Cobalt Sentry

The Cobalt Sentries (コバルトセントリー Kobaruto Sentorī) are the elite "public safety unit" of the Decepticon Secret Police and internal affairs investigation unit. They work without restriction, weeding out any possible traitors and moles. All Cobalt Sentries are said to sport distinctive blue armor.

They're so elite, they've only got two members.

The Cobalt Sentries include:

• Garboil
• Howlback

Fiction

Legends comic

With Soundwave and the other Decepticon cassettes, Garboil and Howlback were part of an attack on the Ark to steal the new Transform Super Cog in the late 1980s. Slugslinger's Ambition

Masterpiece toy bios

Garboil attempted to tempt Cordon into joining the Cobalt Sentries. Cordon profile

Toys

Howlback

• Cobalt Sentries (Multi-pack, 2005)

• ID number: 71

Howlback and Garboil are redecoes of the original Ravage and Laserbeak molds (respectively), transforming into microcassette tapes that can fit in the chest compartment of the Soundwave or Blaster molds. Their blue coloration is based on the pre-Transformers individually-sold Micro Change releases of the molds. They also came with clear-plastic cassette cases, like early Takara releases of cassette Transformers.

Their "tape windows" show a readout of the Autobot Fortress Maximus, including a "weak point" that's revealed when they are placed behind a clear-red piece of transparent plastic, particularly the "tape door" chestplate of the Soundblaster toy (which had just gotten re-released as part of The Transformers Collection!). But of course they will also work the various Twincast releases, or any other clear-red plastic such as the old Tech Spec decoders.

The two were only available in an e-HOBBY exclusive "Cobalt Sentries" two-pack, shipping out in April of 2005.