Combaticon (G1)

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

The Combaticons are a Decepticon subgroup from the Generation 1 continuity family.

Family photos are the worst! left to right Vortex, Onslaught, Swindle, Blast-Off and Brawl.

The Combaticons are a unit of fierce Decepticon soldiers, operating with (mostly) military precision under the watchful eye of the tactically brilliant Onslaught. They sometimes operate out of their own headquarters.

The Combaticons consist of:

• The tactician Onslaught (leader)
• The violent Brawl
• The egotistical Blast Off
• The con man Swindle
• The unhinged Vortex

They combine to form Bruticus.

"We aim to maim!"Brawl tells us the basic gist of the team, "Spotlight: Arcee"

Japanese name: Combatron

Italian name: Combacticon

Fiction

American cartoon continuity

Dad's Army

When Starscream was banished from the Decepticons for Yet Another Failed Coup Against Megatron, he was deposited on the island of Guadalcanal, the site of one of the major battles between the United States of America and Imperial Japan during World War II. There he found and rebuilt several abandoned US military vehicles to pass the time. After he finished, he decided that if Megatron can have a Decepticon army, then so can he!

After bluffing his way past Skywarp and Thundercracker to use the space bridge, he travelled to a detention center on Cybertron and liberated the personality components of several Decepticon political prisoners before destroying the rest. Back on Earth, Starscream installed the sparks into the rusting military vehicles and ordered them to transform.

The reborn Combaticons were less than pleased with their 'new', primitive bodies, nor were they particularly thankful to Starscream for freeing them after millions of years of imprisonment. That is, until the former Decepticon Air Commander revealed that he had neglected to install energy absorber units into their bodies, so they would have no way of refueling. As he was the only one with the knowledge and expertise to install them, he demanded their allegiance in his aim to overthrow Megatron. The Combaticons agreed to obey Starscream, for now.

SQUAWK! Starscream wanna cracker!

Under Starscream's leadership, the Combaticons managed to capture several prisoners, then used their energy absorbers to recharge themselves at a power plant. Unfortunately, Megatron and the Decepticons attacked, while the Autobots rescued their comrades. The Constructicons formed Devastator, who was quickly defeated by the Combaticons' much more powerful, but dull-witted combined form, Bruticus. Starscream ordered Bruticus to grab Megatron, forcing his former commander to acknowledge Starscream as the new leader of the Decepticons. Under duress, Megatron did so as the Stunticons watched nearby. The latter group, deciding that Starscream would be too dangerous as a leader, quickly formed Menasor and defeated Bruticus with a single attack.

Starscream and the Combaticons were banished from Earth on a small asteroid, left to wallow in their own misery and blame each other for their failures. Starscream's Brigade

Lads, we can get the scrambled channels now

Starscream and the Combaticons quickly had a falling-out. After Starscream left, the Combaticons attacked Cybertron, easily defeating Shockwave and his drones. Thirsting for revenge, Onslaught reprogrammed the space bridge to pull Earth closer to the Sun, in the hopes of destroying it and every Transformer there. The Autobots and Decepticons temporarily joined forces to retake Cybertron and prevent Earth's destruction, and with Starscream's help, they deactivated the Combaticons once they formed Bruticus through a failsafe device built into the treacherous giant's back. Optimus Prime and Megatron agreed that Bruticus must be destroyed, but the Decepticon leader fooled the Autobots by using Shockwave's holographic projector to make it appear as though Bruticus was destroyed, when in reality the combiner was reprogrammed to be loyal only to Megatron. The Revenge of Bruticus

Care Bear Stare

Soon afterwards, during Megatron's latest scheme on Earth involving the theft of fighter aircraft using Middle-Eastern criminals, the Combaticons were called into service to defend Megatron's Giant Purple Griffin, a large... thing that apparently pumped oil. Or something. Struggling against the Aerialbots, the Combaticons formed Bruticus, yet were still knocked over when the Aerialbots twisted a tow cable around his legs. The Decepticon combiner was finally defeated when the Aerialbots ignited the nearby oil wells, causing a massive explosion that sent Megatron, Rumble, Bruticus and gas prices flying away. Aerial Assault

"Bruticus punch planebot so hard, make artist draw all over cel!"

While attacking a human city, Bruticus was destroyed in battle with Defensor (man, this guy can't seem to catch a break). Only Swindle survived, and he sold the remains of his comrades to various mercenaries and third-world dictator-types, only to be forced to locate and rebuild the Combaticons by Megatron. The reformed Bruticus was then defeated when Megatron's disruptor cannon was overloaded by the human-built B.O.T., once again sending the Decepticon flying into the sky. B.O.T.

Not often you can get a view of the whole team AND their combined form in a single screencap.

After the great battle at Autobot City, the Combaticons were among the battered Decepticon forces who withdrew to Chaar. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1 Swindle was instrumental in negotiating an alliance with the Quintessons; Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2 the Combaticons later participated in a Quintesson-led assault on the Autobots on Goo. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3 Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4

A lone Blast Off later attacked a Skuxxoid who was using death crystals to blow stuff up in Decepticon territory, and forced the alien to tell him where he got the ammunition. When a group of Autobots tried to find the crystals as well, Blast Off attacked them alongside Runamuck. Chaos The Combaticons later failed to assassinate Decepticon exile Octane at Autobot City, Starscream's Ghost then succeeded in shooting up a shuttle meant to take human delegates to an interstellar peace conference. Surprise Party

During a Decepticon attack on the Netherlands, Swindle infiltrated Metroplex and stole his transformation cog, whilst Vortex was charged with guarding Trypticon. The Ultimate Weapon The Combaticons later participated in the assault on Paradron, where they guarded the imprisoned Paradronians, among other things. Fight or Flee When the Earth was infected by the Hate Plague, the Combaticons (Bruticus) were among those infected. Brawl was seen driving along the road and infecting Headstrong who, in turn, infected Razorclaw while Vortex was attacked a civilian plane on a runway. The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1

Under Galvatron's directions, the Combaticons constructed a giant planetary rocket engine that was used to propel Cybertron into orbit around Earth. They also dragged away the bodies of defeated Autobots to use as fuel for the engine. The Rebirth, Part 3

Japanese cartoon continuity

Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers comic

Bruticus arrived to help the Stunticons fight Defensor and Superion at a baseball stadium in Japan. He quickly defeated Defensor, injuring his torso and preventing him from combining. In response, Superion disabled Brawl and Swindle using his electrostatic discharger rifle, allowing First Aid and Streetwise to steal their places as Bruticus's legs. Taking control of the giant's flight systems, the two Protectobots flew off with Bruticus as Kenji cheered at them to drop the Combaticons into the sea. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 5 Onslaught later joined the Stunticons in a scheme to defame the Autobots by destroying factories around Japan whilst wearing Autobot insignias. When confronted by the real Autobots, he "combined" with fellow Decepticon Trailer Brigade member Motormaster, but they were defeated and sent packing by Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #7

The Combaticons' next mission was to hunt down an escaped dog that Megatron had experimented on, imbuing it with Decepticon super science. Brawl managed to fatally injure the animal, much to Onslaught's annoyance as they were supposed to capture it alive. The Autobot Powerglide soon arrived to put a halt to their activities, and the dog expressed its gratitude by using its experimental powers to energize Powerglide with Scramble Power. As Powerglide used the power to combine with his fellow Minibots, the Combaticons responded by forming Bruticus. He proved weaker than this new Minibot combiner, however, as it used the "Minibot Warrior Spiral Attack" to drill straight through Bruticus's chest, defeating him.

The dog still died, though. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #8

Scramble City OVA

When the Stunticons were dispatched to hinder the Autobots from constructing Scramble City, they were attacked by the Aerialbots and did not fare too well. The Combaticons arrived to help, and together Bruticus and Menasor easily overpowered Superion. However, Scramble City itself soon arrived and blasted both combiners away. Scramble City

The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers comic

The Combaticons emerged as Bruticus alongside the other Decepticon super-warriors, ready to storm the Autobot energy tower on the planet Feminia. Galvatron and his men laughed off the presence of Superion, Defensor and Omega Supreme... but the Omnibots? Carrying a length of thread?! Oh, the horror. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #5

The Great Transformer War comic

The Combaticons and Stunticons were working out of Trypticon where the kidnapped scientist Doctor Dalton was being forced to work for Galvatron's evil ends. When the Aerialbots and Protectobots arrived to save the scientist, Onslaught and Motormaster combined with Trypticon in their deployment launcher modes. Hurtling their fellow Decepticons at Superion did such damage that the Aerialbots were forced to disassemble. Somehow, however, the remaining Protectobots managed to hold off both Bruticus and Menasor long enough for Hot Spot to repair the Aerialbots, and for Blades to sneak past the Decepticons and retrieve Dalton. The Great Transformer War #1

The Headmasters cartoon

The Combaticons participated in an all-out Decepticon attack on Cybertron, Four Warriors Come out of the Sky until Fortress Maximus arrived and drove them away. The Mystery of Planet Master Shortly afterwards, Hot Rod set out to find the Matrix of Leadership and bring it to Optimus Prime, and the Combaticons were among the troops sent out to stop him. They were ambushed by the Protectobots, and defeated when Defensor buried Bruticus in a rockfall. Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime Not long after that, the Combaticons defended Trypticon against Twincast's attempted infiltration, but failed when the Aerialbots arrived and distracted them. The Great Cassette Operation

"All six Combaticons present and accou... Wait! Why are YOU with us?"

The Combaticons were later part of another attack on Cybertron, during which they killed plenty of soldiers before getting into another fight with Defensor. Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 1 They lost. Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 2 When the Decepticons planted a giant carnivorous plant in San Francisco, the Combaticons and Stunticons were ordered to with attack any Autobots who arrived to kill it. When the Aerialbots and Trainbots did just that, Bruticus got into a energy-sword fight with Raiden. Head On!! Fortress Maximus Sixshot later sent the Combaticons, Terrorcons and Horrorcons to attack an Autobot energy facility in Miami, in order to lure Autobot troops away from Autobot City. Ultra Magnus Dies!!

The Combaticons were present when Scorponok held a speech about Galvatron's recent death and took control of the Decepticons. I Risk My Life for Earth Bruticus was later part of a small group of Decepticons who tried to lead Fortress Maximus away from the Decepticon base on Master. The Zarak Shield Turns the Tide He then stood by and laughed as Predaking sank the luxury liner Queen World in the Atlantic Ocean, before being stationed at one of Scorponok's Death Towers in Canberra, Australia. He defended the tower against Defensor until it activated, at which point Wingspan and Pounce ordered him to withdraw. The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 1)

Bruticus participated in the final battle with the Autobots at the North Pole, and fought Computron alongside Abominus. As Scorponok's energy-absorbing satellite started tearing the Earth apart, Bruticus retreated into the atmosphere to watch the results alongside the rest of the Decepticon forces. The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 2)

Super-God Masterforce manga

Brawl and Blast Off participated in an attack on Athenia by forming the right limbs of Scramble 7, a Decepticon combiner using various combiner team members in a supposedly "ideal" configuration. Despite being so great, however, Scramble 7 was defeated by Super Ginrai, Lightfoot and Ranger thanks to their use of Chōkon Power. The Battle Begins! The United Earth-Space Troops

Zone OVA, manga and story pages

Seeking to create a Decepticon Zone to counter the Autobot Zone, Decepticon Emperor Violen Jiger gathered together the Nine Great Demon Generals, upgrading them with powerful new armor and weaponry, then sent them forth to conquer planets. The Combaticons were of those summoned, but only in the form of Bruticus. Zone Part 1 Transformers: Zone Enter the New Supreme Commander, Dai Atlas!

Marvel Comics continuity

Generation 1

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

The Combaticons and their fellow Special Teams were first conceived within Buster Witwicky's mind shortly after the human had relinquished control of the Creation Matrix to Optimus Prime. Shockwave was able to view this data remotely and prepare for their development. Second Generation!

On their first mission on Earth, the Combaticons followed Megatron to retrieve the human hydrothermocline plant. When they arrived, they faced Optimus Prime and the Protectobots waiting for them. The Combaticons formed Bruticus and stared down Defensor when a nearby human named Ethan Zachary suggested that they play a video game over the plant instead. Optimus Prime and Megatron both agreed, and the Combaticons were sent into the game to attack the Protectobots. However, they lost every battle due to not taking the "wildlife" AI into account. Afterdeath! After this, the Combaticons didn't do much but follow Megatron around, even when their mentally unstable leader heavily damaged Brawl for mouthing off. Gone but Not Forgotten!

The Combaticons would later attack the Throttlebots in a used car lot, only for the Protectobots and Blaster to interfere and force them to retreat. Used Autobots Shortly afterwards, the group decided to ambush the Protectobots on their way to the Ark. This time, Bruticus claimed victory over Defensor by hitting him with a train, but was soon tricked and broken into his component parts by Blaster. After this, Blaster took control of Blast Off and flew into space, separating the shuttle from the other Combaticons. Child's Play Along with most of the Decepticon army, the Combaticons later ambushed the Autobots on the Moon, only to be beaten back by Blaster and Grimlock. Totaled!

Generation 2

Grrrrrr... feisty!

After Bludgeon's defeat, Swindle took the returning Decepticon leader Megatron on a tour of the Warworld battleship he had inherited. The Gathering Darkness Soon after, Brawl and Blast Off were among the Decepticons preparing to charge into battle against the Cybertronian Empire. New Dawn Vortex was seen with various other Decepticons attacking the Cybertronians on Ethos. Escalation! As the alliance progressed, Onslaught was struck by empathic pains as his apparent spawn Mindset was consumed by the Swarm. Swarm

During the final battle at Earth, all the Combaticons later attempted to defend the Warworld against a Cybertronian boarding party led by the treacherous Starscream. Despite Onslaught's emphatic orders of "maximum firepower", they didn't do so well. Total War!

Young Corgi continuity

When the fleshlings discovered a mysterious lost civilization buried underneath the ice, the Combaticons Brawl, Vortex and Blast Off joined Ravage in seeking whatever treasures the hidden city might have. They were confronted by the Aerialbots named Skydive and Slingshot, and fought on the surface over the city. Little did they know that the city-dwellers were robots themselves, remotely storing and copying images of the battle between the Autobots and Decepticons, imprinting themselves with the skills of warfare. They were only stopped by the unlikely duo of Ravage and Hot Rod. After the city-dwellers were defeated, the Autobots granted safe passage to their one-time Decepticon allies. Blast Off expanded to his maximum size to transport his fellow 'Cons back to Decepticon headquarters. Battle Beneath the Ice

Dreamwave comics continuity

The five soldiers who would one day become the Combaticons were early participants in the Decepticons' war effort. While Onslaught and the others joined Shockwave in attacking Iacon and the High Council Pavilions being protected by the Autobots, Swindle chose to throw in with Starscream, helping him to disable Laserbeak and assume temporary control over Megatron's planetary juggernaut project. The War Within

At some later date, these five warriors were officially brought together as a combiner team, given the ability to form Bruticus. Like the other Combiners, they were banned from operating together on any given faction during the Dark Ages, by decree of the Crisis Intervention Accord to prevent any more devastation to the planet at the hands of the super-robot combiners.Transformers: The Ultimate Guide The Combaticons were still authorized to operate individually and separately among the various Decepticon factions. Given his previous efforts helping Motormaster and the Battlechargers with Starscream's coup, Swindle may have joined them as a member of the Predacons, although this was never stated. War Within: The Dark Ages

By the modern era, the Combaticons had been declared war criminals by the united Cybertronian government under Shockwave and Ultra Magnus. The details of their crimes and why they were singled-out for imprisonment is unclear—Shockwave may have been intentionally eliminating potential rivals or loose cannons, or may simply have allowed their imprisonment as a token showing of cooperation with the Autobot High Council. Once the Transformers from Earth were contacted, and uprisings began taking place on Cybertron, Starscream managed to worm his way into the Detention Banks and recover the five stasis pods containing the Combaticons. He loaded them onto his stolen transport and brought them back to Earth with him and the rest of his hand-picked crew. Revelation

"YOOOOOO JOE!"

On Earth, Starscream reactivated the Combaticons as his personal "brigade", scanning Earth military vehicles for their alternate modes. Using the Combaticons as shock troops, he made a two-staged assault on the Ark, and successfully took five of the seven remaining Autobots off-line. Night of the Combaticons Starscream and Bruticus' efforts to complete their set were interrupted by the arrival of Sunstorm, Starscream's crazed clone-brother, and Bruticus was damaged in the melee. Black Sunshine After the battle with Sunstorm, Starscream attempted to train the Combaticons into better military shape, using the Autobot prisoner Sky Lynx as a "tackling dummy". His training efforts were interrupted by the return of Megatron and his combiner team, the Predacons. Even as Bruticus, the Combaticons quickly fell before the might of Predaking. The Route of All Evil

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

The Combaticons were among the Decepticons under control of "the Son of Megatron", Serpent O.R.. Onslaught tried to protect his leader from a vengeful Optimus Prime while Brawl, Vortex and Blast Off were seen fighting against a combined Autobot-G.I. Joe army. Swindle, however, was nowhere to be found. The Art of War #5

IDW comics continuity

Swindle was one of the worst violators of the Tyrest Accord, constantly selling Transformers technology to alien races, and had gone AWOL from the Decepticons, hunted by both sides of the war. Spotlight: Ultra Magnus The other four remained Combaticons, and were a dangerous tactical unit capable of taking on and beating superior numbers (even ones backed up by total loonies). Under orders from Banzaitron, they successfully raided the Garrus-9 Autobot prison and abducted the six newest inmates, the gestalt Transformers. Spotlight: Arcee

Soon afterwards, the Combaticons were among the only survivors of an attack by the Dead Universe Transformers, who activated the gestalt combined form, Monstructor, inside Banzaitron's base. Spotlight: Hardhead After a deal was negotiated between Arcee and Banzaitron; the Combaticons, remaining DSS members and the crazed Autobot fought Monstructor on Rotan. Spotlight: Sideswipe

Two years after the fall of Megatron, Swindle was active on Earth with a small band of Decepticons left behind after the war. New Arrivals, Old Encounters Onslaught had also come to Earth, and was one of many Transformers captured by Skywatch using their reverse-engineered energon and Cybertronian technology. He and several other Decepticons were rescued from Skywatch custody by Swindle's team, but remain mode-locked by Skywatch's restraint tech. A Rude Awakening

Wings of Honor

DUM DUM DUUUUUUM!

The Combaticons were a Cybertron Elite Guard special ops unit created by Magnum to take out the various leaders of the new Decepticon faction, in the hopes of ending the war quickly. The Coming Storm: Part 2

Toys

Generation 1

"How come the other Combaticons aren't as tall as I am? Because I'm a natural-born leader, HAH!"

Vortex; why don't I take you for a whirl!!! Onslaught;oh give it up vortex. Vortex;look, we're never going to become a major part of the cartoon unless we have catchphrases.

"Rargh... humans transform Bruticus wrong... and blame Bruticus's design..."

• Combaticons (1986)
  • Onslaught
  • Brawl
  • Blast Off
  • Swindle
  • Vortex

• Japanese ID number: D-69

As a Scramble City combiner team, the Combaticon team includes four small toys, sold carded at the $5 price point, and one large leader toy, sold boxed for $12 or so and including all the combiner kibble. They were available as part of the 1986 and 1987 assortments. In most markets, the Combaticons were only sold as individuals; the combined giftset was only available in Japan and Italy.

Like their counterparts, the Protectobots, the four small Combaticons feature unique transformation schemes. All have attachable weapons for their vehicle modes. Posability varies from figure to figure; Brawl and Swindle have knee and "elbow" joints (their shoulder joints are halfway down their arms), but their legs are conjoined at the knees. Blast Off and Vortex feature an early use of ball joints in their shoulders, giving them near-universal range of motion, but are otherwise similarly limited.

Like the other three original Scramble City teams, the small limbs can attach to Metroplex's robot mode, while the leader can be used to make an additional ramp/platform for Metroplex or Trypticon.

The Combaticon molds have been frequently redecoed (and slightly retooled) over the years; they have been used to make Operation Combination Battle Gaia, Robots in Disguise Ruination, and Universe Ruination. They are also a favorite for bootleg toy manufacturers to copy, sometimes sold with bizarre new names like Tugging Gun, Copter, Secpmdary, Steel Generals, and Secondary Brain.

Generation 2

• Combaticons (1993)
  • Onslaught
  • Brawl
  • Blast Off
  • Swindle
  • Vortex

A redeco of the Generation 1 molds that looks like they just went through a paintball war... and lost. They all combine and kick Superion's behind as the big, bad, battling Bruticus.

Alternators

• Swindle (2004)

Universe (2008)

• Onslaught (Legends of Cybertron, 2008)
• Onslaught (Ultra, 2008)

• Bruticus Maximus (2008)

The Universe Combaticons are redecos of the Energon Destruction Team. In this incarnation, Swindle is a helicopter and Blast Off is a tank, while their combined formed is known as Bruticus Maximus for trademark reasons. They were only available as a Bruticus Maximus multi-pack.

The Combaticons are identical to the Revenge of the Fallen Combaticons.

Notes

Floro Dery does odd things.

• Before the Combaticons were animated, there were apparently two different character model sheets made up for them. The ones we know use the toy heads, but bodies that, for whatever reason, have little resemblance to the actual vehicles or robot modes of the actual Combaticon figures. Another one appears to be based heavily on the toys... but with new heads. These went unused in any media.