Onslaught (G1)

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

Onslaught is a Decepticon Combaticon from the Generation 1 continuity family.

The Combaticons are warring! Onslaught is ROARING! He is one metamorphin' DUDICUS!

Onslaught is what you'd call the "hands-off" type. He doesn't enjoy getting his mitts dirty, but instead prefers the thrill of designing battle plans, strategies, and tactics, and then watching his Combaticon soldiers carry them out. While he typically crafts his strategies to exclude his direct involvement, Onslaught is no coward. When required, he will engage in battle with strength, cunning and earthquaking fury. This darker, more brutish side of Onslaught might lead some Decepticons into thinking he has a secret blood-lust stashed away in his circuits. But truth be told, he's really just ticked off that his plans didn't work out the way they were supposed to.

Onslaught can combine with his fellow Combaticons to form Bruticus, who is considerably dumber than Onslaught.

I beg your pardon?! My strategies are brilliant!Onslaught to Starscream, "The Revenge of Bruticus"

Fiction

Generation 1 cartoon continuity

The Transformers cartoon

Voice actor: S. Marc Jordan, Steve Bulin (English), Yutaka Shimaka (Japanese), Jin Horikawa (Japanese, The Rebirth only), Edgar Wald (Latin American), Hans-Rainer Müller (German, Fiva Faces of Darkness, Part 1 - 3), Walter von Hauff (German, Surprise Party), Thomas Rau (German, Starscreams Ghost), Bernd Simon (German, The Rebirth, Part 3), Gerd Rigauer (German, Generation 2 Dub)

"Heave! Next time, Vortex, chew your food!"

Onslaught was one of the five renegade Decepticons liberated by Starscream in the Air Commander's latest attempt to unseat Megatron. As an element of their imprisonment, they had been reduced to mere personality components, so Starscream installed them into abandoned World War II military vehicles. The transplant caused the vehicles to immediately reconfigure themselves: Onslaught in particular went from being a half-track troop carrier to being a flatbed missile-truck, before turning into a robot. Starscream called them "Combaticons" and announced their names as they transformed, but they didn't recognize him. Nor did they feel particularly indebted to him for their release; in the end, Starscream only guaranteed their loyalty though having given them bodies bereft of energy absorbers, so they would be dependent upon him to refuel.

Onslaught and his fellow Combaticons agreed to work with Starscream to overthrow Megatron on the promise of being given the vital components. Onslaught worked in capturing two Autobots, though he got into an argument with Vortex over who was responsible for the act. Later, while recharging at a power station, Starscream's brigade was confronted by the Decepticons under Megatron's command. Anticipating that Devastator might come into play, Starscream ordered Onslaught and the other Combaticons to merge into the dim-witted Bruticus. The Combaticon combiner managed to soundly defeat Devastator, but was in turn defeated by a surprise attack by Menasor. For their treachery, Megatron banished Onslaught, his comrades and Starscream in space on a desolate asteroid. Starscream's Brigade

Megatron felt quite foolish once Onslaught showed him the one loose wire preventing his space cruiser from flying again.

After a falling out with Starscream, Onslaught became the mastermind of Operation Revenge and helped defeat Shockwave's forces on Cybertron. He also used his external backpack and altered the Space Bridge to send Earth into the sun. It didn't work as he was defeated by the allied Decepticons and Autobots. Then Megatron had the Combaticons, including Onslaught, reprogrammed to serve him. Poor guy, can't seem to get a break. The Revenge of Bruticus

In Soviet Russia, skeet shoots back!

After that little lobotomy, the Combaticons were deployed to Earth's Middle East to assist in Megatron's scheme to steal military jets, rebuild them into cars, drive them out of the owners' nations, and then rebuild them back into drone jets in friendly territory. Yeah. Onslaught and the other Combaticons attacked the Aerialbots when they snooped around, managing to force Slingshot to crash into a cave (YAY!). Later, Onslaught and the ground-based Combaticons formed an anti-aircraft screen against an Aerialbot attack on the Fortress, then merged into Bruticus, but was rather quickly defeated by Superion before being blown away by the exploding oil wells. Aerial Assault

Back in the United States, Onslaught led the Combaticons in driving down the road of a random city for no apparent reason until they were confronted by Defensor. Though the Combaticons formed Bruticus, they were blown to pieces by a single shot from the Autobot, with Swindle being the only survivor. Swindle later sold the parts of his comrades, but was forced to buy them back for Megatron's next Crazy Scheme. The Combaticons formed Bruticus to operate the orbital disruptor cannon, but was shot by the cannon itself when B.O.T. tampered with it. B.O.T.

Stoopid 'Cons never lisssen t'me. I'ma bloody genius, a strategic maschter *hic* maschtermind, but they's still following a looney wit'a big gun. Just—it just ain't right. *hic* Aw, I'm gonna over-energize all over my face-plate...

By the year 2006, the Decepticons had been forced into retreat on the ruined, burned out world of Chaar. Onslaught warned first Rumble and then the Quintessons that the Decepticons would no longer be powerful enough to attack the Autobots directly, but he joined most of the other Decepticons in their attack on the Autobots anyway. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3 Much later, Galvatron sent Onslaught, Brawl and Blast Off to assassinate the Decepticon exile Octane. Onslaught attempted to hold his troops until the proper moment presented itself, but Octane was still able to seek cover before their laser fire could terminate him. The traitor's Autobot partner, Sandstorm, then used his eponymous ability to blind and disorient the Combaticons long enough for the two Triple Changers to escape. Starscream's Ghost

Onslaught's next mission was to lead the Combaticons in an attack on an Autobot shuttle waiting to deliver humans to a peace conference. He had a complicated and cunning strategy of misdirecting the Autobots by dressing up like Bruticus and having Swindle painted like Hound, but the Autobots were unfazed by the confusion. The Combaticons succeeded in busting up the shuttle a little before being driven away by the Autobots. Surprise Party As part of Bruticus, Onslaught watched the Decepticon assault on Paradron, Fight or Flee and was infected by the Hate Plague, along with the rest of the galaxy. The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1

During the battle for the Plasma Energy Chamber, Onslaught led his Combaticons in the crafting of a giant planetary rocket engine that would be used to propel Cybertron into orbit around Earth. This engine was fueled by the reprocessed body parts of defeated Autobots. Gross. The Rebirth, Part 3

Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers comic

"Eleven foot six? Damn you!"

When Menasor's baseball stadium/command base was attacked by Superion and Defensor, Bruticus (so by proxy, Onslaught) came to his aid. He quickly took out Defensor, damaging Hot Spot and preventing the Protectobots from combining again. However, Superion blasted Brawl and Swindle away with his electrostatic discharger rifle, allowing First Aid and Streetwise to steal their places as Bruticus's legs and fly away with Onslaught and his troops. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #5

In order to make the Autobots look bad, Onslaught joined the Stunticons in destroying factories while wearing the Autobot insignia. When they were caught, all but him and Motormaster fled the scene, but Onslaught had an ace up his sleeve: Together, he and Motormaster made up the Decepticon Trailer Brigade! With their spinning "Decepticon Great Wheel" attack, the subgroup leaders held the Autobots at bay for a while, but were eventually defeated by Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus's "Prime-Magnus Finish Double" kick. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #7

Onslaught then led his Combaticons in murdering a puppy. They succeeded, but the Minibots got them good. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #8

Scramble City

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. Onslaught's 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: Mobilization

The Great Transformer War

Galvatron and the Decepticons kidnapped the scientist Doctor Dalton to help advance their combination technology. When the Aerialbots and Protectobots arrived to save Dalton, Onslaught and Motormaster merged with Trypticon in base mode, deploying their fellow Decepticons into battle. The Decepticon combiners then formed Bruticus and Menasor, but were ultimately defeated by their Autobot counterparts. The Great Transformer War #1

The Headmasters cartoon

Voice actor: Michitaka Kobayashi (Japanese)

Onslaught and 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

"Jeez, Galvatron, why put HIM with the Combaticons?"

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 stationed to attack any Autobots who arrived to kill it. 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 also unleashed Bruticus as Sixshot continued his reign of terror over the Autobots on Earth. The Emperor of Destruction Vanishes on an Iceberg

Onslaught was 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 The combiner then stood by and laughed as Predaking sank the luxury liner Queen World in the Atlantic Ocean. The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 1) As Bruticus, the Combaticons participated in the final battle with the Autobots at the North Pole, and retreated into space when Scorponok's energy-absorbing satellite started tearing the Earth apart. The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 2)

Zone cartoon, comic 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. Onslaught was one of those summoned, but only as part of Bruticus. Zone Part 1 Zone Enter the New Supreme Commander, Dai Atlas!

Marvel Comics continuity

Generation 1

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

BEHOLD MY MIGHTY HAND!

Onslaught is the leader of the Combaticons, one of the Special Teams foretold by the Matrix. Second Generation! Onslaught and his team were first seen on Earth fighting the Protectobots inside the Multi-World computer game. They didn't fare too well. Onslaught got "fused by a fireball" from Hotspot. Afterdeath!

Later on, he led his team to kill Galvatron while he was trapped in a volcano, and Onslaught was the only Combaticon not taken down by a trio of human women. He would've killed them if the Throttlebots hadn't shown up as the cavalry. Ladies' Night In response to that humiliation, Onslaught and the Combaticons hunted the Throttlebots down. The Throttlebots were trapped in a used car lot and the Combaticons were forced to bid for them in an auction against RAAT and the Protectobots, but Onslaught cut through this by trying to have the lot's owner assassinated. RAAT would get the Throttlebots and the Combaticons were beaten by Blaster. Used Autobots

Onslaught's shining moment came when he got to lead a massed Decepticon assault on the Autobots, which came close to wiping them all out. Totaled!

Marvel UK future timelines

In an alternate timeline after the attack of Unicron in 2006, Onslaught was still active in 2008 and was one of Soundwave's lieutenants when the Quintessons invaded. Space Pirates!

Generation 2

Onslaught was one of the Decepticons operating aboard the Warworld. At the death of Mindset, a Cybertronian killed light years away, Onslaught was briefly overcome by pain, hinting of a genetic connection between these two. Escalation! He was offlined along with the entire Combaticon team by Starscream shortly thereafter, and this was never delved into. It is unknown if he was killed or later repaired. Total War!

The origin of the Combaticons in the Marvel Comic is somewhat unclear. The UK comic clearly indicated that the Combaticons were to be newly created on Earth by the Creation Matrix, much like the Aerialbots and Stunticons were. While this could be inferred from the US comic, it was not explicitly stated. What makes things even more confusing is Onslaught's reaction to the death of Mindset in the Generation 2 comic. The clear inference there was that Mindset had cyber-genetically descended from Onslaught through the budding process, implying then that Onslaught was around on Cybertron millions of years ago when budding was still performed.

Dreamwave comics continuity

Those Autobots are in for some "wheel" trouble now!

Onslaught unleashed his considerable firepower against the Autobots during the Decepticon assault against Iacon. The War Within #4 The War Within #5 He and his fellow Combaticons were later upgraded into Combiners. After the Crisis Intervention Accords were enacted, however, it is unknown if Onslaught joined up separately with any faction.

After the Great Shutdown and the peace that followed it, Onslaught and the Combaticons were labeled as war criminals and held in stasis in a penitentiary. That is, at least until Starscream freed them. Revelation

When Sunstorm appeared on Earth, the battered Combaticons were ordered by Starscream to combine into Bruticus and deal with the crazed zealot. It did not end well. Black Sunshine

Well, isn't he a bossy one...

The repaired Combaticons were brought to Guadalcanal where they could hone their somewhat lackluster combat skills and listen to Starscream's long-winded aspirations of glory. Starscream ordered them to defeat the magnificent Autobot Sky Lynx as a means to train themselves for greater battles. Unfortunately, the Combaticons did not fare well when the crafty Autobot split into his two forms, with Onslaught nearly crushed by the Lynx's right paw as he was issuing orders. After Starscream deactivated Sky Lynx, Onslaught berated his team as buffoons for not paying attention to his battle plan.

This was the least of their troubles, however, as Predaking showed up as soon after Sky Lynx shut down. Onslaught ordered his men to keep moving and maintain formation so as to remain smaller, faster targets, then as they neared Predaking, formed Bruticus. This encounter did not end well either... The Route of All Evil

Two for the Price of One

The discovery that Swindle was selling Decepticon weapons on the black market lead Megatron to berate Onslaught on his inability to keep his team member under control. Onslaught asked for another chance to get Swindle under control, but Megatron denied his request, giving Skywarp the task of bringing Swindle in. Two for the Price of One

G.I. Joe vs. The Transformers

The Combaticons were among the Decepticon army on Cybertron when Serpent O.R. took control of it. As the new Decepticon leader was assaulted by Optimus Prime, he called Onslaught and several other subgroup leaders to his aid. Prime fought back, grabbing Razorclaw's sword and slashing Onslaught with it. It is unclear if this killed him or merely damaged him, but Onslaught wasn't seen for the remainder of the battle. The Art of War #5

IDW comics continuity

Crumplezone! Hump that tank!

Onslaught led the Combaticon tactical unit assigned to the Decepticon Secret Service under Banzaitron's command. They were the storming squad which participated in the ground assault raid of the Garrus-9 penal facility, successfully blasting their way through Autobot resistance and capturing the "gestalt" transformers. He was the only one not to wee himself over the raging death that is Arcee, and he berated the other Combaticons for fearing her. Spotlight: Arcee

After a deal was negotiated between Arcee and Banzai-Tron, Onslaught and the other Combaticons later helped her in an attempt to recapture Monstructor (who had been stolen by Jhiaxus and Nemesis Prime's forces), though the insane Autobot disappeared mid-battle. Spotlight: Sideswipe

Due to the truncated nature of the Revelation miniseries, the outcome of this battle is unknown, though it appears that the Secret Service won.

A few years later, Onslaught went to Earth, where he was captured by the human organization Skywatch. He was among the deactivated captives retrieved by Hot Rod's team as they searched for more allies for their quest to get off the planet. A Rude Awakening When Swindle unleashed Menasor on the Autobots and the combiner was defeated, Onslaught was one of the Decepticons who managed to slip away. Earthworks

After reuniting with Brawl and Vortex, Onslaught was hired by North Korean leader Kim Jong Du to lead an attack on South Korea, destroying a South Korean military outpost at the de-militarized zone in the process. He was surprised by a shot from a tank, but Brawl and Vortex quickly joined in and wiped out the human forces. This attack was directly responsible for the President of the United States declaring any country working with Cybertronians was considered in possession of weapons of mass destruction. International Incident Part 1: "The Land Ironclads" None of the Combaticons much enjoyed working for humans, but unfortunately these humans knew more about the production of energon than they did. Onslaught assured the others he was formulating a better plan, but it was clear that they needed Swindle for these situations. As the Combaticons argued amongst themselves, the Autobots and Skywatch performed a surprise attack on them. Onslaught and the others were overwhelmed at first, but soon turned the tide after noting that the Autobots were forced to stay in their vehicle modes and that their only air support was a scientist. They took out two Autobots and fled back to North Korea without suffering much damage. International Incident Part 2: "Ranks of Bronze"

As Onslaught toasted to their victory in North Korea, the Autobots returned and resumed their assault, having dealt with their transformation issue. Optimus Prime began wrestling with Onslaught while also telling him that helping the humans with their infighting would only lead to chaos. Onslaught was unimpressed by his words, since the Autobots had their own human "masters" in Skywatch, but found himself defeated when rebellious Decepticon Thundercracker bombed him. International Incident Part 3: "Hawk Among the Sparrows" As the battle got close to the Chinese border, the combatants found that the Predacons had allied themselves with the Chinese government just like the Combaticons had with North Korea. The Predacons were willing to let them off with a warning, but as they turned to leave, Onslaught decided to shake things up by shooting Rampage in the back. Mistaking this for an Autobot attack, the Predacons attacked Optimus Prime and the others, while Onslaught presumably giggled to himself. The battle ended when Russia attempted to nuke everyone present: Onslaught confirmed this via radio contact with the North Koreans. In the end, the Combaticons were set free as the Autobots didn't have the resources to keep them as prisoners, but their alliance with Kim Jong Du ended with a boom as Thundercracker bombed North Korea's energon factories. International Incident Part 4: "All My Sins Remembered"

Wings Universe

In the early days of the war, Onslaught was a top Autobot cadet at Omnihelix Academy, specializing in battle strategy and tactics. His skill was impressive that he was elected a field leader for the Autobot Elite Guard straight out of the Academy, acting as head of the experimental new Special Ops Team, the Combaticons. Onslaught's Wings of Honor profile

Onslaught and the Combaticons were assembled by Magnum and Sentinel Major to take out the various leaders of the new Decepticon faction, in the hopes of ending the war quickly. At Elite Guard headquarters they were introduced to one of the other recently minted units, Metalhawk and his Strike Team. The Coming Storm: Part 2

After a short exchange, Onslaught and Metalhawk brought their teams before Big Bang for their first mission together. It was a rather pedestrian assignment, lending military-grade explosives and know-how to a civilian archeological dig. The mission was primarily designed to smooth some ruffled feathers in the High Council about the Elite Guard in general.

Upon arrival in Median, however, events became a bit more serious. The dig had uncovered Cybertronian construction facilities that indicated an inherent dichotomy in Transformer design. Onslaught personally scoffed at the scientists' theory that this dichotomy could explain and excuse the warlike nature of the Decepticon rebels, but the more pressing find was the second part of their discovery: a spark of unprecedented power called the Heart of the Dragon, allegedly housing the essence of a Transformer whose power levels went off the scale. Decepticon rogues called the Stormtroopers had learned of the Heart, and were planning a raid on Median to steal it.

As the rest of the Elite Guard did their best to fortify the dilapidated city, Onslaught and Metalhawk grilled Flipsides and the other dig members about the Stormtroopers and any information they had. When the attack came, Onslaught's plan took down the Stormtroopers' advance assault, Roadgrabber and his exo-shell, by hiding a pit behind an obviously weak part in the defenses as a lure. The Decepticon leader Rage and his three lieutenants managed to sweep by Metalhawk, however, forcing Onslaught's secondary team to hunt them down. The Stormtroopers split-and-run tactics were enough to keep all the Elite Guard chasing their tails long enough for Rage to grab the Heart, however. Terror-Tread and Cement-Head, two massive Decepticons held in reverse, then surprised and distracted the Elite Guard long enough for Rage and the others to escape.

The Elite Guard chased the Stormtroopers back to their mobile base, the Metrotitan. Onslaught and the others managed to make their way inside, where they were confronted by Brimstone, the reincarnated physical form of the Heart of the Dragon. Despite his small stature, Brimstone still had the ability to decouple molecules with his plasma breath, making him a formidable foe. Onslaught led the Elite Guard in a swift but strategic advance to the rear, giving Ironfist time to rig all his explosives for one massive blast. Although Brimstone was still standing after the blast, his outer casing had been damaged enough to let his internal energies rage out of control, destroying the Metrotitan in one enormous blast.

Back at Elite Guard headquarters, Onslaught and Metalhawk made their field reports to Magnum. Despite the unconventional nature of the mission in some regards, Magnum congratulated his men on a job well done. They were deployed again almost immediately for a mission to Praxium. Flames of Yesterday

The Special Ops Team and Strike Team worked so well as a combined unit that Magnum kept them together for several weeks. Onslaught and Metalhawk became close comrades, as did their men, sharing stories about the different warlords they brought down, such as Thunderwing and Blue Bacchus. Onslaught was aware that Metalhawk could be squeamish about some of the darker parts of warfare, though, and so he made sure Brawl and Vortex had privacy during their interrogations of a Decepticon prisoner of war.

Onslaught coordinated their next strike against a Decepticon faction leader named Shadowcaster. Using explosives and fog grenades, the Elite Guard carried out Onslaught's battle plan, forcing Shadowcaster out in the open for the Combaticon leader to take out with a killshot. Despite the mission's success, Onslaught felt something was amiss. Shadowcaster hardly seemed the type to lead a parade, much less a Decepticon splinter cell. Smelling a larger party at work, Onslaught kept the Combaticons out in the field while Metalhawk and the Strike Team returned to base. Onslaught's instincts were right on target, but even they couldn't keep him and his team from being captured by Warlord Deathsaurus and his troops. The Coming Storm: Part 3

After being held for some time in a cell behind unbreakable Oan force bars, Onslaught and the Combaticons were inexplicably released by the polite and apologetic Falcon and Vanquish. Although wary of their intentions, Onslaught agreed to follow the Decepticons to Deathsaurus's throne room for a meeting. The silver-tongued Decepticon Warlord then proceeded to sway the Combaticons to his side. He appealed to Onslaught's pride and vanity, innocently mocking how easily the Combaticons were captured by his forces and intimating that all their greatest successes had been alongside the Strike Team, not on their own. After putting Onslaught on the defensive, Deathsaurus proclaimed how he truly believed in Onslaught's gift for tactics, and was willing to support the Combaticons in a bid to seize power for themselves. After all, how better to prove their superiority and ensure peace on Cybertron than to eliminate the Elite Guard and establish themselves in the Guard's place? Onslaught and his men gave in to their darker impulses and agreed to work alongside Deathsaurus, receiving the upgrades he promised them as well. The Coming Storm: Part 4

Sometime later, the Combaticons launched their attack on Elite Guard headquarters accompanied by some of Deathsaurus's Skyraider-Seeker Brigade. Onslaught chose not to reveal their trump card until the Combaticons appeared surrounded and defeated by the Guard. He then initiated their combination into the massive Bruticus, crushing their former commanding officer Sentinel Major in one mighty hand. The Coming Storm: Part 5 Bruticus killed most of the assembled Guard before Dion was able to blind the giant, forcing the Combaticons to disengage. Onslaught reacted to Metalhawk standing in their way by simply blowing a hole through his old comrade, and the Combaticons headed back to Deathsaurus's base for repairs, but not before Onslaught promised they'd be back to deal with the Council. The Coming Storm: Part 6

During repairs, Onslaught was stunned to learn that Deathsaurus had had it rigged so that the combination into Bruticus could be triggered at Deathsaurus's will. Protesting that it wasn't part of the deal, Onslaught was nonetheless forced to form the torso of Bruticus, though the blinded giant proved difficult for Deathsaurus's Constructicons to control. Battle Lines, Part 2 The Combaticons subsequently defended the base against Magnum and the remains of the Elite Guard. Onslaught confirmed to Magnum that Deathsaurus hadn't tampered with the Combaticons' brain modules at all, and they'd turned of their own free will. As they fought the Guard, Onslaught taunted Thunder Clash while he was grappling with Landshark, much to the latter Autobot's annoyance. Finally he ordered the Combaticons to merge, only them to be blasted mid-combination. Battle Lines, Part 3

To Onslaught's dismay, the culprits were more survivors the massacre at Elite Guard HQ. He agreed with Brawl's sentiment that they should take the opportunity to end some more Autobots and started to give the command to attempt another merge, only to find that Blast Off was inconveniently missing. When Deathsaurus called a retreat, Onslaught briefly considered staying to find Blast Off, and his hesitation allowed Flak to belt him. He and his entire team were subsequently taken captive by the Autobots. Battle Lines, Part 4

In the hands of the compromised Gyronian Sentry Team, the Combaticons were whisked away to Deathsaurus's fortress, now under Megatron's control. Though Megatron gave them the option, none of them cared to help Deathsaurus, and they were imprisoned and their personality components subsequently interred in the Decepticon Detention Center. Battle Lines, Part 5

Games

The Transformers (PS2)

Onslaught is a non-playable character. He appears among the legion of Decepticon duplicates in the Autobot campaign.

The Transformers

Toys

Generation 1

The Real American Decepticon

• Onslaught (1986, 1990)
  • Team ID number: C5
  • Japanese ID number: D-64
  • Accessories: "Sonic stun-gun" rifle, double-barreled turret, chest shield, ramp, Bruticus chest shield, Bruticus head, left & right Bruticus fists, left & right Bruticus foot stands

Originally designed for the aborted Diaclone line Jizai Gattai ("Free Combination") and then brought over to the Transformers toyline, Onslaught transforms into a dark blue and green mobile anti-aircraft truck of made-up origin, armed with a large double-barreled cannon mounted on the flatbed of his vehicle mode. Like all of the original four Scramble City-style combiner team leaders, he can also assume a base/gun emplacement mode with a ramp that smaller Combaticons can use, which can be connected to both the Autobot city Metroplex (a feature not mentioned in either toy's instructions, for obvious reasons) and to the Decepticon city Trypticon (a feature only documented in Trypticon's instructions). As with Motormaster and Silverbolt, Onslaught was originally designed to feature a spring-loaded launching mechanism in base mode that would propel the smaller vehicles off him. Hasbro dropped the feature, perhaps for safety reasons, but it was retained on the Japanese edition of the figure.

In robot mode, Onslaught is armed with a long olive sonic stun-gun and is accessorized by a small chest plate. The gun can store on his backpack in either mode via two rectangular pegs which hold onto his gun sight. Holes in the side of the gun are, probably coincidentally, just the right size to peg in the smaller weapons from the other Combaticons—a feature that would be canonized only for the later Ruination version of the mold.

Onslaught combines with the other Combaticon toys into Bruticus, forming the central body component of the super-robot with the addition of a large silver chest plate and Bruticus's head. He also comes with Bruticus's hands and feet.

The complete set of Combaticons were re-released in the European-market "Classics" line in 1990; these releases typically have the rubsign indent removed from the molding. However, Onslaught has his indent intact, and the indent remains even in more recent reuses of the mold.

This mold was redecoed as Operation Combination Great Cannon, Robots in Disguise Mega-Octane, and Universe Mega-Octane.

• More information on Onslaught at TFU.info

• Bruticus (Gift set, 1985, 2009)
  • Japanese ID number: D-69

Bruticus, along with the other Combaticons, were included in a giftset that was only available in Japan and Italy.

In 2009, this set was reissued under the Transformers Encore line, using the retooled molds from the Car Robots and Robots in Disguise lines.

Encore

• Bruticus (Encore Multi-Pack, Japan 2009)
  • ID number: 16

A reissue of the original G1 Onslaught, this is in reality a G1 Onslaught redeco of the Hasbro Mega-Octane version of the mold, complete with shortened rifle and all other subsequent mold changes and a plastic chest—however, the Japan-only base mode launcher mechanism was reinstated for this release. The mold also has quite a bit of visible mold wear-and-tear thanks to the inordinate number of times the Onslaught mold has been reused and retooled.

Generation 2

File:G2Onslaught toy.jpg

I'm a Goofy Goober, yeah!

• Onslaught (1993)
  • Team ID number: C5
  • Accessories: "Sonic stun gun" rifle, double-barreled turret, missile launcher, 2 missiles, chest shield, ramp, Bruticus chest shield, Bruticus head, left & right Bruticus fists, left & right Bruticus foot stands

In Generation 2, Onslaught was redecoed in a rather outlandish colour scheme of bright orange covered in purple camouflage, with purple replacing most of his olive and silver colours. The stickers on the back of his truck proudly state that he is indeed Onslaught. In this form he was reputedly "one metamorphin' dude-icus."

His new spring-loaded missile launcher was taken from Snow Serpent from the G.I. Joe toyline, and was the same one used by Gen2 Sideswipe and Jazz. His backpack cannon was retooled with a peg-hole to mount this new launcher. This is the only peg-hole on Onslaught to accommodate the gun's smaller peg, rather than its 5mm peg. (In theory the other smaller Combaticons can also hold the rifle, and their weapons can store on Onslaught's backpack now. Not that Onslaught's about to lend his gun to Swindle or Brawl.)

• More information on G2 Onslaught at TFU.info

Universe (2008)

File:Onslaughtuniverselegends.jpg

Because Classics Legends Perceptor was super-popular.

• Onslaught (Legends, 2008)
  • Series: Classic Series

Part of the very first wave of Universe Legends Class toys, Onslaught is a redeco of Legends Class Cybertron Red Alert, transforming into a SWAT-deco'd BTR-90 armored personnel carrier mounted with a top-mounted missile similar to a SCUD launcher. Because apparently SWAT teams now have missiles. Well, maybe in Chicago.... Onslaught uses the Movie-style Decepticon symbol.

This mold was also used to make Classics Perceptor.

• More information on Universe Legends Onslaught at TFU.info

They found your phone number and want to ask you a few questions.

• Onslaught (Ultra, 2008)
  • Accessories: Shield

The large Universe version of Onslaught transforms into a six-wheeled SWAT assault truck with top-mounted twin cannons. When the button on his rotating turret is pressed, electronic lights in his head and turret flash and one hears either machine gun fire or a siren sound, either of which are continuous if held down. Rolling the vehicle's middle left tire activates a third sound effect of him causing extensive property damage on something unfortunate enough to get caught under his wheels. A looped driving sound will then be continuously played until the tire stops rolling, when a final sound of the vehicle driving away/to a halt is played. He comes with a riot shield, which can either connect to a flip up tab on Onslaught's left arm in robot mode, or store on top of his turret in either mode. The small flap at the top of the shield is used to access the turret's button, either by pressing on the flap itself, or by flipping it open and pressing the button directly. A button on Onslaught's right arm spring-deploys an arm-mounted weapon.

The robot mode cheats somewhat, having a second tow-winch on his belt-buckle immediately below his vehicle hood, while the actual vehicle mode winch splits in two to form his shoulders (see below for more on this). The stock photography also shows him as having black cannons and hands, and being slightly mis-transformed.

The Japanese TakaraTomy version of Onslaught was released in American Universe packaging as a USA Edition toy. He is redecoed to more closely resemble the colours of the original Onslaught toy and his appearance in the Generation 1 cartoon. His sparkly metallic slate-blue is replaced with swirly metallic teal, the blue paint on his arms and crotch is replaced by a dark greenish-blue, and the silver and dark silver on the sides of his face is replaced by teal. He also has slightly more paint on his face, with his mouth-plate being painted silver.

The first waves of Onslaughts gave only very brief clips of sound when the button gimmick was activated. (The siren ended up sounding like a set car alarm) This was changed in the Japanese release and as a running change in the U.S. version, so that the gun and siren noises are now restored to their intended full lengths. "MONZO 12782" is tampographed onto the front of the vehicle mode on both versions, a reference by Hasbro to the ever-helpful fan Monzo and his birthdate, December 7, 1982, or 12-7-82.

This mold was redecoed as Universe Hardhead and retooled as Timelines Clench.

• More information on Universe Ultra-Class Onslaught at TFU.info

Grindcore stole his design, so he stole Grindcore's colors.

• Bruticus Maximus (Box set, 2008)
  • Series: G1 Series

The third Universe Onslaught toy is a redeco of Energon Barricade, transforming into an eight-wheeled armored personnel carrier with a rear-mounted (non-firing) missile rack that turns and elevates. Amusingly, Barricade has a more Onslaught-accurate colour scheme than Universe Onslaught. He was only available with Universe Bruticus Maximus giftset, and when combined with the other Combaticons, Onslaught forms the torso. Almost every Onslaught also has a paint error on the right robot knee, in that there is no paint around the hole immediately below the knee, where there is paint on the left one. This error is also evident in the box photos for the individual robot mode, but not the combined mode, curiously.

As the Bruticus Maximus multi-pack was also released under the Revenge of the Fallen banner, this toy is identical to Revenge of the Fallen Onslaught, including the paint error. The mold was retooled to make Heatwave.

The alphanumeric code "C5" tampographed on the front of his vehicle mode is a reference to the original Onslaught toy's American release's team ID number. For a little extra G1 flair, Onslaught's (as well as any other variations of the mold) missile rack in vehicle-mode can be clicked back to be dragged behind, elongating the entire vehicle, similar to the original toy.

• More information on Universe multipack Onslaught at TFU.info

Notes

Onslaught's early, unused character model (left) is more toy-accurate, if you ignore a heck of a lot.

• Onslaught's ability to combine with Metroplex is due to the fact that both were originally designed as part of the Diaclone line, where both were presumably part of the same faction. Neither were ever released under the Diaclone brand, as it had long since been overtaken by the Transformers.
• Like the rest of the Combaticons, Onslaught had an earlier, unused character model which superficially resembles the toy, other than the head design. There are other problems, such as wheel placement, but it's possible the artist of the unused character model was working off crappy source material.

• When the unused character model was redrawn into the final character model, it kept the odd wheel placement and gave Onslaught his toy's head, but did some bizarre things with his transformation. Like with many of the other Combaticons' final character models, such as Swindle's, his torso is the bumper, hood, and roof of the vehicle mode flattened out. Years later, Onslaught's Ultra class Universe toy attempted to replicate this transformation scheme.
• The packaging of the 1990 European Classics release of the original Onslaught toy depicted Onslaught and the Combaticons in new color schemes—Onslaught himself was mainly purple—despite the fact that the actual toys looked identical to their original releases. While it may never be known for certain, it has been theorized that these colors originated from a packaging printing error rather than a legitimate attempt to redeco the Combaticons.

The dream is dead.

• In the commercial advertising the Generation 2 Aerialbots and Combaticons, Onslaught is referred to as "one metamorphin' dudicus". It is presently unknown what a dudicus is, or what qualifications Onslaught has met to be the only known one.
• As revealed on Hasbro's Transformers website, Universe Ultra class Onslaught's original prototype featured a larger head that lacked a neck section, and the front section of his vehicle with a (non-functional) winch folded down to become his stomach and waist, as well as more cartoon-accurate sculpted detailing on his waist. However, on the final version of this mold, the winch remains on his shoulders while another winch is molded onto the battery cover as part of his waist.
• In the Wings of Honor continuity the Combaticons are swayed to the Decepticon side by Deathsaurus appealing to their darker natures, represented by one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Fittingly enough, as the leader of the team Onslaught falls to the most dangerous of the Sins: Pride.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Onslaught (オンスロート Onsurōto)
• French: Abordage (Canada, "Boarding")
• Hungarian: Cudar ("Rascally")
• Italian: Destroyer
• Mandarin: Tú-jí (Taiwan, 突擊, "Onslaught"), Anslo (Taiwan Universe, 安史羅 Ān Shr Lúo), Xi​ji​ (China, 袭击, "Raid")
• Spanish: Oslat (Spain, Classics only)
• Russian: Osilok (Осилок)

External links

• Onslaught's Universe profile at NTFA.net