Ramjet (G1)

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

Ramjet is a Decepticon from the Generation 1 continuity family.

File:RamjetG1.jpg

Ramjet likes toast.

What can really be said about someone whose only idea of strategy is to smash into things with his head? In Ramjet's defense he's specifically built to survive such midair collisions and his prey most definitely is not. The strategy can be frighteningly effective, since no one expects a fighter jet to ram them. Ramjet has a tendency to regard the sky as belonging only to him, and will frequently ram even neutral or friendly targets. Though he is built to take such hits frequent collisions and crashes can still take their toll on his internal mechanisms.

Portuguese name (Portugal comics): Motor

Italian name: Nibbio

Portuguese name (Brazil comics): Rajada (but started out as Ramjet)

French-Canadian name: Statoréacto

Fiction

Cartoon continuity

Voice actor: Jack Angel (English), Toshio Ishii (Japanese)

Curiously enough, Ramjet often seemed to act as de facto leader of the Conehead Seekers. Though only borderline competent, he was a serious enough warrior that it often fell on him to keep the two whiners Thrust and Dirge in line.

Ramjet was first seen on Earth when Megatron and his ilk raided Dinobot Island for its energy resources. He and his fellow Decepticons went to work filling their energon cubes to maximum capacity. Dinobot Island, Part 1 They were eventually opposed by the Autobots, however, and engaged in a heavy metal war for control of the island. Eventually, the Dinobots turned their fellow dinosaurs against the Decepticons. Ramjet and Thrust were run down by a stampeding herd of dinosaurs before Megatron finally called it quits. Dinobot Island, Part 2

Later, Ramjet was sent into battle by Megatron to intercept the Autobots' sole aerial ace, Powerglide, before he interfered with Devastator guarding the solar power tower that Megatron had rightfully stolen. Ramjet tried to ram Powerglide out of the sky, but flew too close to his massive comrade, and was swatted down by Devastator himself. The Master Builders When Soundwave and his Cassettes failed to steal the Negavator, Starscream and Ramjet led the Seekers in an aerial raid. Once Rumble triggered an avalanche to trap the Autobots in a box canyon, it should have been easy pickings. Unfortunately, Smokescreen unleashed his magnetic clouds and then electro-disrupted the jets' radar, leaving them completely blind-flying and Yoda-talking. Ramjet tried to make his crash count by landing on an Autobot, but comically managed to land right on top of Megatron, just after the Decepticon leader had secured the all-powerful Negavator machine for himself. "I've got morons on my team!", Megatron screamed, and it was hard to disagree. Auto Berserk

That's either a tiny jet or a big-ass car!

When a new solar energy facility opened up in Central City, Starscream led Dirge, Ramjet and Thrust to steal its power. The facility proved to be a trap, however, set by Shawn Berger to elevate himself in the public eye by taking down the Decepticons with his private militia. Berger's operatives failed, but the Autobots soon arrived to engage the Decepticons as well. Tracks took to the air and zapped Dirge with his blackout beam. Luckily for Dirge, Ramjet managed to pull off a loopity-loop and ram the flying Autobot into the ground. Megatron then "requested" the pleasure of Shawn Berger's presence, not to punish him, but to play a subtler game. He attempted to convince the industrialist that the Decepticons were good, and the Autobots evil. Ramjet was one of the key players in Megatron's staged videos to tarnish the Autobots' reputation. Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1 Later, after the Autobots were successfully vilified in the public eye and exiled to deep space, the Seekers turned on the people of Central City, opening fire in the middle of the streets. Ramjet in particular expressed his frustrations over having to act "good", even for a little while, by flying straight through a building, bringing the whole mess down. Although the Seekers fared well against an attack by the Air Force, the eventual return of the Autobots proved to be more than the Decepticons could handle. Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2

After Megatron took over Earth's airwaves from the moon, Ramjet and Thundercracker did their bit to speed the chaos along, attacking the Autobots during their various rescue missions. Ramjet even got a chance to pay back Powerglide for an old injury, shooting down the Autobot flier over the airport. Very nearly got rid of two annoying humans, too. Blaster Blues

Ramjet could have been a great soccer player.

Once, Ramjet was working with Starscream, Rumble and Ravage in the United Kingdom, when they got low on energon fighting the Autobots. Sensing energy inside the mysterious Dragon Mound, the Decepticons accidentally activated a timewarp and were transported back to the days of Camelot. Running across a pair of errant knights, Ramjet found that lasers could not function in the Dark Ages, so he merely headbutted his opponent into submission. After a brief exchange, Starscream realized the situation and made a pact with the knight, Sir Wigend, to aid him against his enemies. At a pre-arranged tournament the next afternoon, Rumble and Ramjet acted as knight and steed in Sir Wigend's stead, against the Red Knight. The Decepticons' coup was cut short, however, due to the arrival of the Red Knight's champions, Hoist and Warpath. With Warpath serving as the Red Knight's steed, Ramjet ended up ruining his nose in the joust. Although the Decepticons tried to build their own kingdom after that by inventing gunpowder and the electric dynamo before their time, they were eventually defeated, and all the Transformers returned to the 20th century through the Dragon Mound. A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court

On one occasion, Ramjet and Thrust joined Blitzwing in an air strike on an Autobot geological survey near the rocky coastline. Ramjet attempted to engage Seaspray over the open seas, and was trading firepower pretty well until his instincts got the best of him and he tried to ram the Autobot hovercraft. Seaspray easily dodged the knuckleheaded Decepticon, who plummeted into the briny deep. During this exchange, though, Thrust discovered a pool of electrum, and soon all the Decepticons were rendered completely invulnerable. Ramjet and the others relished in their invincibility for a time, but soon the Autobots discovered the pool as well, and the supply of electrum was quickly exhausted by both factions. The Golden Lagoon Ramjet was involved in the strike on the Morphobots, but was driven off by the Autobots after the robotic insecticide was destroyed. Quest for Survival

Later on, Dirge, Ramjet and Astrotrain came to Monacus to look after Megatron's interests in Sheol, and his less than reputable partner, Lord Gyconi. They were putting the squeeze on Gyconi when a program caught Dirge's optic, inviting one-and-all to see the Autobots in pit battle against Gyconi's animaliens. They decided to take in a show while on Monacus, but quickly realized what was going on when Smokescreen flooded the arena with smoke to stop the games and save his friends. Dirge and Ramjet set off after the Autobot in jet mode, and very nearly destroyed him before the bounty hunting Autobot named Devcon stepped in to blast them out of the air. There's nothing a Decepticon fears more than a fair fight, and the two Seekers skedaddled as soon as they were able to get back in the sky. They retreated back to Astrotrain with their share of Gyconi's energon, and eventually fled the planet, with Devcon chasing their smoke trail. The Gambler

When the Triple Changers temporarily disposed of Megatron and Starscream, Decepticon leadership became a free-for-all. Instead of choosing sides like the Constructicons, Ramjet and the Seekers were mostly content just to watch the hilarity ensue, like Blitzwing's football antics and Astrotrain's army of idiot trains. Triple Takeover

One day, Shockwave found himself under siege from a lost tribe of Female Autobots on Cybertron, and so Megatron sent Ramjet and a small group of Decepticons via the Space Bridge to assist him. He tried to take down the team leader Elita One with a missile, only to have her grab it in mid-flight and hurl it back at him. Ramjet survived that, only to have a tower dropped on him later by Moonracer's sharpshooting skills. The Search for Alpha Trion

Ramjet and his buddies tried to kidnap Astoria Carlton-Ritz, CEO of Hybrid Technologies but failed, miserably and repeatedly. Although they eventually captured her, it's hard to call anyone who ended up with Astoria the "winner". The Girl Who Loved Powerglide They proved to be just as hapless when Megatron sent them on an ultra-secret mission to recover a mysterious cargo when even he didn't know what it was. Hoist Goes Hollywood In the latest in a long series of ineptitudes, Ramjet and his flying partners were outmaneuvered by the Autobots on the ground while trying to steal an experimental superfuel. Dirge and Thrust were taken out of action when Prime and the others tricked them into flying into the side of a mountain above the road. Ramjet was too quick for them but, when the Autobots pulled the exact same maneuver moments later, he ran into the mountain just as hard as his buddies did. The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1

Dirge and Ramjet were briefly seen using Megatron's Lightning Bug in defense of the Decepticons' undersea base. Cosmic Rust The two were later captured by Starscream and the renegade Combaticons, and pilfered for their energy absorbers. Starscream's Brigade Still, Ramjet was repaired rather quickly, and was seen helping Megatron and the Insecticons in another joint scheme soon thereafter. He and Dirge were commissioned to find the Insecticons when Shrapnel stole a vital part of the Space Bridge machinery. The Revenge of Bruticus During a Decepticon mission in the Middle East, Ramjet helped the Decepticons create an army of drone jets out of stolen parts, commanding them as his own personal flight wing against the Aerialbots. Even with back-up, however, Ramjet was tossed out of the sky by Air Raid. Aerial Assault He was briefly seen as part of Megatron's scheme to throw the moon out of orbit. B.O.T.

Ramjet later participated in the Battle of Autobot City, where he was shot by a high-jumping Optimus Prime. Luckily he wasn't damaged enough by the blast to be tossed into space for being dead weight later on, and was present at Starscream's crowning as the new Decepticon leader. Ramjet, or a random Decepticon jet with his color scheme, later flew into Unicron's mouth and exploded. The Transformers: The Movie

Ramjet and Dirge were later hiding in Carbombya, but were found out by Outback and his "Decepticon detector", and the two Seekers were interrogated to reveal the location of Chaar. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1 Ramjet was able to rendezvous with the other Decepticons on Chaar, before the Quintessons arrived to bribe them all with energon cubes and take them to attack a group of Autobots on the planet Goo. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3 The attack was halted when Galvatron arrived an reclaimed his army. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4 Ramjet took part in the assault on Cybertron, and was totally blownuptified when Ultra Magnus decided to deal with him by chucking the conehead into a wall. Dude. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5

Somehow still alive and well, Ramjet was among the group of Decepticons who Galvatron lead to Carbombya to find Trypticon and Octane, only to discover that the country's oil supply produced high quality energon. When Abdul Fakkadi tried to send a warning to the Autobots, Ramjet lead him away and locked him up. Ramjet survived the inevitable battle, and was seen retreating with the other Decepticons. Thief in the Night

Marvel Comics continuity

Generation 1

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

Until Straxus was assassinated, Ramjet worked under the Decepticon overlord on Cybertron. The Bridge to Nowhere! He was one of the most feared and deadly killers on Cybertron, and would have been a key target in Operation: Volcano if he hadn't been abruptly ordered to Earth by Megatron, along with Thrust and Dirge. Target: 2006

I HATE it when I get my Schwartz twisted!

They were given Earth jet forms specified by Megatron and provided air support when the Decepticons attempted to exploit Hoover Dam for energy. The Aerialbots arrived to deal with them, but Ramjet scored first blood for the Decepticons by ramming Slingshot right out of the sky. His early victory didn't help Ramjet in his fight with Air Raid, however, as the Autobot's torque rifle twisted his beautiful nosecone all out of shape. As the Aerialbots successfully reorganized, Ramjet led the Decepticon jets in a swift tactical advance to the rear. Aerialbots over America!

Ramjet was shuffled into the background as a series of revolving leaders left the Decepticon forces in constant chaos. Honestly, it was like they had to be nice to everyone, because you never knew who would decide to take over command next.

Ramjet was seen to be shot down in flames during battle against the combined forces of G.I. Joe and Cobra. ...All Fall Down! Later, he was among the Decepticons present when Galvatron attacked their new underwater headquarters, and appeared none-too-impressed with how Shockwave handled the matter. Enemy Action! Under Ratbat, he was put to work transporting humans to the Decepticon's holiday resort for humans. Club Con!

Ramjet isn't seen after this, but Classics later claimed that he was deactivated by Starscream during the Underbase Saga.

Marvel UK future timelines

In 2008, Ramjet was seen among the Decepticon fliers being led into battle by Soundwave and his flagship, Astrotrain. Space Pirates!

Generation 2

Shouldn't he be teal now?

US comics

When Megatron returned and overthrew Bludgeon's command, Ramjet was aggravated that Megatron brought a revived Starscream with him. Starscream was arrogant, loud, and would never shut up, so why didn't Megatron leave him dead? Seriously, what was Megatron's problem? The Gathering Darkness

Ramjet was among the Decepticons killed in the Swarm's final attack on Autobase: Earth. A Rage in Heaven!

UK comics

Ramjet was sporting a new paintjob and an odd lack of cone when he joined Bludgeon's forces in attacking Earth. He was shot down in battle by Optimus Prime. War Without End

Classics

The Classics stories take place after the end of the original Marvel Comic, but in a splinter timeline that does not include the events of the Marvel UK-exclusive stories or Generation 2.

He left Starscream at Jetfire's mercy to claim the Rarified Energon. Was blasted by a Cliffjumper bomb for his troubles. Crossing Over: Part 6

He recovered very quickly. And was cerebro-shelled by Thrust for his troubles. Games of Deception

Dreamwave comics continuity

Events from The Transformers Trilogy novels are in italics.

YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG.

In the early days of the Decepticon offensive, Ramjet participated in the annihilation of the city-state known as Praxus and its inhabitants. At Megatron's behest, Ramjet shielded an unwitting Autobot named Bluestreak from harm during the devastation, ensuring that one living survivor would live to tell the tale of the fall of Praxus... and the might of Megatron. Hardwired

Ramjet was under the command of Shockwave in his assault on the Autobot stronghold in Iacon shortly after the death of Sentinel Prime and the rise of Optimus Prime. The War Within issue 3 After Megatron disappeared in a space bridge accident with Optimus Prime, Ramjet came to serve under Shockwave. War Within: The Dark Ages

After the Great Shutdown, he continued working for Shockwave as one of his top agents, and joined his expedition to Earth to forcibly collect the crews of the Ark and Nemesis. New World Order After Ultra Magnus arrived to take command of the team attempting to arrest the Optimus Prime's Autobots, Ramjet disobeyed orders and made a foolhardy dash for the Ark, only to be cut down in a hail of autogun fire. Brothers' Burden

After Shockwave was dethroned, Ramjet escaped capture by Autobot authorities and met with Shockwave's remaining troops in the Wastelands. They remained there until the Predacons overthrew Shockwave in the name of Megatron, and Ramjet and the Coneheads returned to his control. Lost and Found

Devil's Due G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers comics

Along with Dirge and Cyclonus, Ramjet was one Shockwave's personal bodyguards. After a failed attempt to stop Optimus Prime, Jazz and Ironhide from stealing energon cubes from them, the Decepticons tried to take control of Teletran 3, but were stopped by Ultra Magnus. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 1

Eventually Magnus's force field around Teletran 3 went down, and Ramjet helped capture the Autobots and shoot Ratchet in the back. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 3 He later attacked the Dinobots in his Cybertronian jet mode, but how he fared in the battle is unknown. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 4

IDW comics continuity

Spoiler warning: Plot details for The Iron Age follow. Spoilers expire in 13 days

Four million years ago, Ramjet was assigned as scout and guard to an energon convoy bringing supplies to Megatron. He was too busy complaining about Megatron's orders to stay on the ground to notice the approach of Optimus Prime and Ironhide. He noticed the butt of Prime's ion blaster, though. Briefly. Painfully. Before blacking out. The Iron Age

Ramjet joined Megatron's unit on Earth as it was going into mirror response mode in Latveria. Due to his late arrival, Megatron didn't trust him yet, and thus refused to power him up using Spider-Man's blood. Instead, Ramjet was assigned to guard the Psycho-Prism. Man and Machine, Part Two Disgruntled that Megatron didn't respect him, he seemingly ignored his duties and let Prowl pass by on his way to the prism... and into Doctor Doom's trap. Man and Machine, Part Three However, Doom soon betrayed the Decepticons and led Wolverine and some more Autobots to the Psycho-Prism. This time, Ramjet abandoned his duties for real and left without a fight, telling the heroes that causing Megatron's plans to fail was great, since it'd bring him one step closer to becoming Decepticon leader. Man and Machine, Part Four

Ramjet had aspirations to rule the universe and began to carry out a very ambitious plan to achieve this. With the help of duped humans, a sub-par facsimile, and his Mini-Constructicon units, he planned to acquire an Energon substitute, kill Megatron, destroy the United States, track and enslave all Cybertronians, mind-control the entire human race, and use a superstring space bridge to dominate the galaxy. Unfortunately, Megatron had a simpler plan: beat Ramjet to death, tear out his spark, scatter his dismembered corpse across the world, and keep his severed head as a trophy. Spotlight: Ramjet

Henkei! Henkei! pack-in comic

Henkei! Henkei! #4 Henkei! Henkei! #5

Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga

Enter! The Transformers The Emperor of Destruction Appears! The Enemy from the Arctic Wataru's Power Time of Resurrection

3D Battle-Card Game

Ramjet serves under Megatron as one of his Decepticon soldiers, battling Optimus Primal's many Autobot allies in what might possibly have been an inter-universe battle. Energon Wars Expansion Set

Toys

Generation 1

'Conehead' or 'Not Conehead'

• Ramjet (1985, 1986, 2001)
  • Japanese ID number: D-56
  • Accessories: 2 "Cluster Bombs", 2 fists (left & right), 2 wings (left & right), 2 tail fins (left & right), front landing gear

The original Ramjet toy was a retool of the Diaclone "Jet Robo Acrobat-Type" F-15 Eagle that was used for Starscream, Thundercracker and Skywarp, with new wings that seem to be inspired by the prototype F-16XL, and new "Cluster Bombs". He is otherwise identical to the other Decepticon jets aside from color.

In robot mode his official instructions have the user pulling down his nose cone to complete his head transformation, like Starscream. However, Ramjet, as well as Thrust and Dirge's television incarnations depict them as having their heads untransformed, leaving a distinctive "conehead" shape to their appearance. This has led many owners to do the same thing, to differentiate the three later Decepticon jets from the three earlier ones.

Generation 2

'90s fashion victim.

• Ramjet (1993, 1994)
  • Accessories: 2 missile launchers, 2 missiles, 2 fists (left & right), 2 wings (left & right), 2 tail fins, front landing gear, sound effects box

For the Generation 2 line, Ramjet was redecoed with the purple replacing white, black replacing burgundy and sky blue replacing the original black, leaving him to appear as if he were Skeletor's personal aircraft. Still, he features new firing missile launchers and a sound effects box which is mounted above his engines. These parts were also used on the Generation 2 release of Starscream.

Of note is the fact that his sky blue parts are extremely prone to yellowing, or in this case greening. Many G2 Ramjets can be found with their blue parts in a teal color.

Classics

The flared pants craze strikes again

• Ramjet (Deluxe, 2007)
  • Accessories: 2 missile launchers (left & right), 2 missiles

Classics Ramjet transforms into a modified fighter jet based off the hull of an F-15 Eagle. Like his original Generation 1 toy, he is a retool of Starscream, with a new nose cone/head, new F-16XL inspired wings and new projectiles for his missile launchers. Unlike Starscream, his shoulder movement is unimpeded due to a lack of wings behind his shoulders.

As with most Classics toys, he features a heat-sensitive rubsign.

Ramjet's instructions neglect a couple of features on his toy; the wings can swivel back and forth and up and down in robot mode, to better balance the figure, and the circular air intakes on his chest can swivel out in either mode. The latter is used to form landing gear in his vehicle mode, as it was in both Starscream and Skywarp.

Ramjet was redecoed into Dirge and retooled into Thrust for the Classics-themed BotCon 2007-exclusive Games of Deception box set.

Henkei! Henkei!

Beware the man in white

• Ramjet (Deluxe, 2008)
  • Japanese ID Number: D-04
  • Accessories: 2 missile launchers (left & right), 2 missiles

Henkei! Henkei! Transformers Ramjet is a redeco of Classics Ramjet. He features a significantly altered colour scheme, generally to make the toy even more closely resemble his appearance in the Generation 1 cartoon. His wings are molded in bright red plastic instead of gray plastic with red paint. His hands and feet are molded in white plastic instead of gray, to match more closely the cartoon model. Despite the figure's appearance, Henkei! Ramjet features no gray plastic at all, only white or red plastic painted gray. Ramjet, like the other figures in the line features vaccum-metalized parts, his jet boosters and vertical stabilizers on his wings and his cockpit seat are chrome plated. Since Henkei! toys do not feature a heat-sensitive rubsign, Henkei Ramjet has five Decepticon sigils tampographed total, one each on the top side and under side of his two wings and one in front of his canopy.

Ramjet was retooled into Gentei! Gentei! Thrust and Dirge.

Universe (2008)

Classic Series

• Aerial Rivals (multi-pack, 2008)

A redeco of the Cybertron Starscream Legends of Cybertron figure, Ramjet was only available in a set with Blades, Air Raid, Skydive, and Thrust. He transforms into a Cybertronic starfighter, and has flip-out weapons (one sword, one non-firing blaster).

This mold was used to make Legends of Cybertron Ramjet, Skywarp and Sunstorm, and Universe Thrust.

Merchandise

Super Collection Figure

• Ramjet (2003)

File:SCFRamjet.jpg

But he wasn't really the Pope, just an alien robot with a funny hat.

During Act 6 of Takara's Super Collection Figure line, Ramjet was released as a limited articulation PVC figurine not actually based upon his cartoon model, as he is a retool of Starscream with new wings and a new head. He also came with one of the parts to for a Build-a-Figure PVC figurine of Grand Maximus.

MyClone

Ever been headbutted by a chibi? It HURTS!

• Ramjet (2003)
  • Japanese ID number: MTF016

MyClone Ramjet was released in the fifth series of the MyClone trading figure line, which was third and final series to feature Transformers characters. Following the MyClone aesthetic, he is a cutesy representation of Ramjet's animation model in super-deformed proportions. He features articulation in his head, shoulders, elbows, waist, hips and knees, all of the parts capable of being removed, then mixed and matched with any other MyClone figure.

3D Battle-Card Game

• Ramjet (2007)

A 34-point "common" character in the 3D Battle-Card Game's "Energon Wars" expansion, Ramjet "transforms" into a white and red jet, generally following his Classics deco scheme. He uses the same parts layout as Movie Starscream and Dreadwing.

Transformers - Mini Bust

More fragile than his tech spec would have you believe.

• Ramjet (Diamond Select, 2008)

Ramjet was released by Diamond Select Toys in 2008 and exclusive to online retailer Big Bad Toy Store. He was sculpted by Mark Wong of Art Asylum and limited to 250 pieces. The sculpt features Ramjet's distinctive wings. Strangely enough his motto on the box is "The skies are my castle, and I like to live alone" as found *in* his tech spec as opposed to "If it flies, crash it" as it was in both his tech spec and Transformers Universe profile.

Trivia

• Ramjet's name makes sense for the character, as he's a jet that rams into things. However, real-world ramjets are a specialized kind of jet engine with no moving parts. They have nothing to do with jets ramming into each other. And F-15s don't have 'em. His French-Canadian name is a reference to this kind of engine and totally misses the English pun.
• Ramjet was supposed to appear in the Beast Wars episode "Nemesis Part 2", alongside Thrust and Dirge, and have a kickass mid-air fight scene with the Maximals, but this didn't happen due to budget constraints.
• IDW Ramjet was robbed of his conehead in Man and Machine. However, this proved to just be a mistake of the artist, as Spotlight: Ramjet depicted him in a form closely resembling his Classics toy.
• Skywarp once called Ramjet "RJ". Spotlight: Ramjet

External links

• Ramjet at TFU.info
• Ramjet's Universe profile at NTFA.net