Oil Slick (Animated)

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

Oil Slick is a Decepticon from the Transformers Animated continuity family.

"I say we stomp 'im!"
"YEAH!"
"Then we tattoo 'im!"
"YEAH!!"
"Then we hang 'im!"
"YEAH!!!"
"And then we kill 'im!"
"YEAH!!!"
"I say we let him go!"
"NOOOO!!!"

Oil Slick's fighting style is based on vehicular combat—meaning he tries to destroy the Autobots while they're still in vehicle mode, knowing that if they're smashed up on the outside, they're smashed up on the inside. Beyond this, Oil Slick is a talented chemist specializing in weaponized compounds. He is, in his own words, "slagging good" though at times too eager in trying out new concoctions. Among his arsenal are a dizzying array of chemical weapons that will weaken his opponents both physically and mentally—magnifying his prey's personal fears to dissolve their will while his acids dissolve their bodies—at which point Oil Slick is ready to trash them. His robot mode features a retractable dome to protect his pretty face from what he unleashes.

In addition to his vehicular combat abilities, Oil Slick is skilled in Circuit-Su, having trained with Prowl.

...We Decepticons know the means always justify the ends. Even if that means sacrificing a few expendable troops to my cyber-oxidant in order to achieve victory!Oil Slick on Decepticon philosophy, "'Bots of Science"

Fiction

Events from IDW Publishing or Fun Publications books are in italics.

Voice actor: Phil LaMarr (English)

During the Great Wars, Oil Slick led an assault on the Hydrax Plateau, using his new "Cosmic Rust" cyber-oxidant chemical weapon on Autobot and Decepticon alike. However, he hadn't adjusted for wind shifts, and ended up getting a dose of it himself.

Severely weakened, he was found by the Autobot medic Ratchet, who was looking for survivors of the attack. Ratchet's conscience wouldn't let him leave a life that could be saved, even that of a Decepticon. After trading some verbal barbs with Ratchet and appealing to his scientific nature, Oil Slick convinced the Autobot to use his repair tools with the chemicals Slick had stored away to create a batch of antidote. Under Oil Slick's instructions, Ratchet successfully created a batch of the cure... and as soon as it was applied, Oil Slick immediately hit Ratchet with a dose of Cosmic Rust and stole the remaining antidote. Gloating, Oil Slick revealed that the chemical weapon was his doing all along, and that the lives of the Decepticons who also fell to it were meaningless to him.

His overconfidence got the better of him, though, as he failed to notice that Ratchet had used his magnetism ability to steal the antidote back as Oil Slick drove away... enough to cure Ratchet and still have some left over for the Autobot scientists to analyze and replicate, nullifying the threat of Cosmic Rust. 'Bots of Science

Following Megatron's disappearance, Oil Slick made the foolish mistake of sharing the idea that perhaps Megatron was dead to Lugnut... and was given a proper throttling for it. A Few Loose Strands

He's so certain Cosmic Rust will work, he's giving away samples for free!

Countless years later, after the war had been decided in the Autobots' favor, Oil Slick was part of Strika's Team Chaar band of Decepticons. Called out of hiding by Megatron to storm a Space Bridge node, his group of Decepticons battled a team of Autobots led by Rodimus Prime. Oil Slick stopped Ironhide and Brawn in their tracks with actual oil slicks before encountering Rodimus himself. Dismissing Rodimus Prime's skills and throwing down a container of Cosmic Rust, Oil Slick quickly disposed of him. Team Chaar was still near the hub when the Elite Guard's ship approached, but Oil Slick and the others were ordered elsewhere. TransWarped

Oil Slick and the rest of Team Chaar apparently showed up in Detroit to menace the Autobots... but the whole thing turned out to have been an illusion programmed in Soundwave's virtual world.Human Error, Part I

Toys

Animated

The secret shame of Mr. Freeze and Cy-Kill.

• Oil Slick (Deluxe, 2008)
  • Accessories: Chain-weapon canister, storage canister

Oil Slick transforms into a low-riding motorcycle. A motorcycle with a friggin' goat skull. How Metal. One of the barrels strapped to his cycle mode splits open to become a hand-held flail weapon using a short, white plastic chain, as opposed to the longer, real metal one seen in the promotional photos. The ends of the barrel which anchor the chain can pop off the ends of the body for other swing-at-enemies options. However, this barrel does not click together very well when closed, and so can fall open easily. The other barrel is actually a canister with a flip-open top that can contain rare chemical liquids. He has a third "Vehicle Attack Mode" which basically consists of him doing a push-up on his wheels.

According to designer Eric Siebenaler, one of the original ideas for Oil Slick was for his bubble dome and his chemical canister to contain a sort of green slime. This idea was dropped over concerns that it would leak during transportation, and when Hasbro investigated just having plain water in his dome, they decided against this due to the fact that the quality and safety of water used in China could not be guaranteed.

• More information on Oil Slick at TFU.info

Wait, how did they get the chain up in the air?

• Toxic Oil Slick (Deluxe, 2010)
  • Accessories: Chain-weapon canister, storage canister

A redeco shown at BotCon 2009 and leaked via Walmart stock photos, this Oil Slick redeco seems to have been made to make his colors more like that of his show model, while still retaining an Earth mode. An oddity in the stock photo is the use of the longer, metal chain, as opposed to the short plastic one used in the original.

Notes

• At BotCon 2008, it was revealed that Oil Slick was an original Eric Siebenaler design that was never intended to be in the show, but upon finding out about it, the Animated cartoon crew said they would have worked him in had they been told about it. As such, Oil Slick was given a highlight story in The Arrival #3. He has also had an animation model made by Irineo Maramba and was made a member of Strika's team for the cartoon.

• Oil Slick's odd four-wheeled cycle design is borrowed from the Dodge Tomahawk concept motorcycle. This implies that he goes really damn fast.

• Due to the sculpt of his fingers and the rubbery materials used, he is the first and only Transformer who can intertwine his fingers in a menacing way.

• Although Lockdown is responsible for the current state of Ratchet's broken forehead chevron, Oil Slick actually did it before him, courtesy of a wicked roundhouse kick. Judging by the pre-existing crack on the chevron, it had already been broken at least once before that. Apparently Ratchet decided the third time's a charm.

• How exactly he could train with Prowl in the art of Circuit-Su is questionable, because Yoketron never trained a Decepticon before in his Dojo...unless he once was an Autobot.