High Wire (Armada)

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

High Wire is a Mini-Con from the Unicron Trilogy continuity family.

Ohh, it's a deep burn! Oh, it's so deep! Oh, I can barely lift my right arm 'cause I did so many.

High Wire is a bike. Motivational, intelligent, yet ego-free, he believes unwaveringly in the power of teamwork, and though he wouldn't admit it, he is great at leadership.

He combines with his fellow Street Action Mini-Con Team members to form Perceptor. On at least one occasion he has demonstrated a limited ability to manipulate time.

Fiction

Cartoon continuity

Armada cartoon

Voice actor: Terry Klassen (English), Akira Tomisaka (Japanese)

High Wire and the Mini-Cons were created countless millennia ago, spawned from with the cells of Unicron. Outwardly innocent and yet extremely powerful, the Mini-Cons' purpose was to engineer a power struggle between the Autobots and the Decepticons, creating conflict which would feed Unicron. Due to a time loop, however, High Wire encountered three children from 21st century Earth — Rad White and his friends Carlos and Alexis. Contact with Rad somehow weakened Unicron's conditioning, giving High Wire and the other Mini-Cons the ability to think for themselves. Drift

A million years ago, a ceasefire was called between the Autobots and the Decepticons, during which it was decided to banish the Mini-Cons from Cybertron so they would never be used as tools of war again. High Wire was among the Mini-Cons who were placed in stasis inside Mini-Con storage panels on board the starship Exodus for the long journey into deep space. Remembering his long-ago contact with Rad White, High Wire aimed the Exodus towards the planet Earth, where he knew Rad would one day be waiting for him.

However, during the launch of the Exodus, the Decepticon leader Megatron betrayed the ceasefire and attacked, hoping to take all the Mini-Cons for himself. The Autobots managed to hold off the Decepticons long enough for the Exodus to make it to a warp gate and leave Cybertron behind forever. After drifting through space for countless years, the Mini-Con ship collided with Earth's moon and broke apart, half of it remaining on the moon while the rest crash-landed on the planet's surface.

Thousands of years later, Rad White and his friend Carlos were exploring the caves under the local observatory when they discovered the remains of the Exodus. Rad was drawn to the glowing, green Mini-Con panel in the darkness, and when he touched it, the systems of the Exodus reactivated and sent a signal back to Cybertron. Now the Transformers knew what had become of the Mini-Cons. After Rad and Carlos exited the caves and met up with Alexis, they were confronted by Megatron himself. In his fear, Rad stumbled and dropped the Mini-Con panel, which activated and released High Wire. High Wire was shocked to see Megatron and scanned Rad's bicycle to enable the escape for his new friends and liberators. However, Megatron managed to stop them and demanded the humans turn over High Wire. Fortunately for all concerned, the Autobot leader, Optimus Prime, arrived to confront the Decepticon leader. First Encounter

As more Autobots and Decepticons arrived and began grappling with each other, High Wire and the humans fled back into the mountain caves to avoid getting trampled. High Wire led the children deep into the mountain where the Mini-Con ship was buried, and located his two inoperative friends, Grindor and Sureshock. When Carlos and Alexis touched their Mini-Con storage panels, they came to life just like High Wire, and the trio were reunited. Eager to try out the new Earth modes they scanned, the Street Action Team went racing through the countryside with their new human companions, crossing over rivers and straight up mountainsides. Reality soon caught up with them, though, as Megatron and the Decepticons tracked them down. Fortunately, Optimus Prime and his Autobots stepped in again to save the Mini-Cons from entrapment and slavery. Metamorphosis

After the Decepticons were driven off, the collected Autobots, Mini-Cons and humans retreated back into the mountain-ship to get to know one another. High Wire asked Optimus Prime if the Autobots would force the Mini-Cons to fight, but Optimus assured him that only the Decepticons treated Mini-Cons like slaves, and the Autobots would allow them to make their own decisions. Satisfied that their freedom would be respected, High Wire and his fellow Mini-Cons agreed to join forces with the Autobots. As the new alliance was forged, Mini-Con panels began to come on-line all over the globe, ensuring the Autobots would have plenty of work to keep them busy. Base

On their first Mini-Con hunt, High Wire and the Street Action Team worked with Optimus Prime in Big Canyon, surveying the area for any signs of storage panels. High Wire tried to get a higher vantage point by standing atop of Prime's foot. When the Decepticons arrived to intervene, the Street Action Team displayed their ability to combine for the first time, forming Perceptor. The agile Mini-Con gestalt miraculously overwhelmed both Megatron and Starscream until Optimus Prime could powerlinx with his new partner, Sparkplug, and unleash a Maximum Blast. Comrade

High Wire and the Street Action Team joined the kids in teaching Hot Shot how to play the game of "Tag" inside the Autobot base. Hot Shot was worn out trying to chase them down until he thought to use Jolt to "tag" the kids for him. High Wire and the other Mini-Cons later accompanied the Autobots to Antarctica to search for a new Mini-Con. They used Prime's trailer as a mobile headquarters from which they coordinated the search. Soldier Later, High Wire helped Rad gather supplies for the kids to use while freeloading at the Autobot base. He and the other Mini-Cons then joined the Autobots on a mission to the forest, where a firefight with the Decepticons led to a forest fire. Working with Red Alert, the Mini-Cons converted Optimus Prime's trailer into a fire engine, pumping water from a nearby lake to put out the fires. Jungle

One day, High Wire and Grindor went out to a carnival with Rad and Carlos. Hijinx ensued. Carnival Out on a desert mission, High Wire was trying to get the drop on Demolishor when he and the rest of the kids and Street Action Team were caught in a sandtrap. They fell into a deep series of catacombs, built by denizens of the Sahara long ago after they discovered a Mini-Con storage panel in the sand. High Wire and the others were nearly killed by the various traps and guards protecting the panel underground, and the Mini-Con team had to form Perceptor to protect the kids from harm. Palace

When Billy and Fred were kidnapped by Cyclonus, High Wire and his friends attempted to rescue them, only to be captured themselves by Megatron. They were saved once Fred used Laserbeak to zap Megatron and distract him long enough for the Autobots to save the day. Confrontation As the search for more Mini-Cons continued, High Wire and the Street Action Team participated in a mission deep underground in a city's subway tunnels. Underground They also confronted Megatron in a sunken underwater city, but the Decepticons succeeded in capturing the dormant Mini-Cons on both occasions. Ruin

As Rad began to learn more about the Mini-Cons, he started to question whether they should be forced to fight in a war not of their making. Almost as if in answer to his concerns, High Wire and the other Mini-Cons took up arms in the next conflict, showing valor and courage on the battlefield that made it clear they were fighting for what they believed in, just like the Autobots and the kids. Prehistory

High Wire and the Street Action Team were present for the Autobots' first encounter with Sideways. Gale Sometime later, High Wire and Grindor went camping with Red Alert, Smokescreen and the boys. Vacation When Blurr rescued Incinerator from the Decepticons' clutches, High Wire and the Street Action Team were the first Mini-Cons to welcome him to the Autobot base. Reinforcement Later, High Wire's team and Jolt helped create a miniature obstacle course from Hot Shot and Blurr to train on. Decisive Battle

Soon after, High Wire and the Street Action Team received a transmission from the Land Military Team on the moon. It seemed that some of the Decepticon-allied Mini-Cons wanted peace, and were seeking an opportunity to come over to the Autobots. With the help of Rad and Fred, they convinced Optimus Prime to give the "enemy" Mini-Cons a chance, and soon the Autobots had a number of new allies. Vow

When a computer virus named Sideways infiltrated the Autobot mainframe, High Wire, Grindor and Sureshock helped the kids fight back against the infection. Sideways still had a few tricks up his sleeve, however, and he converted the minds of the Street Action Team and the kids into computerized avatars, sucking them into his digital world. In this unreal landscape, they passed by representations of Cybertron and other figures, before being chased by a shadowy planetoid back into the real world along a path Red Alert made for them. Chase

After the Autobots rescued Dune Runner's Mini-Con panel, High Wire and the Street Action Team were the first to welcome him to the Autobot headquarters. Tactician On monitor duty, the Street Action Team ID'ed Thrust flying in circles over the Autobot base, and reported it to Vice-Commander Jetfire while Optimus was in repairs. The kids had to translate for Jetfire, though, and he'd never bothered to learn his Mini-Con bleeps from his bloops. Linkup

When a Mini-Con signal went off linking the three Space Mini-Con Team panels, High Wire and the others reacted when the signal pointed to a panel hidden right inside their own base. They joined the kids in searching out the panel in the damaged sections of the ship. The search party came across Sky Blast's panel, activating the Mini-Con. To everyone's surprise, however, Sky Blast appeared openly hostile. Awakening It soon became apparent, though, that Sky Blast was merely frightened. He dove out of the way when High Wire tried to tackle him, and cowered behind Rad when High Wire and the others formed Perceptor to protect the kids. They eventually coaxed him back out into the main part of the base, and convinced the new Mini-Con to assist the Autobots. Desperate

High Wire was present when Starscream first switched sides to join the Autobots. Regeneration During the subsequent raid on the Decepticon base, High Wire and the Street Action Team accompanied the Autobots as Perceptor, and focused on freeing the Mini-Cons while the Autobots engaged the enemy. Perceptor briefly split into his three components when avoiding an attack by Tidal Wave. Rescue

After Starscream and Jetfire rescued Firebot from Mars, High Wire was among the Mini-Cons who welcomed the new arrival to the Autobots. Mars

As the Decepticons threatened the safety of Earth with their Hydra Cannon, High Wire and the Street Action Team watched helplessly with the kids as the Autobots tried to counter the threat. Crisis

Following the death of Optimus Prime in stopping the Hydra Cannon, the Autobots were preparing to follow the Decepticons into space and prevent them from using the cannon aganst Cybertron. Although Hot Shot and Red Alert made it clear the kids wouldn't be coming along on such a dangerous mission, High Wire knew it was their destiny to do so. He began speaking to Rad in English, and in his dreams, compelling him to seek his destiny out in space. When the kids declared their intention to join the mission, High Wire and the Street Action Team converted into Perceptor and organized the united Mini-Cons on the side of the kids. With pressure from the Mini-Cons, Hot Shot was forced to allow the humans to accompany them. Depart

The Axalon made its way into space, and soon joined by other Mini-Cons empowered by the Linkage. High Wire and the Street Action Team telepathically explained to the kids that the Mini-Cons were all coming together to fight the great enemy...Unicron. As they encountered the Decepticon ship, High Wire organized the Mini-Cons on-board to man the armaments and fight back against Megatron's troops. Miracle

Once they arrived in orbit around Cybertron, High Wire immediately sensed Unicron's presence. The Mini-Cons all quickly gathered together in space, forming a shield against a deadly black hole Sideways had formed as a "surprise" for the Autobots. When the Autobots confronted Galvatron's Decepticon armada, the Mini-Cons assembled once more, creating illusions to disguise the Axalon amidst a horde of duplicate ships. As the power of the black hole became stronger and stronger, the Mini-Cons unified in a green ball of energy, neutralizing the threat with a rain of light. High Wire and the Mini-Cons implored Galvatron and the others to stop fighting, but only succeeded in getting a temporary cessation of hostilities. Uprising

After Thrust stole the Skyboom Shield and Requiem Blaster from Galvatron, Hot Shot joined forces with the Decepticons Wheeljack and Starscream to hunt him down. When he reported his position in the underground caverns of Cybertron to the Axalon, High Wire recognized it as the place where the Mini-Cons were first created. The kids and their Mini-Cons went down to help with the search, but got caught in a stand-off between Thrust and Starscream. High Wire unleashed his hidden power just as Thrust turned the Requiem Blaster on Starscream, somehow creating the temporal loop that sent the kids back to the Mini-Cons' creation in the first place. When time reset itself, the Street Action Team had a few extra moments to form Perceptor and distract Thrust, saving Starscream. Drift

The search continued and led to a fight with Thrust and Sideways inside the core of Unicron, who stood revealed as Cybertron's moon. Portent Later, High Wire and the others watch on helplessly as Unicron grew more powerful, and Starscream sacrificed himself to bring an alliance between the Autobots and Decepticons. Cramp As the truce was forged between the two factions, High Wire and the Street Action Team attended as representatives of the Mini-Cons. They formed Perceptor and joined hands with Optimus Prime and Galvatron to commemorate the occasion. Alliance

With the united Transformer armada bringing the fight to Unicron, the war council reached the conclusion that Unicron needed the three super-weapons to power himself. Their best course of action therefore was to penetrate Unicron's defenses and awaken the nine individual Mini-Cons that comprised the weapons, separating their will from Unicron. Although Prime and Galvatron infiltrated Unicron to achieve that purpose, High Wire, Grindor and Sureshock determined they would need to be present in order to push the Mini-Cons back to consciousness. The Street Action Team and the kids made their way into Unicron using the hidden warp tunnel below Cybertron's surface. Union

In Unicron's heart, High Wire and the others found Optimus and Galvatron facing off against Sideways. Shockingly, Unicron was able to reassert control over the Mini-Cons, placing them back under his personal domination. Their enslavement was only temporary, however, as the kids were able to reach out to High Wire and the others, awakening them so that they could awaken the Mini-Cons of the Star Saber, Skyboom Shield and Requiem Blaster in turn, causing Unicron to grind to a halt. Origin As Optimus Prime and Galvatron remained inside Unicron to settle the final score between them, High Wire and the assorted kids and Mini-Cons escaped aboard Jetfire. After the final destruction of Unicron and Galvatron, the Street Action Team accompanied Hot Shot and Jetfire back to Earth, where they said their final goodbyes to the children. Mortal Combat

Dreamwave comics continuity

Dreamwave Armada comic

When the Mini-Con ship broke up and crashed on Earth a million years in the past, near High Wire ended up in a cave under present-day Lincoln alongside Grindor, Sureshock and Sparkplug. A fateful day, a human named Rad White fell into the cave and accidentally awakened the Mini-Cons, who soon befriended him and his companions, Carlos Lopez and Alexis Thi Dang. High Wire and the others built the humans a hovercraft and asked them to be their guides as they searched for other Mini-Cons on Earth. Armada #3 Unfortunately, their fun and games stopped when they were tracked to Earth by the Decepticons, and the Mini-Cons were forced to explain their war-torn past to the kids. High Wire and the others then scanned new alternate modes and used them to run from the Decepticons until they ran into the Autobots. Armada #4 After the Decepticons were driven off by the Autobots and another group of Mini-Cons, the Street Action Team allied themselves with the Autobots. Armada #5

High Wire was present when Sparkplug tried to convince Optimus Prime to let him infiltrate the Decepticon base. Armada #6 He later rescued Rad from Billy by menacing the bully with a wheelie, so Rad explained to him that not every dangerous situation requires saving. As the Street Action Team drove around town with their human friends, the Mini-Con Ark's summoning beacon reached them, and they started driving mindlessly towards Kansas. After all the Mini-Cons on Earth were gathered around the Ark, they entered it, and it took off into space. Armada #8 The Mini-Cons were taken to the Moon, where another group of Mini-Cons led by Dualor had constructed a moonbase where their race could live in peace forever. High Wire and his teammates were against this, as they'd much rather live on Earth with Rad, Carlos and Alexis. Armada #9 They awaited help from the Autobots, but were in a way saved by the Decepticons when they attacked the base and deactivated the energy field keeping the Mini-Cons behind bars. All residents of the moonbase subsequently evacuated it. Armada #10

After returning to Earth, the Street Action Team were seen listening to one of Rook's speeches about Mini-Con independence. Fire & Ice Later, High Wire joined a team of Mini-Cons who traveled to the Decepticons' base at Silver Ridge in search of Over-Run's null-reality pods, which were needed to bring back the lost Optimus Prime. Worlds Collide, Part 2 of 4 They successfully infiltrated the base, but were forced to hide from the three Heralds of Unicron who were stomping around inside. Worlds Collide, Part 3 of 4 The team located the null-reality pods, and High Wire watched as Sparkplug, Over-Run and Comettor used them to traverse dimensions and retrieve Optimus Prime. Worlds Collide, Part 4 of 4 Prime returned with news that Unicron was coming to devour their dimension's Cybertron, so all Mini-Cons had to return to their homeworld and fight against him. After saying their goodbyes to Rad, Carlos and Alexis, the Street Action Team joined the other Mini-Cons at the Loop on Cybertron and poured their energies into the Mini-Con Matrix. This allowed Over-Run to fire a massive energy blast at Unicron, crippling him. The End

Energon comic

Ten years later, High Wire, Grindor and Sureshock learned that the Terrorcons were assaulting various cities on Earth. Worried about their old human friends, they volunteered to return to Earth and fight this new threat in the form of Perceptor. Multiplicity, Pt. 2 They were assigned to Jetfire's team in Los Angeles, where they battled against thousands of Insecticons. Multiplicity, Pt. 3 The team was vastly outnumbered and quickly began to run low on energy, but High Wire and the others were saved when Rad showed up in the E.V.A. and used it to power them up with Energon gas. Multiplicity, Pt. 4

Panini Armada comics

Back on Cybertron, High Wire was a chemist of sorts, and once developed a nice and clean way of processing waste fuel. Unfortunately, his attempts to save the environment were for naught, as the Decepticons soon "turned the skies black with smoke" anyway. Just a Memory! He later left his home planet alongside most of the Mini-Con population, and ended up crashing on Earth and laying dormant for four million years.

High Wire was the first Mini-Con to meet Rad, Carlos and Alexis after they accidentally reactivated the Mini-Cons onboard their crashed ship in a cave. He helped Rad and Carlos out of the cave and tried to explain that he had come in peace, but hadn't picked up much English yet. Fortunately, Megatron showed up to translate for him. Unfortunately, Megatron was there to capture the Mini-Cons and conquer Earth. High Wire scanned Alexis's bike for an alternate mode, then transformed and carried the three kids to safety while Megatron was distracted by Optimus Prime. He met up with the rest of the awakened Mini-Cons, but they refused to help Optimus Prime against Megatron, as them getting involved with the war again would only end badly. First Encounter! Rad, disgusted by their cowardice, went off to save Prime by himself. High Wire realized that he couldn't let the human go alone, then raced after Rad, saving him just before Megatron could stomp on him. He ended up being punched by Megatron in the process, but was pulled out of danger by Longarm. Friends and Foes!

After the battle, High Wire and the rest of the Mini-Cons joined the Autobots. He spent some time racing with his new human friends, but they were soon sent by Optimus Prime to recover the locator log from the Mini-Cons' ship. They found it, but came under attack from Demolishor, who quickly took High Wire and Sureshock out with a single blast. Deep Trouble! In order to learn more about life on Earth, High Wire began following Rad around during his daily routines. While watching Rad during a chemistry class at school, he witnessed Billy and Fred messing up his experiment. Remembering his own experiments on Cybertron, he pulled the two troublemakers out of the window and avenged Rad by giving them a beating. Rad felt that this would only get him into trouble, and took High Wire to his other friends, who had similar "help gone wrong" experiences with their Mini-Con friends. High Wire was embarrassed, but Rad promised to guide him through proper human behavior. Just a Memory!

Some time later, High Wire almost returned to Cybertron when the Autobots decided to keep the Mini-Cons safe by sending them home. In the end, they remained on Earth due to various circumstances. No Way Home! The Street Action Team were racing with Rad, Carlos and Alexis again when they came under attack from Starscream, out to get himself some Mini-Con upgrades. High Wire threw Rad off of him and told him to get help, then combined with his teammates into Perceptor and did battle with Starscream. After Optimus Prime showed up and saved the day, High Wire hi-fived with Rad and explained that they had kept Perceptor a secret as sometimes, the less people know about Mini-Cons the better. The Two-Edged Sword

When the Autobots were threatened by Decepticon warheads fired from the Moon, High Wire and the other Mini-Cons offered to surrender themselves in order to buy the Autobots time to prepare. They were subsequently imprisoned on a solar barge which was then pulled towards the Moon by Cyclonus. Earthshaker! After breaking out, High Wire and Sparkplug activated their magno-clamps and walked out on the barge's hull, where they disconnected it from Cyclonus. Sparkplug was knocked into space in the process, but High Wire told Jolt to save him, and everyone returned safely to Earth. Lost in Space!

Toy pack-in comics

Kicker rode High Wire in a battle between Autobots and Decepticons. Energon Volume 4

Something Robotic This Way Comes

After Alexis, Carlos and Rad failed to adequately explain Halloween, they invited the Mini-Cons along with them while Trick-or-Treating. High Wire was the first to catch on, but was confused by Rad mentioning that if they didn't get candy, they could t.p. the house. Something Robotic This Way Comes

Bendon Armada books

High Wire participated in a Mini-Con race the kids had that also involved Sureshock and Grindor. Unsurprisingly, Megatron used the situation as an excuse to attack them. Race to Disaster

Toys

Armada

• Street Action Mini-Con Team (Mini-Con Team, 2002)

Armada High Wire transforms into a tiny BMX bicycle with turning pedals. His robot mode is adorable. He can combine with Sureshock and Grindor to form Perceptor, becoming the head and back of the gestalt form.

This mold was also used to make Universe High Wire.

• More information on High Wire at TFU.info

• Street Action Micron Anime Color (CD w/ toy, 2003)

These redecoes of the Street Action Team were available only with the CD single of the first Micron Legend theme song, "Transformer: Dream Again" by Psychic Lover. The toys were decoed to be more cartoon-accurate; in High Wire's case, he has more detailed paint operations for his face and his Perceptor head kibble is a lighter blue.

• More information on Anime Color Wheelie at TFU.info

• Wheelie (Change Micron, 2003)

Part of the first assortment of Kabaya Change Microns, this candy toy version of High Wire is almost identical to the original toy, but was actually made using an all-new mold. The most obvious change is his face, which is now painted with a red mouthplate and no eyes. High Wire came in an individual box, packed with a baggie of sugar-pellets.

• More information on Change Micron Wheelie at TFU.info

• Magna Convoy DX Set (Multi-pack, 2003)

An X-Dimension redeco of the Street Action Mini-Con Team was packaged only with the Toys "R" Us Japan exclusive Magna Convoy DX toy. High Wire was given a red and black color scheme.

• More information on X-Dimension Wheelie at TFU.info

Energon

• Perceptor (Basic, 2004)

Energon High Wire transforms into a dirt bike that doesn't hold together very well. His robot head can be used as a kickstand in this mode. Once again, he can combine with Sureshock and Grindor to form Perceptor. For some reason, it's hard to tell what side of his head is actually his face.

This mold was also used to make Energon Brake and Axle.

• More information on Energon High Wire at TFU.info

File:Energon Kicker HighWire toy.jpg

He will crush the other Mini-cons under his gargantuan feet!

• Energon Kicker with High Wire (Deluxe, 2005)

High Wire is a much larger, near Basic-sized version of Energon High Wire. He is an all-new design with increased detailing and some minor design changes, but unfortunately is out of scale with Kicker figure he is packed with. He has a spark crystal on his chest rather than a Mini-Con powerlinx port.

• More information on large Energon High Wire at TFU.info

Universe (2003)

• Perceptor (Basic, 2005)

Universe Perceptor is a repack of Energon Perceptor, with no changes to the contents within.

Cybertron

I'll never have normal hands, will i?

• Blastcharge vs High Wire (Mini-Con 2-pack, 2006)

Cybertron High Wire is a redeco of Energon High Wire. His vehicle mode's paint scheme is based upon Evel Knievel's various American flag-themed motorcycles. He retains his ability to combine with Sureshock and Grindor to form a patriotically-coloured Perceptor.

• More information on Cybertron High Wire at TFU.info

Notes

• The Energon Kicker with High Wire set was not "mech-designed" or engineered by Takara employees, a rarity for normal-series Transformers toys.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Wheelie (ウィーリー Wīrī), Hopper (Super Link, ホッパー Hoppā)
• Russian: Wire
• Hungarian: Vezeték ("Wire")