Silverbolt (G1)

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

Silverbolt is an Autobot Aerialbot from the Generation 1 continuity family.

It's not the car or the bus or the train, it's the plane
When we hit top speed, it's always the same
Sweating red hot but chilled to the bone
Side to side, bouncing round the ozone
Tranquilise me! Hypnotise me!
Techno-fear has paralysed me
All around me, people grinning
Laughing while my head is spinning
Shaking like a leaf from my head to my feet
Strapped to a seat at 20,000 feet

Silverbolt's character is defined by his extreme fear of heights and by his refusal to bow to it. He constantly struggles to project the image of a brave, determined soldier to hide his fear from others. Optimus Prime named him leader of the Aerialbots in the hopes that worrying about them would give him something else to focus on besides his own phobia. This has proven true and, not surprisingly, the mature, responsible Silverbolt makes an excellent commander.

He can combine with his fellow Aerialbots to form Superion.

"Our mission is accomplished. Further risk would be foolish."

"How come they made you Aerialbot leader, Silverbolt? You've got no sense of adventure."

"Exactly."Silverbolt and Air Raid, "Forever Is a Long Time Coming"

Fiction

Generation 1 cartoon continuity

The Transformers cartoon

Voice actor: Charles Adler (English), Tomomichi Nishimura (Japanese), Fumihiko Tachiki (Japanese, The Rebirth), Jean Claudio (French), Roberto Alexander (Latin American), Reinhard Brock (German, Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2 - 4 & Fight or Flee), Erhard Hartmann (German, Forever is a Long Time Coming), Bernd Simon (German, Starscreams Ghost & The Burden Hardest to Bear), Wolfgang Mascher (German, Ghost in the Machine), Imo Heite (German, The Ultimate Weapon & The Big Broadcast of 2006), Klaus Kessler (German, Generation 2 Dub of Ghost in the Machine)

"So long, cruel world!" Actual episode quote. Seriously.

Silverbolt was constructed out of a low-flying cargo transport vessel, which was modified to resemble an Earthly Concorde. He was later given life by Vector Sigma, along with the other Aerialbots, then returned to Earth with the Autobots via Omega Supreme. It was soon discovered that Silverbolt had a crippling weakness: an intense fear of heights, due to his low-altitude origins. Conversely, he was the only Aerialbot who wasn't a complete jerk. Because of this, Optimus Prime made him commander of the Aerialbots, reasoning that it would give him something to worry about other than his acrophobia. He proved worthy of this role when he persuaded his mutinous team mates to help the Autobots protect humanity, by showing them how Sparkplug was able to disregard his fatigue at will due to his concern for Omega Supreme's well-being, something robots cannot do.

"Has anyone seen my lip balm?"

As the combined forces of the Autobots and Aerialbots sent the Decepticons into retreat, Silverbolt bravely went after Megatron and destroyed the Key to Vector Sigma, despite his great fear of heights. As he fell, he was saved at the last moment by Slingshot, who was impressed by his courage. The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 2

Silverbolt led his Aerialbots to the Middle East to discover why aircraft had been mysteriously disappearing from the area. As they flew over a canyon, Silverbolt detected a call from help down below, only to discover it was a Decepticon trick. The Decepticons retreated when Optimus Prime showed up, and Silverbolt pitched in to rescue Slingshot, who had been buried by Blast Off. Later on, Silverbolt and Air Raid fought the Decepticons and their drones. When the Combaticons merged into Bruticus, Silverbolt (after expressing disdain for Fireflight's late arrival) ordered his team to become Superion. After a bit of combiner-on-combiner action, the Aerialbots separated and ignited the oil that had spilled all around the Decepticons, scattering them. Aerial Assault

"In the future, you'll be a great Autobot leader."
"Sweet!"
"And I'm the key to your success."
"GET OUT."

When the Seekers captured half of the Earth's leaders, Silverbolt seemed to be the only one concerned, and he valiantly rescued the humans when Starscream dropped them. Back at the base, Ratchet and Silverbolt couldn't believe the other Aerialbots' admiration of the Decepticons, but that was cut short when strange energy readings were detected on Cybertron. Boarding Omega Supreme, Silverbolt went with the other Autobots to check it out, but when they arrived, the other Aerialbots were more interested in tagging along with Starscream. Rushing in to help his teammates, Silverbolt was placed with the others into the Kronosphere, where they were sent to Cybertron's past, before the Great War. There, he met a worker named Orion Pax, and Silverbolt was again frustrated by his fascination with Decepticons. When Orion Pax was injured by Megatron, Silverbolt and his team brought him to Alpha Trion, and at Silverbolt's insistence, the damaged Orion was rebuilt into Optimus Prime. Following that, the Aerialbots destroyed the Decepticons' fuel, and Wheeljack managed to repair the Kronosphere and return them to their time. Upon their return, Silverbolt ordered the Aerialbots to combine into Superion and take down a guardian robot Megatron had sicced on the Autobots. War Dawn

The Aerialbots were tasked with applying corrostop to the Statue of Liberty, but Perceptor was captured by Stunticons, leaving it up to the Aerialbots to locate him. They followed the Stunticons' escape vehicle, but Dirge and Ramjet scared Silverbolt's squad off by using their Lightning Bug. When Megatron offered to let Perceptor free at Fox Creek Canyon, Silverbolt was among the many Autobots to come with Prime to rescue their comrade. Later, Silverbolt commanded the formation of Superion, and in this combined form the Aerialbots defeated Menasor and destroyed the Lightning Bug. Cosmic Rust

After the death of Megatron and the retaking of Cybertron, Silverbolt and the Aerialbots became part of the Autobot Fleet. When Ultra Magnus, Kup and Spike were kidnapped to Quintessa, the rescue party alerted the Aerialbots to swoop by for covering fire and pick-up. By 2006, Silverbolt was showing far more confidence as a leader, and effectively coordinated the entire rescue operation. Briefly, he even grew so large that all the Autobots trapped on Quintessa's surface were able to board him. Whattaguy. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2 When the Quintessons destroyed their own planet to get at the Autobots, the resulting blast wave destroyed the Aerialbots' ship, sending Silverbolt and the rest hurtling through space. They eventually impacted on Goo #8739B. That planetoid was so sticky, Silverbolt couldn't even blast free of its surface in jet mode. They were eventually rescued by Wreck-Gar and the Junkions. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3

In the episode "Dark Awakening", several jets in the Autobot Fleet resembling the Aerialbots' alt modes were destroyed by the Quintessons. Repeatedly. Since the Aerialbots unquestionably survived the attack, it would seem their character models were merely used to build up the size of the fleet, and the casualty figures.

"Why are you the leader, Silverbolt? I've got a nicer paint job."
"Yes, but... a Concorde is bigger."

As a leader, Silverbolt was something of a killjoy to his fellow Aerialbots, encouraging moderation and self-control over daredevil flying and adventuring. During a battle against the Quintessons, Air Raid was eager to chase after the Quintessons and give them what-for, but Silverbolt insisted they stick with the mission and secure the asteroid base the Quintessons had been operating from instead. When Air Raid gave him some backtalk that basically amounted to "Pussyyyyy!", Silverbolt shrugged it off and reminded his comrades that THIS was why Prime put him in charge. Forever Is a Long Time Coming

Once, Air Raid led the Decepticon duo of Scourge and Cyclonus into an asteroid field where Silverbolt and his fellow Aerialbots were waiting to spring an ambush. The Aerialbots messed the Decepticons up pretty badly, especially after they transformed into Superion. Eventually, Silverbolt and the others chased the Decepticons through a strange warp in space. This proceeded to have no consequences for anyone whatsoever. Fight or Flee

Silverbolt and the Aerialbots were spending a relaxing day watching home movies on Teletraan II when things suddenly get serious, as the Autobots' computer off-handedly informed them Trypticon was never destroyed in his last battle with Metroplex. Sure enough, Silverbolt and Skydive were later present at the former site of Fort Knox, investigating Trypticon's handiwork on behalf of the King of Kings of Carbombya. When they tracked Trypticon to his new staging grounds, Silverbolt and the Aerialbots launched from Broadside, but the Decepticon presence in Carbombya was more than they had anticipated. The Aerialbots made a hasty retreat when confronted with overwhelming firepower, but soon returned with reinforcements and drove the Decepticons from Carbombya. Thief in the Night

During a battle in space, Silverbolt and the Aerialbots may or may not have been present. Superion, at least, was surely there on the planet Eurythma... sometimes. Carnage in C-Minor Silverbolt was definitely stationed at Autobot City, though, when Scourge and Starscream stole Metroplex's eyes. The massive Autobot was nearly driven mad with pain when the Decepticons set off a bomb in his brain, and Skydive, Silverbolt and Powerglide had to keep him contained so that his thrashing didn't destroy anything irreplaceable. Like Portland. Ghost in the Machine

No one tell him that space is really really high up.

After Sky Lynx took some hostile fire over the planet of Junk, Rodimus Prime dispatched Silverbolt and the Aerialbots to investigate. They were caught in a crossfire between the brain-addled Junkions and the Quintessons, who were responsible for messing with the Junkions' air waves, and their minds. Even after becoming Superion, the Aerialbots took heavy fire and had to be brought back to First Aid on Cybertron for repairs. The Big Broadcast of 2006

Normally, Silverbolt is the pinnacle of self-restraint and professionalism. One day, though, he congratulated Air Raid on strategically getting himself set on fire by Trypticon, and then personally flew down the monster's throat, throwing out laser bolts and imaginative taunts all the way down his gullet. Someone slipped a little too much caffeine into Silverbolt's oil that day. The Ultimate Weapon

During the Decepticon invasion of Japan, the Aerialbots fought against Astrotrain when he tried to derail a bullet train full of passengers. The Burden Hardest to Bear Sometime thereafter, Silverbolt and the Aerialbots were recruited by Rodimus Prime to rescue the body of Optimus Prime from Swofford and Morgan. Unfortunately, this only meant they were among the first Autobots exposed to the hate plague. Despite the madness induced by the red dust, the Aerialbots were apparently still willing to form Superion. Superion ran amok, causing serious property damage, infecting Defensor, and taking several other Autobots out of action. The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1

When the Decepticons invaded Cybertron searching for the Plasma Energy Chamber, the Aerialbots tried to stop them. Unfortunately, they didn't reckon with Sixshot. Silverbolt's team was taken down in a matter of seconds, with him being personally eliminated by Cyclonus, wielding Sixshot in gun mode. The Rebirth, Part 1 Silverbolt somehow survived Sixshot's direct hit, and was finally defeated two episodes later by Blast Off. The Combaticons then took his power pack to use as fuel for the giant rocket engine they were constructing for Galvatron. The Rebirth, Part 3

Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers manga

When the Protectobots confronted Menasor at a baseball stadium, Silverbolt and the Aerialbots arrived as back-up. They formed Superion to engage Menasor and Bruticus. After Defensor was injured, Superion targeted the Decepticon combiners' legs, shaking them loose and giving the smaller Protectobots a chance to link up with the Decepticon gestalts and override control of their bodies. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #5 After the Autobots discovered a utopia island paradise, it was besieged by Megatron and the Constructicons, who wanted to build an impregnable fortress. Kenji radioed for help, and Optimus Prime sent Silverbolt and the Aerialbots to the rescue. As Superion, they fought off Devastator and Trypticon, using their smarts to outthink the evil warriors. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #6

Scramble City cartoon

Voice actor: Tomomichi Nishimura (Japanese)

Silverbolt and the Aerialbots were dispatched from the Scramble City project by Ultra Magnus to aid Optimus Prime in battle with the Seekers and Devastator. Their aerial firepower frankly overwhelmed the marauding Decepticons, and sent them home with their transistors between their struts. On his second attempt, Megatron sent the Stunticons, who were considerably more successful in engaging the Autobots. Damaged in jet modes, Silverbolt the Aerialbots chose instead to merge and form Superion. As Superion, they possessed scramble combining abilities, but so did the Stunticons when they formed Menasor. The Aerialbots were in the midst of reconfiguring their limb formation when Fireflight, being...well, a daydreaming idiot, mixed up whether he was supposed to be the right leg or the left. His indecision gave Menasor time to shoot him down, and Wildrider assumed the place of Superion's right leg instead, corrupting his programming. Silverbolt and the others were trapped as Superion, literally fighting themselves, until Fireflight retook his place as Superion's limb. Scramble City: Mobilization

The Great Transformer War comic

In 2010, Galvatron kidnapped Doctor Dalton of Eran to utilize his skills and improve the Decepticons' combiner technology. Silverbolt and the Aerialbots joined the Protectobots in assaulting Trypticon, in hopes of rescuing the hostage scientist. Silverbolt and his team formed Superion for a first strike, but the Decepticon combiners countered with their deployment modes, launching the Stunticon and Combaticon troops with enough force to tear Superion apart. The Protectobots stood guard over Hot Spot as he performed battlefield triage on the Aerialbots in his repair bay mode, bringing them back online. Silverbolt then transformed into launcher mode and unleashed the Aerialbots in their own scramble attack, blinding Menasor and Bruticus long enough for the Autobots to escape safely with Dalton. The Great Transformer War #1

The Headmasters cartoon

Voice actor: Ken Yamaguchi (Japanese)

Silverbolt and the Aerialbots were stationed at Autobot City on Earth in 2011. When Galvatron attacked Cybertron via the old space bridge network, the Aerialbots were summoned to Cybertron as reinforcements. They soon arrived with the Trainbots and quickly joined the battle. Silverbolt and his team formed Superion and battled Abominus and Devastator. Four Warriors Come out of the Sky Later, the combined Aerialbots fought alongside Raiden and Defensor against the Decepticon combiners, and were nearly crushed when Bruticus collapsed a building on their position. They were bailed out by the arrival of the Battleship Maximus. When Hot Rod began his search for the Matrix of Leadership on Earth, Silverbolt and the Aerialbots returned to the humans' planet to assist him. They confronted the Stunticons in the desert, pitting Superion against Menasor yet again. The battle was so fierce, it eventually carried them to the Arctic, where Hot Rod was searching. The Mystery of Planet Master

Silverbolt and his flying comrades joined the Triple Changers in distracting the Decepticons long enough for Twincast to sneak inside Trypticon and gather data on the Madmachine. The Great Cassette Operation Sometime later, Silverbolt and the Aerialbots were on a research vessel that passed near a strange meteorite. The meteorite had been altered by Galvatron to produce magnetic warping waves whenever it detected metal, and so it send the Aerialbots and their ship twisting through space. Although the Decepticons tried to intervene, the Autobots eventually recovered Silverbolt and his injured colleagues. Approach of the Demon Meteorite

Following a lengthy repair cycle, Silverbolt and the Aerialbots were ready for action when Galvatron and the Decepticons laid siege to Cybertron one last time. Transporting to Cybertron from Earth, they raced into battle (on foot, for some reason). Silverbolt and the team got the drop on the Stunticons when they merged into Superion, smashing and scattering the 'Cons before they could form Menasor. Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 1 As the fighting continued, the Aerialbots battled Abominus as Superion and later separated to trade blaster fire with the Stunticons. The warring only came to an end once Scorponok's bombs blew up Vector Sigma and annihilated the planet.Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 2

Silverbolt was stationed at Autobot City when a volcano erupted in Peru, threatening a nearby town. Ultra Magnus sent out the Protectobots and Trainbots, but they ran into trouble with the Headmasters and Predacons. Silverbolt pleaded with Ultra Magnus to send his men in as reinforcements, but Magnus was worried about leaving the base unguarded by sending out too many of his troops. As Ultra Magnus wracked his brain trying to deal with the problem, the Autobot Headmasters had time to fly from Athenia. The Dormant Volcano Mysteriously Erupts

When a giant carnivorous plant attacked San Francisco, Ultra Magnus dispatched Silverbolt and the Aerialbots to combat it. Although they made frequent bombing runs on the organism, the Aerialbots were unable to stop it. Only the arrival of Fortress and his powerful giant Transtector brought an end to the creature's rampage. Head On!! Fortress Maximus Silverbolt and the Aerialbots were part of a strike team that flew to the moon to disrupt Scorponok's gathering of Decepticons. They immediately formed Superion upon entering the battle. Return of the Immortal Emperor

When one of Scorponok's Death Towers emerged in Washington D.C., Silverbolt and the Aerialbots were dispatched to investigate it. As part of Superion, Silverbolt participated in the Autobots final battle with Scorponok's Decepticons at the North Pole. He lent his energies to the Headmasters' Head Formation to revitalize Fortress Maximus at the critical moment. The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 2)

Marvel Comics continuity

Generation 1

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

THIS IS SPARTA!!!!!

The Aerialbots were created when Bumblebee filmed Devastator's combining sequence, following a Matrix-sent vision by Buster Witwicky of new Special Teams. Using the Autobot Matrix of Leadership, Optimus Prime gave the Aerialbots life. The leader, Silverbolt's alternate mode is that of a human transport airplane. After being given life and during testing, Prime ordered them to stop the Decepticon assault on the Hoover Dam.

The fight went well, but Dirge used his super-sonic ability to bring out a Transformer's deepest fear; it warped Silverbolt's fear of heights (ironic for an Aerialbot) and forced him to land. The Aerialbots prevailed in the fight, however, and as the Decepticons fled, Silverbolt combined them all to form Superion, trying to stop the drill from absorbing all of the Hoover Dam's electricity.

Superion's reflex was to strike out and kill the human who held Megatron in his gun form, but Silverbolt mentally stepped in and prevented him from doing so. He forced the Aerialbots to disassemble. The human fired Megatron's gun at the drill, winning the day for the Autobots. Aerialbots over America!

"Wheeljack, did you unquestioningly kill the Aerialbots, as per my orders?"
"Yep—sure thing, Prime!"

Nonetheless, Silverbolt's mind was wiped along with his fellow Aerialbots shortly afterwards, due to Optimus Prime's dissatisfaction with the mission. Silverbolt would appear in other later battles with his teammates, usually getting blown out of the sky, if not to pieces.

Later, when Skids was transporting the human Donny Finkleberg home, Silverbolt and the Aerialbots were sent to do battle with the Stunticons. Both combiners fused, creating Menasor and Superion. Josie Beller, known as Circuit Breaker, fired upon Superion, however, crippling him heavily and leaving Menasor the victor. Heavy Traffic!

"This must be a flashback... I'm in monochrome!"

They would battle Menasor again at a Blackrock plant, and this time the fusion worked so well everyone found out the others' weaknesses and neuroses. Horrified at his fear of heights being found out, Silverbolt drove Superion into a vicious, brutal fury. ...Perchance to Dream Following this, Silverbolt and the other Aerialbots would come under Jetfire's command to investigate enemy activity in a small East Coast town. They would combine into Superion for the fourth and final time—their collective neuroses and loathing of each others' weaknesses made it impossible for Superion to focus on more than one thing at a time. The Return of the Transformers Silverbolt would later work to get over his fear. The Magnificent Six!

With Optimus dead, Silverbolt was one of the high-ranking Autobots gathered by Perceptor to decide their new leader. Silverbolt voted for Grimlock—nice one... King of the Hill! He later got killed by the Underbase-powered Starscream. Dark Star

After obtaining Nucleon from Hydrus 4, Grimlock indiscriminately pumped the restorative substance through the Ark's life support chambers, reviving Silverbolt along with other fallen Autobots. Silverbolt and the others were immediately shoved into battle against Unicron. On the Edge of Extinction! Following Unicron's defeat, the Decepticons tried to strand the Autobots on a self-destructing Cybertron, but Grimlock had hidden away a small fleet of Decepticon warships. Silverbolt, suffering Prowl's impatient badgering, piloted one of the warships to Klo for a last stand against the Decepticons. The Last Autobot?

Earthforce

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

"Hey, who's the joker that left this cyber-bug in my CR chamber?"

Kept in inactive rest after his destruction at the hands of Starscream, Silverbolt was revived by Galvatron when the future Decepticon infiltrated the Ark and attempted to reprogram several Autobots into working for him, using their darker impulses as a focus. Galvatron succeeded in reactivating Silverbolt and several others, but failed to command their loyalty, and they turned his own mind bug technology against him. ...Perchance to Dream When Optimus Prime took the Ark out into space shortly thereafter, leaving Grimlock in charge of Autobot activity on Earth, Silverbolt joined the new Earthforce in opposing the remaining Decepticon factions, led by Megatron and Shockwave. Break-Away! Perhaps at Silverbolt's request, the other Aerialbots were also revived in short order, and joined Earthforce as well. When Wheeljack's new defense grid for the Earthbase went awry, Silverbolt assembled the Aerialbots to fly air support for Prowl as he attempted to re-enter the base and shut down the system from the inside. The House that Wheeljack Built!

Sometime later, Silverbolt and the Aerialbots were operating as Superion when Bombshell zapped them with a cerebro-shell, causing the super-robot to rampage through the countryside. A human named Irwin Spoon eventually managed to climb inside and remove the shell from Superion's cerebral circuitry. Inside Story!

Sent on a mission to Stanix with five other Autobots, he was captured by Megadeath, who had tortured his comrades millions of years ago. Silverbolt got them to face their fear and move past it, saving their lives. The Magnificent Six!

"Another Time & Place"

Silverbolt was part of the Autobot force who travelled to Hydrus Four to rescue the Dinobots. Along with his fellow Aerialbots, Air Raid and Skydive, he performed a bombing run on the Decepticon-held medcenter where they were trying to revive Megatron. Another Time & Place

Generation 2

After the defeat of Bludgeon and his Decepticons on Klo, the Autobots split into smaller combat units throughout the universe. Once Optimus Prime and Grimlock learned of the threat posed by the second generation Cybertronian army, though, the Autobot forces reconsolidated under their command. Slingshot and the other Aerialbots were first seen after the Autobots had retreated to an asteroid sanctuary for retraining. They were, um, outsmarted by Hot Rod. The Power and the Glory

Later, when Grimlock decided to countermand Prime's orders and come to his aid against the Decepticons on Earth, Silverbolt was part of the rescue team he assembled. The Gathering Darkness He was also involved in the two major offensives against the Cybertronians, on Ethos Escalation! and at Autobase Earth. Total War!

Regeneration One

Template:Noterg1 Sometime around 2007, Silverbolt was amongst those suffering ill effects from the infusion of Nucleon into their systems, being kept in stasis in the "Nursery". Natural Selection, Part One

Classics

Template:Classicsnote Silverbolt was aboard the Graviton when it was pulled into the Primax -408.24 Epsilon universe and deposited near that universe's prehistoric Earth. After being shot down by the Talon, the Autobots adopted organic alternate modes to avoid the ambient Energon radiation, with Silverbolt taking the form of an eagle. Shattered Time After discovering that three stasis pods were missing from the ship, the Autobots went in search of them, only to find Megatron had found them first. Silverbolt, Ironhide and Prowl were bombarded by the newly-activated Autojetter, and it was only the arrival of Depth Charge and the recovery of Ultra Magnus that saved them. Shattered Expectations

The Autobots retreated across a rock bridge, and watched as Magnus faced off against Megatron, dealing their foe a temporary defeat. Back at the Graviton, Depth Charge gave the "Maximals" more of an explanation regarding his presence. Shattered Paths When they located their missing energy purifier, the Maximals went out to fetch it. Despite the new ability of Ironhide, Prowl and Silverbolt to merge into Magnaboss, they were trounced by God Neptune. Shattered Hope Returning to the ship, the Maximals fueled up before joining Depth Charge, who had located the Matrix he was seeking. The Maximals kept a security system occupied long enough for Magnus to retrieve the Matrix in question, however a short time later they were confronted by Megatron piloting a giant mech. Shattered Balance Silverbolt again took part in merging into Magnaboss, but the combiner was soundly defeated by Megatron's Gigastorm Armor. The Maximals were moments later pulled into a dimensional rift created by Ultra Magnus. Shattered Destiny

Dreamwave Generation One continuity

Silverbolt and his fellow Aerialbots became one of the first Autobot "Special Teams" several million years ago, adopting the process used to create Devastator in order to become Superion. The unchecked destructive power of these super-robots was eventually recognized by the Autobot and Decepticon factions, however. By the time of the Dark Ages, the Crisis Intervention Accord had been ratified, strictly forbidding Special Teams from operating together on any given faction, in order to prevent these titans from tearing the planet apart. War Within: The Dark Ages

Although they were apparently not part of the Ark's original crew, Silverbolt and the Aerialbots somehow arrived on Earth and were part of Optimus Prime's unit in the 1980s. The war on the human homeworld raged until 1998 when the Decepticons were finally defeated, and in the following year, the Ark II was constructed to take the Transformers home. However, the ship was sabotaged by the rogue engineer-turned arms dealer Adam Rook, known as Lazarus, and General Robert Hallo, who planned on reprogramming the Transformers into the service of the United States military. The Aerialbots were some of the few Transformers who were not recovered by Lazarus for his reprogramming venture, now aimed at hiring out the Transformers to the highest bidder. Instead, they lay immobile in the Arctic waters until reactivated as Superion in 2002 by Optimus Prime, using the power of the Matrix of Leadership. Prime Directive #2

Silverbolt and the Aerialbots in their Superion form, battled the Decepticons in the Northwest Territories of Canada Prime Directive #3 and again in San Francisco. During the latter conflict, Superion was broken down into his individual components while battling Devastator and the Seekers. Prime Directive #4 When Megatron failed to convince Optimus Prime to join his cause, Silverbolt and his team were freed and eventually reunified in order to intercept a nuclear missile (launched by General Hallo) headed for the California coastline. Superion, and by extension the Aerialbots, were destroyed in stopping the missile. Prime Directive #6

Their remains were collected secretly by Earth Defense Command and held in Area 51. Generation 1 #0

IDW Generation 1 continuity

Before the war, Silverbolt was a law enforcer and member of captain Orion Pax's team, serving as their eye in the sky and participating in the capture of Swindle. Law and Disorder During their hunt for the Decepticon spy Soundwave, he reported to Orion where their target was headed and the failed attempts of the other Autobots at taking him down. Once everyone else was defeated or distracted, Silverbolt went after Soundwave on his own, only to crash when Ratbat ripped off his port stabilizer. The Hunt for Soundwave He later participated in the search for the insurgent Hot Rod, but was unable to assist his teammates after they entered the maze-like Acropolex. Ruins After Orion Pax had become Optimus Prime, Silverbolt and his Aerialbots responded to his rallying call for additional support against the Decepticons and fought against the Seekers in the battle over Iacon. Broadcast

When Trypticon began his rampage across Cybertron, Silverbolt first provided aerial surveillance and later led the Aerialbots in an attack that served to collapse a building on top of the beast. The Illusion of Control Four million years ago, Silverbolt attended a victory celebration on Cybertron after the Autobots stopped a Decepticon energon convoy from reaching its destination. He was seen chatting with Bluestreak and Hound at the party. The Iron Age

His bedside manner could use some work...

In the modern era, with Optimus Prime leading the Autobots in the field, Silverbolt became Operation Commander on the Autobot Orbital Command Hub; Perceptor was one of his senior officers. He was involved in trying to find the attempted assassin of Blaster, deducing the assailant had to be an Autobot. To catch the would-be killer, Silverbolt and Blaster concocted a plan where the Autobot morale-booster set himself as bait. Silverbolt and his men waited as backup while Blaster dealt with the assassin (who turned out to be a mind-controlled Beachcomber), but he nearly stormed into the room when he saw that "the Voice" was not armed with a weapon. Spotlight: Blaster

Several years later, Silverbolt was mentioned as being on Earth by Bumblebee. New Arrivals, Old Encounters

Most of the Autobots eventually left Earth, returning to Cybertron to fight Galvatron's army. When Galvatron began to fire at the planet's surface using Kimia Facility's particle cannon, Silverbolt led all available flying Autobots in an attack on the facility. Though he didn't know what Galvatron was targeting, he knew the barrage had to be stopped, and volunteered to destroy Kimia by tossing explosives into its barrel. He didn't need to, as it was soon blown up by Autobots on the inside. Chaos Part Two: Numbers

After the Chaos war, Silverbolt's fellow Aerialbot Barrel Roll died in an explosion and Silverbolt, unable to trust any Decepticons after four million years of war, blamed the survivor, Dirge and would've killed the Decepticon if not for Wheeljack spoiling his aim. Shortly after the incident, Bumblebee agreed to accept Starscream into the government, which made Silverbolt even more furious. He attacked Bumblebee and Prowl before announcing that he and his Aerialbots were leaving Bumblebee's government. Stick Together Shortly after leaving Iacon behind and traveling into the untamed wilderness Cybertron had become, the Aerialbots were the first to fall victim to Megatron's experiments with a combiner energy that influenced their minds and made them turn on each other. Before the Dawn Silverbolt's comrades teamed up to attack him, though he himself remained immune for a time, something he believed to be a side effect of him never truly feeling like part of the team. He avoided their attacks for three days before he too began to feel the effects and made a recording of his experiences as a warning to whoever came next. Night and the City Ironhide, sent out to find the lost Aerialbots, first discovered a broken wing belonging to their Silverbolt, Dinobot Hunt but by the time he tracked the warning message to its source, he found the Aerialbot leader had succumbed to the influence and, to cope, merged with his team into a single being: Superion. Night and the City

IDW Beast Wars comics

Though his aerial insecurities are now mostly a thing of the past, he still mutters a short prayer or mantra as he takes flight. Though taking to the air might bring about some queasiness in him still, Silverbolt believes that courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to overcome it. Beast Wars Sourcebook

Silverbolt was a member of the Maximal counterpart to the Tripredacus Council, the Maximal Imperium, alongside former Autobot teammates Ironhide and Prowl. The Ascending #2

Games

Transformers Legends

Silverbolt and his Aerialbot team managed to drive Nemesis Prime into a retreat after this twisted creation of Doctor Arkeville was unleashed on the world. Nemesis Rising They had similar success intercepting Motormaster's convoy, which was trying to deliver part of a super weapon to Decepticon HQ. The Aerialbots' attack resulted in the Decepticons destroying their own weapon to keep it out of Autobot hands. Eagle Eyes The Aerialbots were trapped by the Decepticons and sent back through time through a Chronogon portal. Encountering the archivists Orion Pax and Ariel, the team took the injured pair to Alpha Trion following an attack on the Iacon Archives. Trion helped the team return to present day, where Silverbolt told Optimus Prime and Elita One about their adventure. Golden Age

Toys

Generation 1

"Oh God, I'm in the middle of a white cloud!" *faints*

• Silverbolt (Aerialbot, 1986/1991)
  • Team ID number: A1
  • Japanese ID number: C-50
  • Accessories: "Electrostatic Discharger Rifle", "Blast Shield" chest plate, Superion's head, 2 fists (left & right), 2 foot stands (left & right), ramp and "Blast Deflector" waist plate

Silverbolt transforms into a Concorde SST jet liner, and also has a third launcher/base mode for use with the other Aerialbots. A particular weakness of Silverbolt's design is the way both his legs are connected to his hips by a long pin going through several very small (and weak) plastic hinges that are put under stress as the immediate joint underneath this assembly is a swivel used during transformation. His Takara release has a spring powered launcher mechanism for the "base" mode that was removed from his Hasbro releases, leaving only a piece that flopped around uselessly on his chest. He was available both alone and in a gift set with his teammates.

In Japan, the entire Aerialbot team were offered (as individual purchases) as mail-order items in US packaging during Return of Convoy. Silverbolt cost 2000 yen and three robot points and did not include the base mode launcher.

The Aerialbots were later sold as part of the European Classics toyline in 1991, still without the "base" mode launcher on Silverbolt.

• More information on Silverbolt at TFU.info

• Superion (1986)
  • Japanese ID number: C-55

Silverbolt was also available with the other Aerialbots as part of a Superion giftset. All of the toys in the set are identical to their individual releases for the same markets (i.e., the Takara version of Silverbolt included the you-know-what).

Generation 2

• Silverbolt (1994)
  • Team ID number: A5
  • Accessories: 2 Missile launchers, 2 missiles, chest plate, Superion's head, 2 fists (left & right), 2 feet (left & right), ramp and waist plate

For the Generation 2 toyline, Silverbolt's toy was redecoed in blue and orange, and his wings were retooled to hold a new pair of spring-loaded missile launchers (reused from the Generation 2 versions of Starscream and Ramjet). No base mode launcher here, either...

• More information on Generation 2 Silverbolt at TFU.info

Beast Wars

House the people living on the street. Shoe the children with no shoes on their feet.

• Magnaboss (Ultra, 1997)

Silverbolt transforms from an eagle into a robot, with portions of his wings turning into a pair of swords. Each wing also contains a spring-loaded missile launcher. He is able to combine with Ironhide and Prowl, his package buddies, forming part of the torso and helmet to the giant robot Magnaboss.

This mold was used to make Beast Wars II Skywarp.

The Magnaboss toy included no information about its 3 components beyond their names. The character was finally established by IDW to be Generation 1 Silverbolt a decade after its release in 2007.

Silverbolt is rumoured to be a sufferer of the dreaded Gold Plastic Syndrome. Thankfully he is not one of the more common cases and most Silverbolts have survived many years of playwear. Unlike, say, Slingshot .

• More information on Beast Wars Silverbolt at TFU.info

Universe (2008)

Will the new size class solve his long-running scale problems? Only time will tell...

• Silverbolt (Ultra Class, 2008)
  • Series: Classic Series
  • Accessories: "Electron Bolt Rifle", "Electron Bolt"

Part of the second wave of 2008 Universe Ultra-class toys, Silverbolt transforms into a (fictional) FB-129 supersonic fighter-bomber. As an Ultra Class toy, he comes with various light and sound gimmicks (exactly the same ones as Universe Powerglide), including a machine gun type sound when one presses the big red button on the fuselage, and different classic transformation sound effects depending on whether he is being transformed from vehicle mode or vice versa. His spring-loaded missile-launching blaster features a B-2 Stealth bomber as a decorative shape. His BOLT-25 markings reference both his name and the twenty-fifth (silver) anniversary of the Transformers brand.

The Japanese Transformers USA version of this toy for the Henkei! Henkei! line features much brighter white plastic, replacing most of his grey plastic with the same white for a better match with his cartoon model. Also, the red on his chest is now a matching shade of red rather than the two tones seen on the Universe version.

This mold was also used to make Darkwind and Skyfall.

• More information on Universe Silverbolt (Ultra) at TFU.info

• Special Team Leaders (Legends Class multi-pack, 2008)
  • Series: Classic Series

A redeco of the Legends-class Cybertron Thundercracker toy, Silverbolt transforms into a Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jet. He is only available in a Target-exclusive gift set along with Legends-class versions of Hot Zone, Scattorshot, Hun-Grrr and Razorclaw.

This mold was also used to make Legends-class Classics Jetfire and 2008's Universe Starscream.

• More information on Universe Silverbolt (Legends) at TFU.info

The other guys think I'm acrophobic, but I'm not scared of some guy in a wheelchair.

• Superion (Multi-pack, 2008)
  • Series: G1 Series

Available only as a component of Universe Superion, this version of Silverbolt is a white and black redeco of Energon Storm Jet, transforming into a futuristic supersonic jet similar to an SR-71 Blackbird or Skyquake. As a toy derived from the Energon-series "Powerlinx Combiner"s, he can attach any Energon combiner limbs to the Powerlinx ports located on his arms and legs, though nominally he combines with his fellow Aerialbots to become Superion.

Like the Storm Jet version of the sculpt, Silverbolt features several instances of misassembly: Namely, his inside legs are swapped so that the knee joint faces the wrong way. Furthermore, his shoulders are also misassembled, since there is a molded chevron...in his armpit.

The Superion five-pack, despite being initially intended as a Universe Target exclusive, was only released in Universe packaging in some non-American markets such as Australia and Singapore. Instead, American Target stores (and Zellers stores in Canada) received an unchanged version of the toy in Revenge of the Fallen packaging, still named Superion, with all the individual components, including Silverbolt, retaining their names as well.

• More information on Universe Silverbolt (Multi-pack) at TFU.info

Merchandise

Transformers Gum

• Silverbolt (1986)
  • Accessories: "Electrostatic Discharger Rifle", "Blast Shield" chest plate

Essentially a downsized version of the original Silverbolt toy, the Transformers Gum kit is sculpted from black, red and grey plastic, features stickers rather than paint applications for details, and came with a stick of gum.

Notes

Sometimes Silverbolt just wants to naked it up.

• Silverbolt's character model is based on the toy with Superion's chest plate attached. Even Silverbolt's package art includes the Superion chest plate, though his robot mode is without it on the back-of-the-box art and in his own instructions. Attaching Superion's chest plate results in limited elbow positioning, so it would appear he was not designed to use it in this mode, though it wouldn't be out of the question. Either someone along the way made a mistake or realized that he looked really terrible without it.

• Because the Superion chest plate was used with Silverbolt's robot mode so prevalently, his Universe toy incorporates details from it.

• Due to the size of his original toy's alternate mode, in that form he should be one of the biggest Transformers around (approximately 164 feet, 5 inches tall!). This means he's one of the most out-of-scale Generation 1 characters, both as a toy and in all of his depictions in fiction.

This is the most hardcore Silverbolt has ever been.

• Apparently Silverbolt sometimes lets Prime ride on his back while dropping bombs on Decepticons from above. Bet you didn't know Concordes could even CARRY bomb-loads!
• Oddly, the Beast Wars Sourcebook depicts him with the eagle head for his robot mode head. It also reveals that Silverbolt had lost most of his fear of heights by the time he gained this form.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Silverbolt (シルバーボルト Shirubāboruto)
• French: Éclairo (Canada, "Lightningo")
• Hebrew: Kalíah Késsef (קליע כסף, "Silver Bullet")
• Hungarian: Ezüstnyíl ("Silver Arrow")
• Italian: Radiant
• Mandarin: Yín Shǎn-dìan (Taiwan, 銀閃電, "Silver Bolt"), Yín Jìan (China, 银箭, "Silver Arrow")
• Russian: Arbalet (Арбалет, "Arbalest")

External links

• Silverbolt's Universe profile at NFTA.net