Sunstreaker (G1)

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

Sunstreaker is an Autobot from the Generation 1 continuity family.

Hi. I'm better than you.

Sunstreaker knows to the core of his spark that he is better than any other Autobot, and he makes sure everyone else knows it, too. His sociopathic tendencies, combined with his incredible vanity and arrogance, usually result in tension between himself and the other Autobots. He is generally unwilling to help those who are having trouble keeping up, and is quite audible when it comes to complaining about the shortcomings of everyone else. The only Autobot he truly gets along with is his twin brother, Sideswipe, and even that can seem strained at times.

The main reason Optimus Prime keeps him around is most likely Sunstreaker's effectiveness in the battlefield. Ruthless and skilled in all forms of combat, there is not much Sunstreaker cannot handle. As a front-line warrior, Sunstreaker is a great asset for the Autobot army. If a rather scary one.

Preliminary name: Spinout

French name (Canada): Solo

Italian name: Lince ("Lynx")

Mandarin name (Taiwan): Tài-yáng wén (太陽紋, "Sun Streak")

Mandarin name (China): Fei Mao Tui (飛毛腿, "Scud")

Hungarian name: Napcsillantó / Napvillantó ("Sun-flasher")

Portuguese name (Brazil comics): Raiado ("Crease")

Portuguese name (Portugal comics): Raio Solar ("Sun Beam")

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

Generation 1

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

When Sunstreaker "puts his shoulder into it"... people get slagged.

Prior to the outbreak of Cybertron's planet-wide civil war, Sunstreaker was a gladiator in the games held between the city-states. He was once brutally beaten by Megatron in combat, and would have been killed if Optimus Prime had not stepped in. State Games

Early into the Autobot-Decepticon war, Sunstreaker was a member of the Magnificent Six. While they were on a mission to the Stanix region of Cybertron, he made a remarkably callous joke that convinced their allies to turn them over to the Decepticons. The entire unit was tortured for a week, and Stampede was killed. Nice. The Magnificent Six!

Sunstreaker was among the crew of the Ark that crashed on Earth four million years ago and woke up in 1984. In the first few days on Earth, Sunstreaker abandoned Jazz and diverted an attack by Thundercracker and Skywarp towards a human military camp so as to keep himself from harm. Perchance to Dream He engaged the Decepticons in battle at the Witwicky garage alongside his brother, Sideswipe, but ultimately failed to keep them from kidnapping Sparkplug Witwicky. Power Play! Sunstreaker was relatively low on fuel after this, and so gave up his remaining power in the transference chambers to power up Prime, Huffer, Ironhide, Bluestreak and Mirage for combat against the Decepticons.... but then joined them for the battle anyway. The Last Stand

Poor Sunstreaker was too sociopathic for even the comic.

When Shockwave took control over the Decepticons and possession of the Ark, he destroyed Sunstreaker's body as a demonstration and warning to the deposed Megatron. The New Order Because of this, Sunstreaker's body was in disrepair for a very long time; at one point, when G.B. Blackrock asked about him in the med bay, Jazz told him that Ratchet wasn't even sure if Sunstreaker would ever be operational again. The Next Best Thing to Being There!

However, Sunstreaker was fully repaired in time to view the duel between Blaster and Grimlock on the moon. Totaled! He was badly damaged again, and he wound up in stasis aboard the Ark again, to be revived by Nucleon in 1990, when he and the other newly revived Autobots joined the attack on Unicron. On the Edge of Extinction! Surprisingly, he survived that battle as he was able to attend the first meeting of the shaky Autobot-Decepticon alliance. Exodus!

Earthforce

These stories do not fit into the normal Marvel continuity. See Earthforce for details.

I'm YELLOW, dammit!

An injured Sunstreaker, along with several other Autobots, was awakened not by Nucleon, but by Galvatron's mind bug. Galvatron had studied their dreams in the aim of finding dissenting members of the Autobots that he hoped to put into his own employ, but after a short skirmish, Galvatron's device was placed on himself. Amusingly enough, Sunstreaker had been off-line so much while on Earth, he needed the others to explain who Galvatron was to him. Perchance to Dream

Sunstreaker and the others would go on to join the Earthforce unit, under Grimlock's command. Break-Away! After Skydive foolishly broadcast Prowl's location over an open channel, Jazz and Sunstreaker had to race to beat the Decepticons to the site. Prowl had just disabled an atmosphere-destroying bomb of Megatron's before it reached apex, but the poison on board was still a viable threat. They didn't beat the Decepticons to the landing site, but before they could jump into the fray, Prowl pulled Jazz and Sunstreaker aside. He had already cleared out the poison, so the two Decepticon factions were fighting over nothing! Life in the Slow Lane Later, Sunstreaker helped Jazz, Ironhide and Bumblebee ruin the Decepticon Enclave and any chance of peace between Megatron and Shockwave. The Bad Guy's Ball!

When Motormaster kidnapped the Autobots' ally, Irwin Spoon, Sunstreaker joined the other Autobot cars for an impromptu chase scene. He negotiated his way through the various Stunticon attacks and delaying tactics, but finally hit the wall (literally) when Motormaster detached his cab segment and left his trailer jackknifed across the highway. 'Streaker hit it head-on, and wound up with a legitimate complaint about his bodywork. End of the Road!

Much later, Sunstreaker was sent on a new mission to the Stanix region of Cybertron with Silverbolt, Prowl, Wheeljack, Jazz, and Inferno by Optimus Prime. While there, he overcame the ghosts of the past and helped defeat the mad Decepticon Megadeath. Of course, he was the only member of the team that didn't seem particularly haunted by those events in the first place, but the others overcame them, and wasn't that nice for them? The Magnificent Six!

Another Time and Place

Sunstreaker stormed the Hydrus Four facility with his fellow Autobots to rescue Grimlock and the Dinobots. He almost took a shot in the back from a Decepticon, but Prime took out his attacker. Another Time and Place

The Decepticon planning to shoot Sunstreaker was described as "Battletrap in tank mode". Battletrap doesn't HAVE a tank mode. This was probably meant to be Quake, who was also described as present in the battle.

Classics

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe joined Optimus Prime's crew on Earth after Megatron resurfaced. They braved the Ark's defenses in order to break inside and recover their lost comrade, Ratchet. As an expression of his concern, Sunstreaker made no mention of the chips and tarnish of his paint job when they freed Ratchet, and together the twins carried their medic friend away to safety. At Fight's End

Generation 1 cartoon continuity

The Transformers cartoon

Voice Actor: Corey Burton (US), Kenyū Horiuchi (Japan)

“	I knew the humans would turn on us some day. They're such undependable creatures. Inferior lifeforms.	”
—Sunstreaker on humans, Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1

The "Super Tuning" custom job is more impressive than you might think at first glance.

Sunstreaker was part of the original crew of Autobots aboard the Ark that crashed on Earth four million years ago. When reawakened in 1984, he and his brother Sideswipe were reformatted into Lamborghini sports cars. They were both deployed during the Autobot counter-attack on a human oil rig, but didn't really do very much. More than Meets the Eye, Part 1 After the Autobots' defeat at Sherman Dam, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe came to the rescue of Trailbreaker and their new human allies, Spike Witwicky and his father Sparkplug when they were attacked by Decepticon jets. One of the Decepticons managed to graze Sunstreaker and damage his new paint job, infuriating the vainer of the two Autobot brothers. After he forced the Decepticons to break off for repairs, Sunstreaker was still grousing about his scuffed paint, to which his brother suggested that nobody would notice if he just made left turns. More than Meets the Eye, Part 2 The Autobot brothers were among those that volunteered to attack and totally fail to stop the Decepticon space cruiser. Sunstreaker celebrated the apparent demise of the Decepticons when their ship crashed and cheered Mirage's role in its sabotage. More than Meets the Eye, Part 3

A more kid-friendly sociopath.

When Chip Chase was kidnapped by the Decepticons and brought to the recently conquered antimatter laboratory of Dr. Alcazar, the Autobots successfully staged a rescue operation to get him back. Sunstreaker then led a second team of Autobots into the lab, declaring that they had to get the antimatter cubes before it was too late, smashing a Sunstreaker-shaped hole in the wall. Unfortunately, he and the other Autobots were damaged when Megatron threw an antimatter cube at them. After returning to the Ark, Sunstreaker was heard to complain about a 'very sensitive junction' in his elbow, but was soon repaired quickly enough to arm wrestle with Sideswipe. When the antimatter-fueled Decepticons attacked the Ark, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker took to the air to battle with the incoming Seeker jets, in a rambunctious — if ultimately ineffective — display of "jet judo." After the Decepticons were defeated, Sunstreaker congratulated Chip, declaring him a hero and gave him a ride on his shoulder. Roll for It

“	Hey, not the face, okay? I just had it chromed!	”
—Sunstreaker, S.O.S. Dinobots

When the munitions factory was attacked by the Decepticon jets, Sunstreaker transformed to roll out with the Autobots in Autobot Headquarters, but never actually bothered showing up. Later, while watching Ratchet and Wheeljack attempt to repair the severely damaged Optimus Prime, Sunstreaker and the remaining Autobots were rallied into repulsing a Decepticon attack by Spike. Sunstreaker was shot by Skywarp before recovering, only to be buried in a landslide by Rumble. Divide and Conquer Sunstreaker complained about Trailbreaker's force field deflecting Slag and Sludge's flame breaths into his face when the newly-constructed Dinobots went haywire. S.O.S. Dinobots

Insert flaming joke.

Later, when responding to a Decepticon diversionary attack on India's coast, Sunstreaker complained about the fact his newly installed water skis clashed with his base coat, but Optimus Prime told him to redecorate himself later, as they had Decepticons to worry about. When Starscream and the Decepticons escaped without taking any energy, Sunstreaker realized they had been set up. Soon after, the Autobots attacked the Decepticon undersea headquarters to rescue the captive Sparkplug, during which Sunstreaker was concerned that the salt water would damage his body enamel. After returning to base for repairs, Sunstreaker fidgeted as Ratchet attempted to repair him, worried that the medic would scorch his selenium shin guards. The Ultimate Doom, Part 1 When Cybertron was brought into Earth's orbit as part of Megatron's latest scheme, Sunstreaker retreated with the other Autobots due to audio disruptor waves generated by Soundwave. The Ultimate Doom, Part 2

Sunstreaker was part of an Autobot unit sent to investigate reports of giant insect monsters attacking Bali, Indonesia. When the road to the coordinates of the attack was blocked by a local village celebration, Sunstreaker questioned his brother's knowledge of the local area, a criticism warranted when Sideswipe led them into a dead end canyon. Sunstreaker continued to criticize Sideswipe's sense of direction as Sideswipe very slowly tunneled underneath the villagers. As the Autobots made their way to a nearby oil refinery under attack from the Decepticons, Shrapnel used his override waves on both Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, taking control of their driving mechanisms and forcing them to drive headfirst into the other Autobots. Sunstreaker implored the other Autobots to shoot our their tires, but fortunately, Trailbreaker was able to interrupt the override waves. During the ensuing battle at the oil refinery, Sunstreaker was more concerned about his enamel being damaged by Wheeljack during a counterattack than enemy fire. A Plague of Insecticons

Hey, Jazz, let's get rid of ALL the trees, so we can build a highway.

After Spike was critically injured in a battle between the Autobots and Decepticons, his consciousness was transferred into the body of Autobot X. However, this process proved too stressful for his mind to take, and so he lashed out in blind anger. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe attempted to restrain him, only to be tossed aside by "Autobot Spike's" enormous strength. Autobot Spike During a Decepticon attack on a mining camp as part of an plot to capture Gears, Sunstreaker was among the Autobots who rolled out to confront them. He was hit by a boulder "energized" by Megatron (instead of just being shot, or something a logical enemy would do). When it was discovered Megatron was tapping into the Sun with his Solar Needle, the Autobots drove to the "geographical center of Africa", only to be hindered by the dense jungle, which Optimus Prime ordered Jazz and Sunstreaker to blast their way through. Jerks. Changing Gears Sunstreaker got to use his jet skis again when the Autobots were sent to investigate the disappearance of the Empire State Building in New York City. Sadly, the skis still clashed with his base coat. He was rather pessimistic about their chances against the Constructicons' remote-controlled taxi cabs. Wimp. City of Steel

“	When they built me, they broke the mold!	”
—Sunstreaker on how fantastic he is, not on how his toy will never be reissued, The Autobot Run

In the aftermath of Ironhide firing randomly at a hologram of Laserbeak during a demonstration of Wheeljack's latest invention, the Immobilizer, Sunstreaker had to help Bluestreak vacuum up the rubble. The Immobilizer When the Autobots agreed to a charity race/stunt show, Sunstreaker was sure that a large audience would appreciate his performance. During the race, Sunstreaker arrogantly shoved his way past the slower Autobots, but despite all of his bluster, he was slower than Jazz and Mirage. He didn't seem to mind too much, as he was the star of a car jump stunt over the other Autobots...until he failed to finish that, as well. However, during the race, the Autobots had unwittingly been locked into their alternate modes, which freaked out Sunstreaker, as he couldn't transform back into his handsome robot form. After Chip Chase and the unaffected Autobots reversed the effects via a special grenade, Sunstreaker was the first to regain the ability to transform and was very pleased to see his true beauty. The Autobot Run When the Decepticons allied themselves with the underwater kingdom of Sub-Atlantica, Sunstreaker was present during the battle in Washington, D.C. and on the sub-sea city itself, but didn't actually do anything. Jerk. Atlantis, Arise!

Sunstreaker was present when the Autobots were confronted with the dilemma of two Optimus Primes. Though he didn't put forward any helpful suggestions, he observed the inconclusive results of the tests that the Autobots ran on the two Primes and later rolled out to investigate energy readings coming from a crevasse filled with korlonium crystals. A Prime Problem Sunstreaker got his chance to command a team of Autobots investigating a missing river, when they stumbled on a Decepticon operation to drill into the Earth. Unfortunately, they were spotted and attacked by Devastator, though they were able to defeat the giant through teamwork. Sunstreaker was part of a subsequent mission to plant dominator discs on the Constructicons, and he managed to attach one to Bonecrusher by hiding in a hole. During the next battle, the Autobots were able to use the discs to take control of Devastator. They used the giant to attack the Decepticon drilling operation in the caves, and during this fight, Sunstreaker had to rescue Chip Chase when the boy was caught in a cave-in. Megatron eventually regained control of Devastator, and the combiner turned on Sunstreaker and Ironhide. The Core

When the Dinobots again ran wild at Autobot Headquarters, Sunstreaker was on hand, and at least this time didn't get his paint job scorched. Dinobot Island, Part 1 He and Sideswipe were part of the response team when a time warp opened near the city library, and they had to cope with barbarians on woolly mammoths. Though the unwashed primitives almost damaged his finish, they were soon contained, and he used his gun to hold the warp open long enough to return the barbarians to their own time. Dinobot Island, Part 2 Sunstreaker took part in the Autobot Day parade in Central City, reflecting that he never knew that humans had "such exquisite taste". Unfortunately, things soon turned sour, as a video was played incriminating the Autobots in energy theft, and the humans turned against their former allies. Sunstreaker commented that he always knew that humans would turn on the Autobots and declared them an inferior lifeform...right as Chip, Spike, and Sparkplug Witwicky were in the control room. They probably shouldn't have been too insulted, as Sunstreaker considers everyone else an inferior lifeform.

Can't touch this!!

The Autobots were put on trial and, to their dismay, found guilty and ordered to leave the planet on a spaceship supplied by Shawn Berger. Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1 The ship was locked on a course into the Sun by Megatron, leaving the Autobots in dire peril. Utilizing Trailbreaker's force fields and Cosmos, not to mention some unwitting help from Thrust, they were able to escape before the heat crazed Sunstreaker's body work, and they returned to Earth to depose the Decepticons from their position of power. Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2 Like the rest of the Autobots, Sunstreaker suffered from Cybertonium depletion, preventing him from functioning until Spike, Carly and the Dinobots were able to obtain some more. Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2

Sunstreaker transformed to roll out and investigate the Decepticon theft of the Voltronic Galaxer, but disappeared at some point before the response team reached the observatory. He later rolled out again to help humans who were experiencing difficulty as a result of Megatron jamming the world's radio signals. Blaster Blues When the first group of Autobots to face the electrum-coated Decepticons reported failure, Sunstreaker told them to let a pro handle it. Unfortunately, his weapon proved just as ineffective, and it wasn't until the Autobots found the golden lagoon and coated themselves in electrum that the Decepticons were overcome. The Golden Lagoon

Yet to be realised as a toy.

Sunstreaker was one of several Autobots who glommed onto Hoist's job as a Hollywood extra in the hopes of becoming a movie star. After he, Powerglide and Warpath crashed the filming, the Director employed them all as stunt vehicles, which involved Sunstreaker doing some literal crashing—into a burning building. The movie was soon reworked into Attack of the Alien Robots, leading to Sunstreaker having to wear a ridiculous alien mask and spout out stilted, wooden dialog—and goose-step, for some reason. During one of the shoots, an out-of-control explosion almost wiped out the four Autobots, and they discovered that the Decepticons were working behind the scenes to cover up an operation. After everything was resolved, Sunstreaker and the others decided to stay out of the movie business. Hoist Goes Hollywood

Honestly, we're surprised Ichikawa didn't try to explain this one in the Binaltech storyline.

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe took part in the Europa 2000 in order to keep an eye on Auggie Cahnay's high-tech automobile. After Sideswipe forced the pair to take a detour in Italy, they were ambushed by the Stunticons, who boxed them in so that Dead End could shoot them. Trans-Europe Express They and most of the rest of the Autobots rolled out to rescue Perceptor from a Decepticon trap and were subsequently infected by Cosmic Rust. Luckily, Perceptor was able to work out a way to create more corrostop and cure them all. Cosmic Rust After the Combaticons used the space bridge to move Earth towards the Sun, Sunstreaker was part of a combined Autobot/Decepticon team who traveled to Cybertron to prevent Earth's destruction. The Revenge of Bruticus

Before the Decepticon attack on Autobot City in the year 2005, Sunstreaker was helping Kup move a roadblock. He was knocked over when Hot Rod and Daniel drove through it.

Meanwhile, he was also on Moon Base One and helped pilot the shuttle that flew Optimus Prime and the Dinobots to Autobot City.

Seriously. He's THAT good. The Transformers: The Movie

Japanese cartoon continuity

Full Throttle Scramble Power!

Following the destruction of the Decepticons' Omega Whip weapon, Sunstreaker and several other Autobot cars raced after Megatron and his troops to keep them from escaping. They caught up with the Decepticons and kept them busy until Autobot reinforcements could arrive. Full Throttle Scramble Power!

The Stargate Battles

When the Decepticons made their second play for control of the human-built "Trigger" interstellar teleportation system in the late 1990s, Sunstreaker was among the Autobot forces who stood against them. Starscream subsequently took control of the Trigger, forcing Megatron and Optimus Prime to combine their power to destroy the Trigger. Sunstreaker and all the other Transformers were caught backwash from the incredible cosmic explosion and plummeted back to Earth, not to be heard from again for several months. The Stargate Battles

Story of Binaltech

In 2003, Sunstreaker was one of numerous Autobots who were rendered helpless when they were infected with Cosmic Rust by the Decepticon, Swindle. Working with the Earth Defense Command and several Earth automotive companies, the Autobots developed "Binaltech" technology, creating new bodies into which their sparks were place so they could carry on the fight. It was intended for Sunstreaker to gain a new Dodge Viper body like his brother Sideswipe, but the Decepticons infiltrated the operation and hijacked the body for use by the Stunticon Dead End instead. Arise! Evil Binaltechs

As the Binaltech conflict raged on, the timeline was eventually altered by Ravage.

At this point, the original timeline was retroactively restored and the events of the Story of Binaltech diverged into a parallel universe. Skip to the next section below to continue reading about the original timeline; exactly how many (if any) of the events related in this section, even prior to the divergence, occurred in the original unaltered timeline are unknown.

In this alternate timeline, Sunstreaker was present at the Earth Defense Command Antarctic base, shortly after the appearance of the Protector. Binal Time

Binaltech Asterisk

Dig me!

It's not clear if the events of Binaltech Asterisk occur in the parallel "BT World" timeline, or the mainstream universe.

Sunstreaker was a member of the Autobot Race Team, which may or may not have had any other Transformers on it. He was sort of a mascot for them, and the team didn't actually use him in races. He resented that people paid more attention to him as a promotional image than as a race car.

After being drafted into the Interplanetary Personnel Exchange Program by Officer Clamp Down, Sunstreaker was partnered with the human "race queen" model Junko Shiragami and acted as her car. Once, Sunstreaker got into a race with a human-driven sports car, much to Junko's dismay. He used his transformation ability to take a particularly sharp curve, destroying a road sign in the process, for which Junko chewed him out.

It was said that Sunstreaker drove faster when he smelled Junko's marigold-scented hair. Make of that what you will. Sunstreaker Meets Junko

Headmasters cartoon

Some time before the Transformers' war left Cybertron, Sunstreaker engaged the Decepticons with his comrades. Later, on Earth, Sunstreaker was present for a suspiciously similar battle with the Decepticons that resulted in the death of Optimus Prime. In 2011, Kup recalled the Cybertronian skirmish that Sunstreaker took part in—or another one very much like it. Four Warriors Come out of the Sky

A five-second cameo, and all I do is avoid Blitzwing? Slag it!!

Sunstreaker appears in two Cybertronian flashback battles within the episode, alongside the same team of Autobots, suggesting that they represent the same fight. He also appears in one further flashback battle on Earth, which depicts Optimus Prime's death in a scene that doesn't match up to his actual death in The Transformers: The Movie. This was a continuity patch-job by the Headmasters production staff, as the movie hadn't been released in Japan yet.

When the Decepticons launched a major attack on Cybertron in 2011, Sunstreaker appeared briefly in vehicle mode evading jet-mode Blitzwing's attacks. Sunstreaker escaped into a tunnel, and Blitzwing bounced off its exterior and crashed. Four Warriors Come out of the Sky

3H Universe comics

File:Sunstreaker.jpg

"I'm exclusive!"

After the Pax Cybertronia, Sunstreaker left Cybertron with four other survivors of the Great War (Sideswipe, Roulette, Shadow Striker, and Trailbreaker). One year after Cybertron was reformatted into a technorganic planet, they returned. They were greeted by many of the Maximal and Predacon inhabitants and with vast media coverage.

However, what appeared to be celebratory fireworks struck the five Autobots and also the Maximals Silverbolt and Blackarachnia. They were transported to a fiery cauldron deep within Unicron, where all but Trailbreaker were rebuilt painfully into new bodies.

Seeing an arena up ahead, the seven moved towards it, only to be attacked by a swarm of shape-shifting, lava-like creatures. Sunstreaker and the others were overwhelmed and taken into the arena (or, the Cauldron), where they were caged along with a multitude of Transformers kidnapped from across the multiverse. Abduction

The Unicron-influenced ambience of the place was slowly driving the more violent of the group mad. This, of course, included Sunstreaker. He and Sideswipe were forced into combat in the arena (each wielding spiffy Energon weapons), but were rescued by a reborn Optimus Primal. The group, sans a corrupted Blackarachnia and Shadow Striker, fled back to Cybertron. Escape

Dreamwave comics continuity

Events from The Transformers Trilogy novels are in italics.

"Why, you arrogant—yow! I should rewire that smug mug of yours right here—blaw!—right now!"
"Don't kid yourself—this face is worth more than you are."Warpath and Sunstreaker, "Infestation"

A family that pelvic thrusts together, stays together.

Before joining the Autobot army, Sunstreaker was a successful mural artist. Transformers: The Ultimate Guide He was aboard the Ark when it crashed on Earth millions of years ago. He and the other Autobots awoke in 1984 to restart their war with the Decepticons. He was part of Operation Liberation in 1998, a joint human-Autobot effort to defeat the Earth-bound Decepticons. At the end it was a success, and the captured Decepticons, along with the Autobots and a human crew, departed Earth en route to Cybertron in the Ark II. The ship, however, was sabotaged and exploded upon liftoff.

A few years later Megatron and other Transformers, including Autobots, were seen causing havoc. It was discovered that Lazarus, a scientist who participated in the Ark II project, was responsible for the sabotage of the Ark II and the resurrection of several Transformers under his control via technological tampering. Prime Directive issue 1

General Hallo of the U.S. Military contacted Spike Witwicky to ask him if he could do something to help them reactivate Optimus Prime, whom they had recovered locked in a state of stasis. Spike managed to reactivate Optimus with a portion of the Matrix that Optimus had given him prior the ill-fated journey of the Ark II. Optimus subsequently went to the Arctic and used the Matrix to reactivate several Transformers, including Sunstreaker and his brother Sideswipe. Prime Directive issue 2

Sunstreaker accepted the new task at hand and fought alongside his brother when the Autobots faced the Decepticons at Lazarus' ruined base, before Hallo betrayed the Autobots by attempting to destroy both factions with a nuclear weapon. Prime Directive issue 3 The Autobots survived when Megatron's technovirus absorbed the blast, and Sunstreaker helped his comrades recover the captive Autobots imprisoned inside the base. Prime Directive issue 4

DULL HEROIC RUNNING!

As Jazz's unit worked on Megatron's virus, Sunstreaker followed Optimus Prime to San Francisco for the last battle against Megatron and his Decepticons. When Superion was taken down, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe heroically (though foolishly) charged at Devastator rather than, say, shoot him; they were surprisingly beaten up. After Optimus Prime destroyed Devastator's head, Sunstreaker was restrained by the surviving Decepticons. Prime Directive issue 5 However, through human intervention, Optimus Prime freed his Autobots and the battle was rejoined. Sunstreaker tag-teamed with his brother to pummel Soundwave, though the Decepticons eventually escaped when Superion sacrificed his life to save the city from General Hallo's unauthorized nuclear missile launch. After Optimus Prime came back online, Sunstreaker and Trailbreaker discovered the traitorous Grimlock buried under rubble. Prime Directive issue 6

During the conflict with the Keepers, Sunstreaker was one of the Autobots chosen by Optimus Prime to join the strike on occupied Las Vegas. Sunstreaker was edgy about having to work with Megatron and the Decepticons, and was ready to draw his rifle at a moment's notice during the groups' meeting. Still, he remained sensitive enough to Spike's feelings to comfort his human friend when he was feeling useless, letting Spike know he always did his very best. (WHAT?!) In Las Vegas, Sunstreaker and the other Autobots lent their energies to Optimus Prime for his Matrix-inspired Finishing Move against the Keepers. Annihilation Later, Sunstreaker and the Autobots battled alongside the Decepticons again, against the treacherous forces of the American military. Sunstreaker and several other Autobots fell before the processor-eating power of the President's new toy, the deconstructionites. Fusion

When Ultra Magnus arrived on Earth to enforce Shockwave's edict that the Earth-bound Autobots surrender themselves to the Cybertronian alliance, Optimus Prime ordered a portion of his troops into hiding in Portland, Oregon. This group, led by Jazz, included Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Ratchet, Brawn, Wheeljack, and Windcharger. Brothers' Burden However, Starscream, Soundwave, and his cassettes soon escaped to Earth with Bruticus. Attacking the Ark, they defeated all of Jazz's group minus Ratchet and Brawn. Sunstreaker and the others were left in a swamp, deactivated. Night of the Combaticons

I'm not only better than you, I'm also gay.

A ship crewed by Minibots (led by Bumblebee) arrived on Earth with supplies, and Warpath and Bumper pulled the deactivated from their would-be swampy grave. They were promptly arrested by Commander Marissa Faireborn of the Earth Defense Command and her armored troops. The damaged Autobots were repaired, and Commander Faireborn came to Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, and Jazz with a mission. The American city of San Desto was under attack by Cybertronian creatures. Infestation Sunstreaker spent the entire mission either putting down the humans, Bumper or, when he wasn't around, Sideswipe. He didn't think any of them would make it out alive, but nevertheless tore through the Insecticon clones like they were paper! After they were captured by the real Insecticons, Sunstreaker was not too happy to be rescued by Bumper. When Bombshell activated the cerebro-shelled human population of San Desto to attack the Autobots, Sunstreaker was also all-too-ready to kill the lot of them, until Bumper saved them all again. Extermination The Orion picked up Sunstreaker and the other Autobots from the EDC's Nevada base shortly after saving San Desto. Lost and Found

In August 2006, Matt Moylan revealed that Sunstreaker was gay in Dreamwave continuity. This was never dealt with head-on (or meant to be) but it provided a basis for his characterization.

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

Sunstreaker was among the Transformers found and reprogrammed by the human terrorist organization Cobra, and along with Sideswipe and Trailbreaker, he was reformatted into a Cobra Stinger. He, his brother and Soundwave were sent to attack the SPS Research Facility, but the two siblings were rammed by Wheeljack while charging at the main entrance, and Cobra eventually retreated. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 3 When Wheeljack freed the Autobots from Cobra's control, Sunstreaker helped Sideswipe and Cliffjumper fight against the similarly freed Decepticons Skywarp and Thundercracker. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 5

IDW comics continuity

This section covers fiction that is ongoing. It will be added to as the story progresses. If it isn't current, you can help by updating it.

"Sunstreaker—speed limit."
"Oh, c'mon! Bad enough I gotta share my upholstery with a species that sheds skin on a regular basis, but now I gotta super-size the experience?"Ironhide and Sunstreaker, Escalation #1

Sunstreaker shows off his humbler side.

Long ago, before the war, Sunstreaker was a patron of illegal underground death matches in the Forge, where he cheered on Megatron in his first victory there. He returned several times more, including to watch Megatron's 54th battle in the arena, this time apparently alongside Sideswipe. Megatron Origin #2

When Megatron, rising in power and influence, put on a recruitment call to all-comers, Sunstreaker happily answered his call. Sideswipe tried to talk him out of joining the fights, to no avail. Sunstreaker apparently thought the call was for participation in the illegal gladiatorial games, but it was actually the first recruitment call for the Decepticon army. How they took Megatron's announcement, the apparent murder of a Senator, and how they fared when Autobot security forces raided the meeting is unknown. Megatron Origin #3 Neither he, nor any of the other Autobots-to-be that were present at the "rally", were seen again in prison or upon the Decepticons' escape and ravaging of Kaon. Megatron Origin #4

What, does he keep them in a kennel or something?

At some point during the war that followed Megatron's Decepticon rebellion, Sunstreaker was one of many Autobots trained by Kup. Spotlight: Kup He himself was Sideswipe's P-3 Training Officer and strike partner, and spent the whole time looking down on him as a subpar rookie. Spotlight: Sideswipe

Sunstreaker would later lead a unit in a battle against Deadlock in which he was forced to order a retreat. Drift #1

In the modern era, Sunstreaker was a unit commander who helped drive the Decepticons from an unidentified planet. Replay Immediately afterward, he was assigned to a detachment of Autobots that had operated covertly on Earth for at least four years, attempting to foil a Decepticon insurgency. Being stationed on Earth did little to alter Sunstreaker's arrogance, with him dismissing the three humans which Ratchet saved as "noisy creatures". Infiltration #3 Later, Sunstreaker and the other Autobots observed Megatron's brutal disciplining of the treacherous Starscream. Despite 'Streaker's high opinion of himself and his own skills, he was visibly relieved when Prowl decided to leave the Decepticons alone. After returning to the Ark-19, he complained about the humans running around loose in their headquarters. Infiltration #6

He doesn't rate the Battlechargers very highly, apparently.

To keep the noisy creatures occupied, he created a video game starring himself. Soon afterward, Sunstreaker, along with Ironhide, were assigned the task of escorting the humans back to the big wild world, Tulsa, Oklahoma. On a road in the vicinity of Lebanon, Missouri, Sunstreaker and company were ambushed by the Machination. He and Hunter became separated from Ironhide and were seemingly destroyed. Escalation #1 However, it was soon revealed that it was not the case; the debris recovered by Optimus Prime was revealed by Ratchet to be an elaborate fake. Escalation #2 Sunstreaker was painfully dismantled and treated barbarically by the employees. Replay After re-awakening in a Machination stronghold, Hunter was horrified to find an unidentified being, possibly Cybertronian, had been creating a series of Sunstreaker clones. Escalation #6

You still better than us now, Sunstreaker?

Having been able to dupe the Machination into believing that he was catatonic, Hunter went exploring in their headquarters. Eventually, he discovered Sunstreaker's own decapitated head, which was still functioning. Tortured, Sunstreaker begged the human to kill him. Meanwhile, Hot Rod and Wheeljack ran afoul of the Sunstreaker clones... piloted by Headmasters — humans who could transform into the robots' heads. Devastation #2 It turned out all of the Headmasters were mentally connected to the original Sunstreaker and leeched knowledge from him, a process that was extremely painful. However, this had its disadvantage — Sunstreaker doesn't read Autobot memos so the Machination had less inside knowledge than they thought; Hot Rod and Wheeljack escaped by using a weapon that Sunstreaker didn't know about. Hunter, rather than kill the Autobot, asked for his help to become a Headmaster himself so he could pilot one of the Machination's spare clones. Devastation #3 After downloading the necessary information from Sunstreaker, Hunter headed to the body shop, where more clone bodies were being stored. Devastation #5 Just as a freshly-restored Scorponok, head of the Machination, broke through a wall to kill him, Hunter was able to transform into Sunstreaker's head and linked to the real Sunstreaker's mind. Speaking as Sunstreaker, Hunter attached himself to a clone body, but commented that everything felt slow (as a result of Machination scientists cutting all connections to the real Sunstreaker, with devastating effects for the Headmasters). Hunter transformed to vehicle mode, blasted a hole in the wall and escaped. Devastation #6

I'd lose my head if it wasn't screwed on.

After that, the new Sunstreaker began raiding Machination front organizations across America, looking for his original head. He wanted Hunter out of his head and gone forever so he didn't have to talk to the human—not that he meant any offense by that, oh no. On one raid, he became aware that the Machination had plans involving the Dynobots and sped off to Dallas to get involved Maximum Dinobots #1 The Dynobots were actually sent to Fallon but Sunstreaker carried on to Dallas anyway, reasoning that getting his old head back would offline all the Headmasters—and that whatever the Dynobots were up to was merely collateral damage. (Nice chap...) Maximum Dinobots #2 When they arrived in Dallas, seeing that the facility was far bigger than anything they had come across before, Hunter realized they needed a plan and forced Sunstreaker to sit it out while they watched and waited, citing that he was the more level-headed of the pair and that it was nice to just be Hunter O'Nion every now and then. Maximum Dinobots #3 When the time came, Sunstreaker reconnected with Hunter and barged into the Machination, having a short talk with Hot Rod as he blasted two of his clones. He found his original head, but Scorponok was waiting and shot a hole through his chest. Hunter escaped and, reluctantly and remorsefully, deactivated Sunstreaker's original head. This succeeded in shutting down all of the clones, at the cost of doing the same to Sunstreaker. Maximum Dinobots #4

New unexplained altmode — just add water.

Hunter, however, stayed conscious and survived the rest of the battle. He accompanied Sunstreaker aboard the Ark-32, where the comatose Autobot was put into a CR chamber for heavy repairs. Sunstreaker's original head was reattached, and his battered body was rebuilt into a slightly different form. Ratchet claimed that "though physically separated, Sunstreaker's spark sustained him." Ratchet was able to minimize the mental link between Sunstreaker and Hunter, but he was afraid to try removing Hunter's implants, and the human was left feeling like half of himself was missing. Maximum Dinobots #5

Eventually Ratchet did successfully sever their link, but the Headmaster experience had left deep wounds on Sunstreaker's psyche. He turned his back on Hunter and never wanted to speak of the incident again. All Hail Megatron #7 His pain turned into a hatred for Earth and its inhabitants; he wanted nothing more than to leave the planet forever. Starscream took advantage of this, meeting in secret with Sunstreaker to strike a deal. Starscream wanted Sunstreaker's help to both kill Megatron and ensure the Autobots' departure from Earth. Starscream claimed that after taking control of the Decepticons, he would be satisfied to confine his own empire to the one planet, so really Sunstreaker would get what he wanted on both counts. Sunstreaker agreed "on one condition": That Starscream would use his dominion to kill every single human being. All Hail Megatron #8

Starscream and Sunstreaker arranged false intelligence that led the Autobots into an ambush. But, whether due to Starscream's treachery or to a simple failure in the plan, only half of their goals were accomplished: The Autobots were beaten and exiled to Cybertron via the newly-created space bridge, but Megatron survived the battle happily. Optimus Prime attacked and destroyed the space bridge as he went through it, but doing so left him in a critical state of shutdown. All Hail Megatron #7

Sunstreaker in A Bridge Too Few.

If Sunstreaker had been brooding and sullen already, this outcome only intensified his angst. The other Autobots knew that they must have been betrayed, but they had no idea by whom. All Hail Megatron #4 Mirage, as the scout who had delivered the bad intelligence, was a natural suspect, and Ironhide became his chief accuser. Sunstreaker gravitated to Ironhide, encouraging the finger pointed away from himself. When Sideswipe confronted Sunstreaker about the dissension he was fostering in the ranks, Sunstreaker tried to get him to leave him alone. Sideswipe attempted sympathy, telling his brother that he could only imagine what the Headmaster experience had been like, but even that turned into an accusation for abandoning Hunter. Sunstreaker yelled back that that was in the past and was completely irrelevant, and everyone knew he never wanted to talk about it again. He stormed off, but doing so caught Ironhide's attention. When Sunstreaker told Ironhide that Sideswipe thought they were taking their accusations against Mirage too far, Ironhide decided they hadn't taken things far enough, so he promptly dragged Mirage into a corner and beat him half to death. Sunstreaker's only protest was that others might see. All Hail Megatron #7

At least he didn't have to suffer the indignity of being rescued by Drift.

But his guilt gnawed away at him until one day he found a chance for the redemption of martyrdom. The Autobots had decided to move to a different headquarters to defend themselves from the Insecticon swarm. The new base's strength was its inaccessibility: It could only be accessed by a single bridge, and the Autobots had planted explosives on it to take it down after everyone had made it across. The Autobots did outrun the swarm, but in the process their sharpshooter was incapacitated, and the bombs needed to be detonated via weapons-fire. While the others debated who would be capable of the task, Sunstreaker slipped away onto the bridge to do it himself. Ironhide went out after him and tried to talk him back, but Sunstreaker spilled his guts about the entire betrayal. Ironhide was dumbfounded, and just as Sunstreaker began to apologize, the swarm attacked. Drift raced in and pulled Ironhide out of the crush, and as they sped away, Sunstreaker fired at the bomb. The bridge was destroyed in a massive fireball, and Sunstreaker appearently went with it. All Hail Megatron #8

Later, Bombshell taunted Sideswipe in battle, claiming to have toyed with Sunstreaker's mind and played with his fears using information gleaned from dissecting Hunter. After the battle, Sideswipe found Hunter's tortured form strung up in Bombshell's lab, horrifically intertwined with all sorts of machinery. Sideswipe turned the life-support system off, letting Hunter — and any potential surviving piece of Sunstreaker — expire. All Hail Megatron #12

However, Sunstreaker had survived, and the events of the past few years (though badly skewed to a certain perspective) seemed to be repeating in his badly damaged head, amongst the bodies of the swarm. Replay

Over the next three years, Sunstreaker lay where he fell, his brain stuck in a recursive loop of the horrors the Machination inflicted upon him and his regret over betraying his friends. The mysterious Alpha Trion had long known of Sunstreaker's survival, but didn't attempt to rescue him, as the Autobot was not part of his plans for Cybertron's rebirth. This changed when the resurrected Ironhide went down to the ravine to rescue his fallen comrade. Sunstreaker attempted to apologise for what he did and admitted his cowardice for not speaking up when Ironhide falsely accused Mirage of betraying the Autobots. However, as Ironhide had no memory of the past four million years, he didn't know what Sunstreaker was talking about. Safely inside Alpha Trion's base, Sunstreaker freaked out when he saw the legendary Autobot, fearing that his Judgement had finally come for betraying the Autobots and selling out humanity. Trion mercifully used his powers to take Sunstreaker temporarily offline when he begged for his "dreams" to stop. Ironing Out the Details

Alpha Trion was able to bring Sunstreaker's sanity back and repair most of his body except for his legs, temporarily leaving him in a hoverchair. Interested in his "unique experiences" with the humans, Trion intended to take Sunstreaker with him on his journey, but he refused. Dead set on trying to make up for his past crimes, Sunstreaker instead chose to stay on Cybertron with Ironhide to help eliminate the swarm. Alpha Trion accepted this and left the two Autobots on the abandoned planet, where Sunstreaker would have a lot of time to fill Ironhide in on what happened in the past few million years. Any Old Iron

Hail and Farewell

Due to the abrupt cancellation of several related stories and the emergence of All Hail Megatron, the following events cannot occur in the mainstream timeline, if they are canon at all.

Two years after meeting the Autobots and becoming a Headmaster, Hunter went back to his house with Sunstreaker. As Hunter gathered a few effects, he reminisced on how much had changed and how much had happened. He had been to other planets, even another dimension. He'd fought Scorponok, allied with the Dinobots, and faced a planetary Decepticon invasion. And now he wasn't just Hunter; he had become one with Sunstreaker in both mind and body. As he converted back to Sunstreaker's head, he mused that it was true what they said about never being able to go home again. Hail and Farewell

Henkei! Henkei! pack-in comic

Henkei! Henkei! #5

Toys

Generation 1

Yellow, I love me, let me jump in your game.

• Sunstreaker (Autobot, 1984/1986/1990)
  • Accessories: Left & right fists, 2 "rocket boosters", 3 rockets

Sunstreaker was released as part of the first year of the Transformers line in the US. He transforms into a "Super Tuning" customized Lamborghini Countach LP500S with an exposed rear-mounted engine. Each robot-mode arm has a spring-launching mechanism to fire his fists, his chrome missiles, or his "rocket boosters" (once the boosters' main body was pushed forward to lengthen the connection peg), but the springs were severely neutered or removed outright in the US for safety reasons. The boosters fit very very loosely in the holes in his rear bumper/robot shoulders, making them pretty dubious additions to either mode.

In 1986, he was made available as a mail-away item (as he was no longer shipping to retail shelves) in several different promotions, among them a "Digital Doom on the Highway to Destruction" flier packed with most boxed Transformers toys. He cost $8 and two robot points.

In 1990 he was re-released in Europe as part of the "Classics" line of reissues.

Sunstreaker is generally considered to be one of the harder early generation toys to find complete and unbroken. There also appears to be little chance of a reissue of the toy, as this mold has been stated by Hasbro and Takara representatives to be one of several whose original molding is either lost or in a state of disrepair too extensive to justify the cost of re-casting.

• More information on Sunstreaker at TFU.info

• VSZ Set (Multi-pack, 1985)
  • Accessories: Left & right fists, 2 "rocket boosters", 3 rockets

Sunstreaker's only release in Japan was in the VSZ set, along with Buzzsaw and Skids. This sounds unfair, but then one must remember Buzzsaw is an unstoppable killing machine.

• Transform Block

Only available in Japan, this small, monochrome representation of Sunstreaker transformed by disassembling and reassembling his component parts. Hence, the name "Transform Block". The toy was first released as part of the Diaclone line alongside another toy representing the Diaclone version of Skids. The toy was simply put in new packaging for its Transformers release, which resembles that of Transform Jr toys.

Universe (2003)

File:UniverseSunstreaker toy.jpg

Sideswipe in yellow? Dear Primus, I've become Tigertrack!

• Sunstreaker (Deluxe, 2003)
  • Accessories: Left & right rocket boosters, 2 flame-missiles

A retool of the Robots in Disguise Prowl mold, Sunstreaker transforms into a Lamborghini Diablo. Unusually for non-vintage transformers at the time, he has rubber tires. In either mode, he is armed with two pressure-launch missile launchers with two flame-shaped projectiles. These launchers are mounted upon his right arm in robot mode. In vehicle mode, they can be mounted on two pegs located on his spoiler as "rocket boosters". It is notable that the part that connects the toy's windshield to the main body uses a yellow decal rather than paint, as that part is made out of unpaintable plastic. The police lights from the original mold were removed, leaving this area bare.

Sunstreaker was the "hotel exclusive" toy from OTFCC 2003, available only to those who booked their room at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare at the convention rate, the official hotel for the convention.

This mold is also used by Sideswipe and Inferno.

• More information on BotCon Sunstreaker at TFU.info

Alternators/Binaltech Asterisk

Lemony fresh new-car scent.

• Sunstreaker meets Junko (Autobot, 2005)
  • Japanese ID number: BTA-02
  • Accessories: "Junko" driver/figurine, engine-block rifle

In 2005, Takara and Hasbro released near-simultaneous and similar, but significantly different takes on Sunstreaker. The first to the market was the Binaltech Asterisk version of the toy, including with a PVC driver figurine, a girl named Junko. A redeco of the Dead End Alternator (itself a retool of Alternator Sideswipe), Sunstreaker transforms into a 1:24-scale licensed "street performance" Dodge Viper with opening doors and hood, and an open passengers' compartment. His engine block becomes a rifle for his robot mode. Like the rest of the Binaltech Asterisk line, he was packaged in robot mode instead of vehicle.

File:AlternatorsSunstreaker toy.jpg

When girls disappear, their cars gain racing stripes. This is SCIENTIFIC FACT.

• Sunstreaker (Autobot, 2005)
  • Alternator ID number: 18
  • Accessories: Engine-block rifle

A few months later, the Hasbro Alternators version was released as part of the standard Alternators line, in the redesigned "bubble" packaging (the third version of Alternators packaging). Though both are yellow redecos of the mold, the detailing between the two is very different, with the Hasbro version being a direct color-swap of the paint mask previously used for Dead End, adding red to the robot-mode parts as well as a pair of black racing stripes in car mode. Drastically put, the only two details virtually identical on both versions at first sight are the paint mask for the head and the tampographed license plate. (This is particularly remarkable since a stolen pre-production sample of Hasbro Sunstreaker actually sported a license plate tampograph more in style with previous Alternators license plates, whereas the final version is dead on identical to the Binaltech Asterisk toy's tampo.)

• More information on Alternators/Binaltech Sunstreaker at TFU.info

Universe (2008)

Classic Series

He's got Mirage's legs, and he knows how to use 'em better than Mirage does.

• Sunstreaker (Deluxe, 2008)
  • Accessories: "Electron Pulse Blaster", engine supercharger intakes

Part of the first wave of 2008 Universe Deluxes, Sunstreaker transforms into a modified Lamborghini Gallardo. Though the car is mostly based upon the Gallardo, to avoid legal problems, it also features modified headlights and elements taken from other cars—most of them are taken from other Lamborghini models, such as a front bumper that appears to be based on a 2004 Murciélago R-GT and a rear end that is basically a cross between a Murciélago and a Diablo; however, the split side windows and the ridges on the door vents are based on a McLaren F1. Like the original Sunstreaker's Lamborghini Countach form, the 2008 Universe vehicle mode features a customized engine supercharger intakes mounted just behind the roof of the car. Sunstreaker's license plate is tampographed "WE R 84", referring to the year the Transformers franchise was launched.

Like many other new-mold Universe toys, Sunstreaker has a "dramatic head reveal" when transforming him to robot mode: when his chest is rotated into place, his head rises into position and his ears to spring out. In robot mode, his engine intakes attach onto his back, though in an undocumented feature, they can also fold down over the widest part of the "electron blaster" and click in place. The gun can also be attached to the holes in Sunstreaker's shoulders, though his "ears" get in the way.

Sunstreaker shares most of his design with Universe Sideswipe, differing in headsculpt and an altered transformation sequence. Sunstreaker is considered the original toy, as Sideswipe did not appear until a later wave of the toyline.

Though not specifically a quality control issue, the yellow paint used for Sunstreaker's roof does not precisely match the bright yellow plastic used for his car body panel parts. The dark tinted windows causes the yellow paint to take on a greenish tinge.

The Sunstreaker/Sideswipe mold was also retooled into Timelines Punch and BotCon 2010 Breakdown.

• More information on Universe Sunstreaker at TFU.info

Henkei! Henkei!

Unlike others in this line, the chrome surprisingly makes him more G1-accurate.

• Sunstreaker (Deluxe, 2008)
  • Japanese ID number: C-07
  • Accessories: "Electron Pulse Blaster", engine supercharger intakes

TakaraTomy's Henkei! Henkei! version of Universe Sunstreaker is a redeco of Hasbro's release, featuring a deeper shade of yellow with a much greater consistency between the painted yellow roof and the yellow plastic than seen on Universe Sunstreaker. He also replaces some of the Universe figure's gray paint with black. The orange paint is replaced with red, and the maroon Autobot symbol is now the more standard red. As with all of the Henkei toys, he has vacuum-metallized silver on his Electron Pulse Blaster, his supercharger and his spoiler.

Merchandise

• Cybertron Hero Collection 22 (Decoy multi-pack, 1985)

In Japan, a red rubber mini-figure of Sunstreaker was available in part of a massive multi-pack of similar mini-figurines. The number etched into his back is the sum total of his tech spec ratings, as these figurines were used as game pieces for a variety of Transformers board games in which this number had some meaning to how the game was played or something. Sunstreaker mixes the cartoon model with elements from the original toy.

• Sunstreaker (Decoy, 1987)
  • Decoy number: 11

The Hasbro Decoy release of the Sunstreaker game piece is almost identical to the Japanese version, except the number on his back is a simple "checklist" number. Like all Autobot Decoys, he was a randomly-chosen pack-in available with the carded Throttlebots, Aerialbots, Protectobots and Technobots.

• More information on Decoy Sunstreaker at TFU.info

Titanium Series

Too good to be released, apparently.

• Sunstreaker (Robot Master, unreleased)
  • Accessories: Engine-blaster, display stand

A planned redeco of Titanium Series Side Swipe, which was based on Sideswipe's Alternators toy. Sunstreaker would have been partially constructed of die cast metal with limited articulation located in his shoulders and neck. His accessories would have been a removable engine blaster and an Autobot symbol display stand.

Your bargaining posture is highly dubious. Proceed on your way to oblivion. This item has been canceled, with no current plans for release.

Robot Heroes

Hi, I'm cuter than you.

• Sunstreaker vs. Galvatron (2-pack, 2008)

Part of the first wave of Universe Robot Heroes toys, Sunstreaker is an adorably sociopathic non-transforming figure articulated at the neck and shoulders. He was available only in a two-pack with Galvatron, making this the most mentally-unbalanced Robot Heroes set ever.

• More information on Robot Heros Sunstreaker at TFU.info

Notes

Before he was a Transformer.

• According to Hasbro the pre-Transformers Diaclone version of Sunstreaker was the first transforming car-to-robot toy ever designed.

• The pre-Transformers Diaclone version of Sunstreaker is the Lamborghini Countach LP500S "Super Tuning" toy. The Diaclone version was originally painted only in red or police deco. This is one of several items that have led to the fan speculation that Sunstreaker and Sideswipe's coloration and bio text were swapped around before their final release (another being that, in his bio, Sunstreaker feels that Sideswipe's car-mode lines are ruined by his rear-mounted engine, when in fact Sunstreaker is the one with said engine.) The statistics, however, are correct. This change would also explain Sunstreaker's otherwise inexplicable red shoulders/car panel decals, which were originally used to cover up the black plastic on the red Diaclone version.
  • Unlike the red and police versions of Diaclone Sunstreaker, there is little evidence of yellow Sunstreakers packaged as Transformers wearing the factory decals representing his park lights (assumed to be headlights by most).

• The red Diaclone version of Sunstreaker was sold by Takara in North America as the Diakron "DK-1" Car/Robot in 1983, seemingly just a few months before he would be rebranded as a Transformer.

• In the Transformers series bible entry for his brother Sideswipe, Sunstreaker is referred to by a different name, Spinout . "Nearly the equal of his twin brother, Spinout, in combat, but less cold-blooded." The same name (spelled "Spin-Out") is also used in a Marvel Age article from 1984 that announced the Marvel comic series.

• According to a story page in the October 1985 issue of TV Magazine, Sideswipe and Red Alert are brothers, with Sideswipe being slightly older than Red Alert. This connection may have been invented because, aside from Sideswipe and Red Alert sharing the same mold, Sunstreaker was not sold on the Japanese market outside of a special "versus" set with Skids and Buzzsaw. However, the familial dynamic between Sideswipe and Sunstreaker was not changed in the Japanese dub of the original Transformers cartoon, leading some Japanese fans to consider the three Lamborghini characters as triplets.

• Alternators Sunstreaker was originally planned as the first retool of the Side Swipe Dodge Viper toy. Early prototypes that were leaked to the public sported a sculpted Autobot logo, and development concept art and color maps detailed in The Transformers: Binaltech & TF Collection Complete Guide show a black-decoed figure. A store listing from March 2004 stated the figure's name as "Blackstreaker", suggesting that he was still intended to be Sunstreaker despite sporting different colors, possibly at the request of the car manufacturer. For reasons unknown, however, the toy was ultimately released as the Decepticon Dead End instead, possibly to satisfy fan demands for Decepticons in the line, but this is mere supposition. It took a couple of years until Sunstreaker would see shelves as originally intended.

One of the cases where the end result turned out even better than the original idea. Well, except maybe for the weapon.

• Hasbro's early plans for Universe Sunstreaker and Sideswipe had the two as straight redecos of each other, only differing in their head sculpts besides their colors—namely, Sunstreaker would have just been Sideswipe in yellow with a different head. It was TakaraTomy designer Hisashi Yuki who suggested an alternate transformation by turning the upper body by 180 degrees, thus providing more individual robot mode looks for the two characters that resemble their respective Generation 1 designs more. In addition, Hasbro originally intended the alternate mode's supercharger to split into two halves which would then become the handgun and and a spring-loaded shoulder launcher for the robot mode.

• Hilariously, early Hasbro prototypes of Universe Sunstreaker had the license plate say "WE R 82", rather than "WE R 84". This is seen in the stock photo on the back of the packaging and an issue of Dengeki Hobby Magazine that compared Henkei Sunstreaker to his Universe counterpart.

• Simon Furman's reason for making Sunstreaker a Headmaster at IDW? Because he's the one character who'd least want to be a Headmaster.

External links

• Sunstreaker's Universe profile at NTFA.net
• Sunstreaker's entry in the Transformers series bible.