Hardhead (G1): Difference between revisions
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====Generation 1 Series==== | ====Generation 1 Series==== | ||
*'''Hardhead''' (Ultra Class, 2009) | *'''Hardhead''' (Ultra Class, 2009) | ||
**''Accessories'': Shield | **''Accessories'': Shield with a "No Decepticons" logo | ||
: Hardhead will be a [[redeco]] of ''[[Universe (2008 toyline)|Universe]]'' Ultra-class [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]], transforming into a six-wheeled SWAT assault truck. | : Hardhead will be a [[redeco]] of ''[[Universe (2008 toyline)|Universe]]'' Ultra-class [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]], transforming into a green six-wheeled SWAT assault truck. | ||
{{comingsoontoy}} | {{comingsoontoy}} | ||
Revision as of 08:25, 25 August 2009
| This article is about the Headmaster from Generation 1. For the Predacon from Beast Wars Neo, see Hardhead (BWN). |
- Hardhead is an Autobot Headmaster from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Hardhead is a soldier to his core. A soldier with a stubborn streak a megamile wide. He's stubborn to the point of rejecting outright any path but his own, any idea that goes against his natural instinct or inclination (namely fighting), and any advice he didn't come up with himself. He doesn't talk much, and when he does, it tends to be blunt and terse, if not outright rude. A soldier doesn't waste time on social niceties when there's a war to fight.
Perhaps surprisingly, given his limited social aptitude, Hardhead has found a good companion in Duros, his binary-bonded Nebulan partner, who enjoys warfare just as much as Hardhead does. The two mesh so well, it's been said that theirs may be the best match among all the Autobot-Nebulan teams.
- Japanese name: Ros (see below)
- Italian name: Blindobot (Armored-bot)
- French-Canadian name: Tête-Dure (Hard Head)
- Chinese name (Taiwan): Tǐeh Tóu (鐵頭, "Hard Head", literally "Iron Head")
- Chinese name (China): Lao Wangu (老顽固, "Old Stubborn")
Fiction
The Rebirth
- Voice actor: Stephen Keener (English)
Hardhead was grumpy. He was also the only 'bot to have the common sense to cover Blurr's mouth when he started babbling. The Rebirth, Part 1
The Headmasters cartoon
- Voice actor: Masato Hirano (Japanese)
Hardhead can't hold his energon wine very well. One drink and he wants to karaoke! The Shadow Emperor, Scorponok
Marvel Comics continuity
A long time ago, on Cybertron, Hardhead was part of an Autobot strike unit led by Fortress Maximus. This unit operated out of a cave dug into the Manganese Mountains, and often worked to foil the schemes of their primary nemesis, Scorponok. Their last major mission on Cybertron was to upset a slave march to the smelting pools. After that, however, Fortress Maximus revealed to the Autobots that he had grown sick of warfare, and planned to escape the endless ring of hate by immigrating to a new world altogether: Nebulos. Initially, Hardhead was outraged and accused Maximus of cowardice for even conceiving of leaving the war before it was finished, but he was quickly chastized when Highbrow reminded him of how valiantly their leader had fought on the battlefield that day, and every day prior for countless vorns. With some convincing, Hardhead and many others chose to join Fortress Maximus on his quest for peace. Peace is rarely an Autobot's lot, though, as an innocent mishap combined with some xenophobia among a few of the Nebulan rulers to bring war to the Autobot camp's doorstep. Hardened warriors like Hardhead and Kup immediately fell into old habits and started fighting back, but Fortress Maximus abruptly ended their gunplay and ordered an all-out retreat.
Despite these setbacks, Fortress Maximus was determined to wage peace, not war. He brought an envoy of Autobots, including Hardhead, to the Nebulan capitol of Koraja to once again plead for peace. When the Nebulans still were not totally swayed after he and his Autobots disarmed, Maximus removed his own head from his shoulders, leaving his body deactivated and inoperable in the Nebulans' care. Hardhead and three other Autobots joined their leader in his gesture. It was this gesture which finally ushered in a cease fire with the Nebulans. Ring of Hate!
Fortress Maximus, Hardhead and the others had their separate heads and bodies detained inside a bunker outside Koraja, as so-called "prisoners of peace", while the Nebulan leaders conversed with them and also the remaining Autobots (under Kup's supervision) in the Folassian Forest beyond the city. Maximus had successfully convinced Galen, head of the World Watchers, of his good intentions, but the paranoid Lord Zarak distrusted the Autobots at every turn, and was committed to removing them from Nebulos even if he had to fake their crimes in order to do it. He even went so far as to summon the Decepticons to Nebulos, hoping that they would rid the planet of their Autobot problem. (So he's not that bright. Give him a break, he's in politics!)
The Decepticon arrival was everything you would expect, as Scorponok and his henchmen began to lay siege to Koraja, trying to get at the inoperative Fortress Maximus and his men. Galen and Council Guard Commander Duros arrived at the Autobots' bunker to rapidly consult them on options. Several potential strategies were discarded in short order, and the allies finally settled on a radical solution involving bio-mechanical engineering -- Galen and several other volunteers were bionically reconstructed to transform into duplicates of the Autobots' severed heads, allowing them to binary bond with the Autobots' bodies and share both physical control and tactical analysis with the original Autobot personalities. Duros was one of the first volunteers for the Headmaster process, and was binary bonded to Hardhead. Duros quickly adjusted to the raw power and military might of his new body, using Hardhead's laser-guided cannon against the Decepticon aggressors. Broken Glass!
Their status as the saviors of Koraja made Duros and the others an instant hit among the populace, but Nebulos's rulers were still wary of the Transformers, especially now that their presence had led Nebulans themselves to wage war for the first time in over 10,000 years. Galen and his men did their best to assuage the fears of the Council of Peers. When the Horrorcons and Terrorcons attacked the Splendora resort, Hardhead and Brainstorm joined their Autobot comrades, the Technobots, in fending off Abominus and zapping Apeface and Snapdragon into submission. The devastation left in the wake of their battle did little to discourage the Council's antipathy, however. When the Autobot Headmasters went on a rescue mission to recover Lord Zarak and his followers (who had been prisoners of the Decepticons since their arrival), a detachment of Council members insisted on accompanying them. Unfortunately, Zarak had entered into a bargain with Scorponok, and by the time Hardhead and the others reached the plains of Thok, the Decepticon Headmasters had been born. Although Zarak / Scorponok endangered the council members by using them as a diversion to gun down the Autobots, Mindwipe's hypnotic gaze had scrambled the other Nebulans' minds so much that Zarak was able to convince them that Galen's men were the evil ones, and he manipulated the Decepticons into becoming Nebulos's new "champions". Love and Steel!
Duros and the other Nebulan Headmasters were held captive by Zarak in Koraja, alongside their disabled Autobot counterparts. Despite his hunger for power and growing battle-lust, however, Zarak still ultimately wanted what was best for Nebulos. Realizing how a continued war between the Autobots and Decepticons would truly affect the planet he loved, Zarak freed Duros and the Autobot Headmasters, sending them back to their comrades in the forest. Galen had reached the same conclusions as Zarak, and gathered his men back aboard the Autobot ship Steelhaven, to leave Nebulos behind to rebuild in their absence. Sure enough, Zarak / Scorponok and the Decepticons chose to follow the Autobots into space. Brothers in Armor!!
Before they left, however, the Autobot Headmasters had another encounter with their Decepticon opposite numbers. After the Targetmasters were captured by the Decepticons for analysis and dissection, Hardhead and the Headmasters went out looking for them, only to run into the Decepticon Headmasters on the way. Hardhead was nearly knocked off the road when Mindwipe's hypnotic stare sent Brainstorm crashing into him. Despite being shaken by the impact, Hardhead still managed to defeat both Weirdwolf and Skullcruncher by himself. The Autobots regrouped to follow Mindwipe, the last of their attackers, who was apparently fleeing for safety. After entering the Decepticons' Fortress of Despair, however, Hardhead and the others realized they had been led into a trap, and were confronted by the might Scorponok and the Decepticon Targetmasters. In order to help even the odds, Hardhead freed the Autobot Targetmasters who were being held prisoner. With their help, the Autobots eventually overcame the Decepticons and fled back to base. Worlds Apart!
After leaving Nebulos, Hardhead and the crew of Steelhaven followed an Autobot distress call to the planet called Earth. During the long journey, they had Fortress Maximus heavily upgraded into a larger, more powerful body. Even the militaristic Duros was a bit unsettled by the new war-like outlook of their leader, Galen, but he insisted he was merely changing to fit the circumstances they had been dealt. Upon arrival, Fortress Maximus, Hardhead and the other Headmasters took a shuttle down to Earth's surface, and located the caves in Mount St. Hillary where the distress call had first been broadcast. They also found the broadcaster himself, an Autobot named Goldbug whose brain module had been retrofitted into a tiny electronic toy car. Long story. Scorponok and the Decepticon Headmasters had also come to Earth after the distress call, however, and a battle broke out. The battle proved costly, as Galen died protecting an Earthen from Scorponok. He passed on his control helmet to this boy, Spike Witwicky, leaving Fortress Maximus and the Autobots in his hands. It was Hardhead who first suggested that Spike was the group's new leader. Trial by Fire!
In the weeks that followed, Steelhaven's crew united with the other Autobots on board the Ark. Hardhead was present on the moon when two members of the Ark's crew, Grimlock and Blaster, engaged in ritual combat to settle their differences. Totaled!
During the Time Wars, Hardhead was among the Autobot strike team gathered by Optimus Prime, Grimlock and Fortress Maximus to engage Galvatron for the fate of two time periods, several associated planets, and the universe at large. Unfortunately, the future Autobots of 2009 arrived before the battle began, and the mass-substitution effect created by time travel shunted Hardhead into Limbo for the duration. Time Wars
Hardhead did little of note over the following months, but he was present on Cybertron for the final united battle against Unicron. Working with the Decepticon Pretender, Bomb-Burst, he was in the process of moving a surface-to-air missile battery into position when Unicron touched down on the planet's surface. The Planet-Eater's massive foot indiscriminately crushed Autobot, Decepticon, and weapon flat. On the Edge of Extinction!
IDW comics continuity
Hardhead is a career soldier, intended as a problem solver who gets things done hard and fast. To him, this means he has no future: some day the war will end, and he'll be a walking reminder of it to be quietly done away with. Spotlight: Hardhead
Prior to the Brasnya incident, Hardhead was ordered by Optimus Prime to Earth on the Ark-32, along with Hot Rod. Escalation issue 3 The two arrived right in the middle of the battle, although Hot Rod sped away after the facsimile before Hardhead could stop him to report their presence. He engaged in battle with Astrotrain, Escalation issue 4 causing severe damage to the shuttle Triple Changer and continued to hound him to such an extent that Skywarp had to call in reinforcements. Escalation issue 5 When Megatron seemingly defeated Optimus Prime, Hardhead attempted (futilely) to damage him with repeated cannon blasts. Escalation issue 6
Hardhead would eventually regroup with his teammates after the battle and was among them during Sixshot's surprise assault on the Ark-19. He bravely (if futilely) attacked Sixshot, along with the rest of the Autobots before being beamed back to the Ark-32. Devastation issue 4 Due to injuries and separate missions, Hardhead found himself to be the only active Autobot besides Prowl — and neither were happy to hear that Optimus was withdrawing them from Earth to Garrus-9. Devastation issue 5 Hardhead went to retrieve Hot Rod and the others, blowing up a Headmaster that was attacking Hot Rod. Hot Rod refused to go though, wanting to see the Headmaster mystery to the end. Hardhead reluctantly let him go and took Wheeljack and Ironhide back with him. Devastation issue 6
Soon, Nightbeat discovered that he logged a message during his visit to Gorlam Prime — of which he had no recollection — and asked Hardhead for help. Spotlight: Cyclonus
Before leaving for Gorlam Prime, Nightbeat told Hardhead of his fears that he may be compromised, and that if he threatened Hardhead or anyone else, he should terminate Nightbeat. Arriving on Gorlam Prime, Nightbeat and Hardhead discovered virtually the entire planet's population had frozen in a chrysalis-like state and were in the midst of undergoing some kind of evolutionary cycle. Before they could explore further, however, they were beset upon by dozens of Micromasters, all of whom immediately targeted Hardhead.
Escaping from their attackers, the two Autobots fled deep underground. Once they neared the portal to the Dead Universe, Jhiaxus took remote-control of Nightbeat and tried to kill Hardhead with a point-blank shot between the optics. Fortunately, Hardhead lived up to his name and took the shot with minimal damage. As Nightbeat was joined by more Micromasters, Hardhead took the opportunity to retreat deeper into Gorlam Prime's underground caverns.
There, he discovered the portal to the Dead Universe. As the mind-controlled Nightbeat caught up with him, Hardhead realized he had nowhere else to fall back to. When told to surrender, Hardhead responded by shooting Nightbeat through the head with a pinpoint shot and then plunged through the portal, ready to face whatever dangers lay on the other side. Spotlight: Hardhead
Having become a permanent resident of the Dead Universe, Hardhead did not resurface until Jhiaxus' plans were well underway. However he did manage to catch the Cybertronian scientist who was fleeing the onslaught of Arcee. Preventing the madman's escape, he explained to the pink hyperviolent Autobot that Jhiaxus couldn't truly die here on the threshold between the material world and the Dead Universe. That suited Arcee fine, as it let her indulge her revenge fantasies to their utmost. Spotlight: Sideswipe
Toys
Generation 1
- Hardhead (Headmaster, 1987)
- Japanese ID number: C-102
- Accessories: "Duros" Headmaster partner "Tank Commander", 2 "Shatterblasters"
- Hardhead transforms into a Cybertronian self-propelled artillery gun. Like many Transformers of this era, he can store his rifles in 5mm peg holes in his vehicle mode, and his Headmaster partner, Duros, can ride inside his cockpit. Duros transforms into his head, which, when attached to Hardhead's robot mode, activates a simplified, spring-loaded Tech Spec meter hidden under a panel on his chest. This gimmick works with any other Headmaster "pilot" figure.
- In robot mode, Hardhead is unusually tall for a toy of his price point, as the tank basically flips on end and extends to transform. As to be expected, Hardhead has rather limited articulation.
Universe (2008)
Generation 1 Series
- Hardhead (Ultra Class, 2009)
- Accessories: Shield with a "No Decepticons" logo
- Hardhead will be a redeco of Universe Ultra-class Onslaught, transforming into a green six-wheeled SWAT assault truck.
Trivia
- In the television commercial for Marvel Comics' Headmasters limited series, the Autobot and Decepticon Headmasters are shown having different head designs than the ones their Nebulan partners would later turn into. These designs were seemingly never used in any other piece of Transformers media. The models for most of them, however, turned up in the excellent Transformers Generations guidebook.
