Metroplex (G1)

The name or term "Metroplex" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Metroplex (disambiguation).

Metroplex is an Autobot City-bot from the Generation 1 continuity family.

We built this city on rock and roll!

Metroplex’s poor, slow, and infrequent efforts to support his brave comrades and forward the Autobot cause are never enough. Sure, he's the Autobots' ultimate weapon, their greatest and final defense. Yes, he's a gigantic, towering warrior, capable of channeling awesome energies. Strong beyond belief, versatile, clever, brave and self-sacrificing, Metroplex is willing to give everything he has to the Autobot cause and defend it to his last astroseconds of life. Despite all this he’s wracked to the core of his being with the belief that he could and should be doing more. It’s a self-deprecating attitude that stuns many of his fellow Autobots, most of whom take immeasurable comfort in his very existence and the knowledge that regardless of what evil comes, Metroplex is out there to back them up.

This great modesty about his power and achievements together with a boundless patience necessitated by his size and alternate mode are apparent to anyone who pierces his normally less than talkative demeanor, and in the optics of many, these traits only raise his already high standing.

Metroplex’s might is equaled only by the gargantuan Decepticon, Trypticon, his long-standing nemesis. He has three "normal"-sized components: Six-Gun, Slammer and Scamper, to help patrol and defend his territory. The extent of that territory is sometimes unclear; sometimes Metroplex is an independent Autobot base, and other times he's part of (or all of) Autobot City.

Metroplex is my kind of town!Blaster on Metroplex, Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5

Japanese name: Metroflex (メトロフレックス Metorofurekkusu)

Italian name: Guardian

French-Canadian name: Métroplex

English-Malay dub name: Philip

Chinese name (Taiwan): Dà Dū-hùei (大都會, "Grand Metropolis")

Chinese name （China）: Mong Dashuai (猛大帅, "Fierce Grand Marshal")

Fiction

Cartoon continuity

Generation 1 cartoon

Voice actor: Bud Davis (English), Osamu Saka (Japanese)

By the year 2005, Metroplex had been installed as a sub-section of the larger Autobot City, now the main base of operations for the Autobots on Earth. During the Decepticons' attack on the city, the transforming cog which allowed Metroplex to transform to robot mode was destroyed, preventing him from participating in the battle, although he was manually converted to battle station mode by the Autobots inhabiting him. The Transformers: The Movie

Following the defeat of Unicron and the Autobots' reclamation of Cybertron, Perceptor built a new cog, and entrusted its delivery to Blurr and Wheelie. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1 While they were busy suffering numerous setbacks (including nearly getting killed by Galvatron and being stranded on Jupiter's moon Io), the immobile Metroplex was attacked by the massive Decepticon mobile battle station, Trypticon, and was again manually transformed to battle station by his inhabitants in hopes of mounting some form of a defence. In the midst of the battle, the cog was safely delivered and installed by Pipes within Metroplex, who promptly transformed to robot mode, thrashed Trypticon, and hurled him into the ocean. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5

Although the Autobots figured this to be the end of Trypticon, in actuality, the saurian city survived and started stealing national monuments to pay off Octane's debt to Abdul Fakkadi. When dinosaur transform static was found at the crime scene, Metroplex and his subordinates questioned all the Autobots with dinosaur electrons in their circuits, but when Trypticon was finally revealed to be the culrpit, Metroplex battled him in Russia over the Kremlin. Unfortunately, Metroplex was then left holding the building, and the Soviets blamed the Autobots for the thefts and expelled them from the country. Fakkadi, however, summoned the Autobots to his country of Carbombya to help oust the Decepticons that had taken over, and Metroplex delivered another sound defeat to Trypticon, tossing him into the ocean yet again and returning the stolen buildings to their rightful place. Thief in the Night

As part of his deal with Unicron to ensure their mutual resurrection, the ghost of Starscream possessed Scourge and invaded Metroplex, stealing the giant robot's optical units. Metroplex transformed to robot mode in the midst of the attack, and, discovering that he was blind, went into a maddened rage, firing upon all the Transformers in the vicinity before a photon charge placed in his head by Scourge detonated, knocking him out. After the villains' plan was foiled, new eyes were constructed for Metroplex. Ghost in the Machine

After coming under attack from a Eurythman sonic weapon, Carnage in C-Minor, transforming cog troubles returned to plague Metroplex when Swindle stole the component right out from under First Aid's nose. With Metroplex trapped in city mode, the Autobots retaliated by stealing Trypticon's cog and using it as a replacement; the Decepticons proceeded to use Metroplex's cog in place of Trypticon's, but the incompatibility of the cogs in each of the giant robots led to an unsteady battle with both combatants partially transforming back and forth constantly. First Aid proceeded to enter Metroplex's body during the fight and aligned the cog properly, allowing Metroplex to fully transform and, yet again, fling Trypticon into a body of water. The Ultimate Weapon

When the Hate Plague swept the universe, Rodimus Prime realized the danger that an infected Metroplex would pose, and reluctantly decided to deactivate him. Metroplex understood and agreed with his decision—it was not made clear if this action was temporary, or if it would permanently send Metroplex off-line. The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1

Metroplex's relationship to Autobot City in the film and Five Faces of Darkness is ropey at best. He is not actually mentioned in the movie, and Five Faces of Darkness uses the terms "Autobot City" and "Metroplex" interchangeably, suggesting they are the same thing. This is somewhat supported by the appearance of elements of Metroplex's design appearing as part of the city in the movie, including its shift from orange to white as it transforms, and a turret that is quite blatantly Slammer. Designer Floro Dery has described how he created his own design for Autobot City, but was then instructed to add elements of the Metroplex toy to it—presumably, this is what caused the confusion, which was eventually straightened out when an establishing shot of Autobot City in Thief in the Night clearly presented Metroplex to be a smaller sub-section of the city.

Japanese cartoon continuity

The events of the Generation 1 cartoon occur in Japanese continuity as detailed above, except instead of taking place over 2005/6, the events of season 3, in which Metroplex appears, are moved back to 2010. Japanese continuity inserts many new stories into the gaps in the cartoon timeline, several of which focus on Metroplex and the story of how he was created, which went unexplained in the American cartoon.

Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers comic

Metroplex was constructed as part of the Autobots' "Scramble City" initiative to develop a powerful battle station. During the early stages of the project, however, when the Autobots were conducting an outdoor test of the unfinished city's transformation to mobile fortress mode, Astrotrain and Reflector were able to monitor the process. The information they acquired allowed Megatron to decipher whether or not Metroplex could stand up to Trypticon. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 3

Later, Trypticon was successfully activated on a small island, but was duped into falling into the ocean by a giant hologram of robot-mode Metroplex projected by Hound. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 6

Scramble City

As a sensitive new-age guy, Metroplex was one of the few Autobots who did not have issues with the size of his gun.

To complete the Scramble City project, the Autobots moved their operation to a secret underground cavern, but the Decepticons' spy cassettes located the subterranean base, and an all-out Decepticon attack was initiated. The Decepticon combiners dominated the fight, but the completed Metroplex was then launched and defeated them with one blast. However, as the Autobots celebrated their victory, the ocean nearby parted and Trypticon emerged for his first battle with Metroplex. Scramble City

This battle, uh, never happened, because the second part of Scramble City never got made.

Full Throttle Scramble Power!

Crafting a new diabolical scheme, Megatron began to threaten humanity with his latest weapon: the Omega Whip. After Jenny, Toru and Hound located the Decepticon base and disabled the super weapon, Optimus Prime ordered up reinforcements: every single Autobot. Carrying the entire army in his mobile battlestation mode, Metoplex, er, hovered onto the scene and transformed to robot mode. Accepting defeat, Megatron and the Decepticons scurried off as fast as they could. Full Throttle Scramble Power!

The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers manga

On a bright and sunny day in the year 2010, the Autobots invited a group of human families to come take a tour of Metroplex. They were all very impressed and everything was going great...until Trypticon attacked. Preoccupied with keeping everyone inside him from dying, Metroplex was left to take all of Trypticon's attacks on the chin, including his Dual Plasma Cannons and Dino-Head Attack. With Scamper quickly taken out by Full-Tilt, it looked as though Metroplex would be felled by a blast from the Brunt tank.

Luckily, Ultra Magnus deployed Six-Gun just in time. Six-Gun took out Full-Tilt and then proceeded to turn the Brunt tank around on Trypticon, blasting the Decepticon with his own drone. The blast destroyed Trypticon's Head Controls, forcing Galvatron to call a retreat. With the day won, Metroplex returned to City mode. The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 3

The Great Transformer War manga

In 2011, as part of his massive assault to retake Cybertron, Galvatron unleashed Trypticon on Metroplex, the battle thoroughly occupying the Earth forces of the Autobots, keeping them from coming to Cybertron's defense. The Great Transformer War issue 3

The Headmasters cartoon

Four Warriors Come out of the Sky Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime The Great Cassette Operation Terror! The Six Shadows Explosion on Mars!! Maximus Is in Danger

After the death of Ultra Magnus, Metroplex was appointed the new Autobot Earth Commander by Fortress Maximus. Ultra Magnus Dies!!

The Emperor of Destruction Vanishes on an Iceberg I Risk My Life for Earth The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 1) The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 2)

Marvel Comics continuity

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

Marvel UK future timelines

Metroplex was built into the very fabric of Autobot City. He lay dormant underneath the city as a last line of defence. When the Quintessons successfully attacked and took control of Autobot city, Rodimus Prime, temporarily reverted back to Hot Rod, managed to activate Metroplex. He was able to drive the Quintessons away but the city was largely gutted when he broke himself free, making it something of a pyrrhic victory for the Autobots. Space Pirates!

Dreamwave comics continuity

After deposing Shockwave on Cybertron, and leaving the planet in Ultra Magnus's command, Prowl and a large number of Autobots returned to Earth to begin construction on a vast complex known as Autobot City. Hound was seen projecting a hologram of Metroplex during construction, presumably as a blueprint. The Route of All Evil

IDW comics continuity

Spotlight: Metroplex

Toys

Generation 1

Yeah, I saw Big and I went against it.

• Metroplex (Autobot City, 1986/2008)
  • Japanese ID number: C-70
  • Accessories: Scamper, Scamper's arms/cannons (x2), Scamper's small laser pistol, Slammer, Slammer's turret, Sixgun's body/tower, Sixgun's chestplate/tower top 2 red cannons/Sixgun's legs, 2 black cannons/Sixgun's arms, Sixgun's laser pistol, double-barreled cannon, rear tower, shoulder antenna, 2 fists, 2 kneecaps, 3 missiles

Metroplex transforms from a large robot to a multi-leveled "city" mainly for use with the smaller Generation 1 toys. This mode includes a service bay with launching mechanism, a helipad, and "parking" for four vehicles in whatever his legs fold out to be. He also has a third mobile battle station mode; a more compact wheeled form that incorporates his many weapons. Additionally, his weapons are all moulded with universal-sized pegs that allow them to attached in several different configurations and locations (for example, in the otherwise-pointless holes in his kneecaps in city mode). Metroplex came with Six-Gun, Slammer, and Scamper; the first two formed various parts of Metroplex's alternate modes.

Metroplex was apparently designed as part of the aborted Diaclone line, Jizai Gattai ("Free Combination"), given the high degree of interactivity he has with other toys confirmed as part of it—namely, the Aerialbots, Stunticons, Protectobots and Combaticons. Each of the smaller "limb" robot from these four groups (and those that came after using their basic design, like the Technobots, Terrorcons and Seacons) can plug into ports in Metroplex's shoulders and knees in robot mode, while the base modes of the four leaders—Silverbolt, Hot Spot, Motormaster, and Onslaught—can connect to him in city mode. While the former feature was included in the Hasbro instructions, the latter was omitted. The peg-size of Metroplex's weapons also allows them to be wielded by the leaders and super-robots these teams create.

As a third-year piece, Metroplex was one of several items to undergo "materials changing". Initial versions of Metroplex used rubber tires, and the fronts of his upper legs were fully-chromed silver. After a time, though, the tires were replaced with single-piece hard-plastic tires, and his legs changed to white plastic with a silver factory-applied sticker at the top. However, the plastic tire version also possessed a waist reinforced with two screw points instead of one, in an effort to prevent Metroplex literally snapping in half as so many of the original versions did due to a weak spot on the waist.

Metroplex suffers from a large number of weak and breakable points. Apart from the aforementioned waist, the launcher inside his chest, the peg on his back, his extendable shoulder antenna, Scamper's shoulder hinges and Scamper's arm pegs are all very fragile and break or fail in various ways.

This mold was also used to make Metrotitan.

• More information on Metroplex at TFU.info

Transform Jr

• Metroflex (1987)
  • Japanese ID number: C-70
  • Accessories: Black gun

The Transform Jr version of Metroplex shrinks and simplifies the original toy, omitting his city mode, all of his partners, his antennae, and his entire armament save for one black rifle. Toy be plaaaaain.

Encore

• Metroflex (2008)
  • Encore number: 12

In September 2008, Metroplex was reissued in Japan in Takara's Encore line. This version features a minor retool to allow Slammer's gun turret to become the top of a building in city mode. The Encore version also has the chrome upper legs and rubber wheels of the initial releases.

Merchandise

Super Collection Figure

• Metroflex (2001)

Metroplex was the "Build-A-Figure" in fourth wave of Takara's Super Collection Figure line of non-transformable PVC figurines. Available in eight out of every ten cases, Metroplex was divided into six parts, each one packaged with one of the silver metallic "pewter" versions of the other six figurines in the line (the regular, color versions of the figures didn't come with Metroplex parts). His head and guns came with Ultra Magnus, his body with Arcee and Spike, his left arm with Optimus Prime, his right arm with Megatron, his left leg with Thundercracker and his right leg with Rodimus Prime. Metroplex's parts were available in two versions, at an equal ratio: full-color and clear plastic, making two versions of the figure to collect.

Heroes of Cybertron

• Metroplex (2003)

Super Collection Figure Metroplex was later made available as part of Heroes of Cybertron line, again packaged as a "Build-A-Figure" for the line's fifth wave. As the Heroes of Cybertron figures did not feature variants and were not blindpacked, it was a lot easier to assemble a Metroplex figure; the head and guns came with Optimus Prime, his body with Omega Supreme, his left arm with Devastator, his right arm with Megatron and Laserbeak, his left leg with Starscream and his right leg with Ratchet.

Like all of the initial releases of the Heroes of Cybertron line, Metroplex's parts were cast in a transparent plastic with the colour based upon their faction (blue in Metroplex's case). He was almost completely painted, leaving his eyes and the back of his head unpainted for a light-piping effect.

MyClone

• Metroflex (2003)
  • ID number: MTF015
  • Accessories: White display stand

Released in the third wave of the MyClone line of Transformers PVC figures, this adorable little Metroplex comes with a hexagonal white display stand, which can link up with the identical stands included with other MyClone figures. His modular design allows his parts to be mixed and matched with those of any other MyClone figure.

Trivia

• "Fortress Maximus" was likely a considered name for Metroplex. The Marvel Comics adaptation of the 1986 Movie even refers to Autobot City as "Fortress Maximus" in a caption.
• In Transformers The Game, the video game tie-in for the 2007 movie, a suburban mall was called the Metroplex Mall as an homage to the this character.
• The Japanese book Transformers Generations contains concept art for an unmade Action Master version of Metroplex.

External links

• Metroplex's Universe profile at NTFA.net