of his Skyboom shield, Sentinel Prime wields an energy lance for offensive purposes.
• Lockdown possesses Sonic Javelins, a type of retractable throwing weapon.

Fun Publications Shattered Glass continuity

• Star Saber also wields a spear.

Aligned Continuity

• The static lance is an energized weapon used to stun opponents.
• The Supernova Lance is one of many Combo Weapons in the Autobots' arsenal.
• In order to hunt beasts, Wheeljack wields the Falcon Spear.
• Megatron's Tartarex Warp Sword is also known as the "Sharktooth Spear."
• Jaze transforms into a lance to be wielded by a larger Transformer.

Toys

Robots in Disguise (2001)

• Megatron (Ultra, 2001)
  • Japanese ID number: D-001
  • Accessories: 2 missiles, 2 missile launchers

The only new-mold bad guy from the Car Robots line, Megatron (or "Gigatron", as he was called in Japan) has six different configurations: robot, jet, bat, two-headed dragon, giant hand (awesome), and roadster. His hand mode has a spring-loaded "gripping" gimmick (oh hell yeah). He comes with a pair of pressure-launch missile launchers that can double as swords, or be combined to form a single naginata-like weapon.

The Hasbro version of this mold was also used to make Timelines Deathsaurus.

• More information on Megatron at TFU.info

• Galvatron (Ultra, 2001)
  • Japanese ID number: D-013
  • Accessories: 2 missiles, 2 missile launchers

Redecoed into a color scheme more traditionally associated with "dead" in Japan, "Devil Gigatron" featured four additional transformations and retained the weaponry from his first deco.

• More information on Galvatron at TFU.info

Energon

• Skyblast (Omnicon, 2004)
  • Japanese ID number: SC-07
  • Accessories: Two-part energon cannon, 2 energon jet boosters. "Autobot" energon chip

Part of the first wave of Energon Energon Class toys, Skyblast transforms into a Cybertronic jet. He comes with multiple clear-plastic "energon" parts, which form an under-slung cannon and jet boosters in jet mode, and can combine to form an "energon spear" melee weapon which can have the blade removed to become a sniper rifle.

Robotmasters

• R-Blade (Autobot, 2004)
  • ID number: RM-05
  • Accessories: "Sonic Lance" missile, "Flare Gun" rifle

A redeco of the Generation 2 Cyberjet Hooligan mold, R-Blade transforms into the swing-wing Navalized Advanced Tactical Fighter variant of the Lockheed-Martin F-22 Raptor, with a deco clearly inspired by the original Jetfire toy. In both modes, he has a pressure-launch missile launcher (dubbed the "Gauntlet Frame"). He only came with a single "Sonic Lance" missile, unlike other versions of this sculpt, which came with multiple missiles.

• More information on R-Blade at TFU.info

Transformers (2007)

• Skyblast (Scout, 2007)

Part of the second assortment of Target-exclusive Scouts, Skyblast is a redeco of the Energon Skyblast mold, transforming into a Cybertronic starfighter. He comes with multiple accessories that can attach to his jet mode for rocket-boosters and an underslung cannon. In robot mode, these parts re-assemble to form a giant spear.

This toy was repurposed as Shattered Glass Star Saber

• More information on Skyblast at TFU.info

• Air Raid (Scout, 2007)
  • Acccessories: Cannon, jet boosters (all combine to form a spear)

Part of the third wave of Target-exclusive Scouts, Air Raid is a redeco of the Energon Skyblast mold, transforming into a Cybertronic starfighter. He comes with multiple accessories that can attach to his jet mode for rocket-boosters and an under-slung cannon. In robot mode, these parts re-assemble to form a giant spear, although if preference desires, you can leave them separated and have the spear handle as a hand-held rifle, with the head split in half and clipped to his wrists.

• More info on Target Scout Air Raid at TFU.info

• "Dino Sparkers" (Dino Sparkers, 2014)

Each Dino Sparkers figure comes with a really long sword, which in fact, looks more like a, more appropriate, lance.

Animated

• Sentinel Prime (Deluxe, 2008)
  • Japanese ID number: TA-28
  • Accessories: Lance, shield

Sentinel Prime transforms into a metallic blue monster-truck snowplow, and is armed in robot mode with his trademark Skyboom shield and lance. Either item can fit in either of his hands, and the shield has a ring mount to allow the lance to attach to it for transporting on the back of the vehicle mode. Surprisingly for an otherwise pointy object, the lance is actually cast in hard plastic. The weapons are also painted blue rather than cast in translucent plastic, an unusual choice for modern "energy" weapons.

In a surprising reversal from the norm, the TakaraTomy release uses softer, rubbery plastic on the lance rather than the harder plastic of the Hasbro release.

• More information on Sentinel Prime at TFU.info

Prime

• The Supernova Lance can be formed by combining the following toys:
  • Arcee Blade (Gacha Arms Micron, 2012)
    • Energon Crystal: SP Cure
  • Ratchet Spanner (Gacha Arms Micron, 2012)
    • Energon Crystal: AP Cure
  • Wheeljack Kunai (Gacha Arms Micron, 2012)
    • Energon Crystal: HP Cure

• Battle Shield Optimus (Multi-pack, 8-12 2012)
  • Energon crystal: AP Positro

This gold version of Jaze, dubbed Jaze G, was made available before the normal version. Like all pack-in Arms Microns, he comes unassembled and unpainted on a set of runners. Once assembled (and given stickers if you so choose), he transforms from a humanoid robot into a lance. He has numerous 5mm posts and holes that allow him to combine with other Arms Microns to form any number of "Combo Weapons" and "Super Combo Weapons", though he is specifically designed to form the bottom of the Cosmotector shield with Sise and Pral.

• Gold Jaze, Pral and Sise at Alfes's toy blog

• Jaze (AMW Micron, 8-25 2012)
  • ID number: AMW-09
  • Energon crystal: AP Positro

The "normal" blue version of Jaze is an individually-sold Arms Micron, coming in a baggie as part of the second wave of "AMW" releases.

• Pral, Sise and Jaze at Alfes's toy blog

Beast Hunters

• Megatron/Sharkticon Megatron (Voyager, 2013)
  • Series / Number: 02 / 006
  • Accessories: Tartarex Warp Sword/Sharktooth Spear

Part of the fourth wave of Prime: Beast Hunters Voyager Class toys, Megatron is an extensive retool/redeco of Prime: Robots in Disguise Megatron. He wields the "Tartarex Warp Sword", a fish-themed cannon that can convert into a sword-harpoon thing.

The instructions refer to this weapon as the less cool-sounding "Sharktooth Spear". There also exists a packaging variant for this toy: Early shipments called the weapon the "Tartarex Warp Sword", whereas a later running change version changed the packaging to reflect the name given in the instructions.

• More information on the Tartarex Warp Sword (with Megatron) at TFU.info

• Wheeljack (Deluxe, 2013)
  • Series / Number: 2 / 004
  • Accessories: Falcon Spear, disc

Part of the first wave of Prime: Beast Hunters Deluxe Class toys, Wheeljack is a redeco and extensive retool of "Robots in Disguise" Deluxe Class Wheeljack, and comes with the "Falcon Spear", a large pole-arm with a spearhead that is sculpted to resemble a dragon's head, and can launch its disc via pressure launch.

• More information on the Falcon Spear (with Wheeljack) at TFU.info

Cyberverse

• Optimus Prime (Cyberverse Commander, 2013)
  • Series / Number: 3 / 001
  • Accessories: Launcher & missile (combine to form Thunder Lance), Star Saber

Part of the first wave of Prime: Beast Hunters Series 3 Cyberverse Commander Class toys, Optimus Prime is an all-new mold. He now transforms into a monstrous, flat-nosed truck with spiky fenders at the front and a cage compartment at the back, and comes with the Thunder Lance and Star Saber. Each of the weapons features two differently-placed 3mm posts, allowing them to be held by his hands, or mount onto two ports on the rear vehicle sides, as well as allowing the lance to additionally be used as a pressure-fired missile launcher.

• More information on "Beast Hunters" Cyberverse Optimus Prime at TFU.info

Rescue Bots

• Knight Watch Optimus Prime (2018)

A Rescue Mini-Con available only with the large Knight Watch Optimus Prime figure, Rescue Bots Lance the Raptor-Bot is a blue robotic raptor who transforms into a, uh, lance in just a few steps. In this mode he features a 5 mm post, so he can be held by larger toys.

Dinobot Adventures

• Bumblebee (Dinobot Defender, 2021)

A red redeco of Lance was included with a redecoed Rescan Series raptor-mode Bumblebee for the Dinobot Adventures toyline.

Notes

• All Hail Megatron #1's cover shows Megatron having impaled Optimus's head upon a pike. This didn't happen in the story proper though.
• Although all the variations of pole weaponry included in this article are normally categorized distinctly from one another, Transformers fiction and naming conventions widely use the terms interchangeably.