Drift (G1)
| This article is about the Generation 1 character. For Armada episode, see Drift (episode). |
- Drift is an Autobot in the IDW continuity portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.
Drift (ドリフト Dorifuto) is totally sugoi! He's a member of a ragtag team of rebels under the command of Kup, working alongside many members of the Wreckers. Just how he rose from total obscurity to this level of distinction is just part of his mysterious past. Drift isn't very talkative, letting his sword and his smirk speak for him.
Fiction
IDW comics
Drift</B> was among the crew of the spacecraft <I><A title=Trion href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Trion">Trion</A></I> when it was baited into a <A title=Decepticon href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Decepticon">Decepticon</A> ambush over <A title="Cybertron (planet)" href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Cybertron_(planet)">Cybertron</A>. Its command codes were hacked due to their being sold to the Decepticons by an Autobot traitor, and left defenseless it was forced to crash-land on the desolate landscape of the planet. Eventually the crew were found by <A title="Optimus Prime (G1)" href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Optimus_Prime_(G1)">Optimus Prime</A>'s unit, who unfortunately proved to also be stranded. When <A title="Mirage (G1)" href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Mirage_(G1)">Mirage</A> was revealed by <A title="Jazz (G1)" href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Jazz_(G1)">Jazz</A> to have been standing invisibly among them, <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff66">Drift</B> was the only one who didn't appear surprised. <SPAN class=tt1_nowrap style="BORDER-RIGHT: #cccccc 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5px; BORDER-TOP: #cccccc 0px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; FONT-SIZE: 10px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: #cccccc 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: #cccccc 0px solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ececec"><A title="All Hail Megatron issue 5" href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/All_Hail_Megatron_issue_5">All Hail Megatron #5</A></SPAN>
When an advance scout of the <A title="Insecticon swarm" href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Insecticon_swarm">Insecticon swarm</A> discovered the Autobots' base-camp, <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff66">Drift</B> was dispatched to take care of it. <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff66">Drift</B> stood stock-still as the creature walked up to him, greeting it with a simple "hello" and smirking as the monstrous beast snarled in his face. Finally he beheaded the beast with a single wave of his sword. A second creature tried to attack <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff66">Drift</B> from behind, but the smirking Autobot merely tilted his head slightly, allowing <A title="Perceptor (G1)" href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Perceptor_(G1)">Perceptor</A> to kill the beast with some precision sniping. <A title="Cliffjumper (G1)" href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Cliffjumper_(G1)">Cliffjumper</A> thought the incident was the coolest thing ever. <SPAN class=tt1_nowrap style="BORDER-RIGHT: #cccccc 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5px; BORDER-TOP: #cccccc 0px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; FONT-SIZE: 10px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: #cccccc 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: #cccccc 0px solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ececec"><A title="All Hail Megatron issue 6" href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/All_Hail_Megatron_issue_6">All Hail Megatron #6</A></SPAN>
Notes
- Commenting on what inspired him to create <B
style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff66">Drift</B>, writer/creator <A title="Shane McCarthy" href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Shane_McCarthy">Shane McCarthy</A> said that "I wanted a character in AHM that had a particular element to him that <A title="Star Saber (G1)" href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Star_Saber_(G1)">I didn’t see readily available elsewhere</A> and secondly because, frankly, I thought it would be a great idea for Hasbro to have an <A title=Lightfoot href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Lightfoot">Autobot <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff66">Drift</B> racer</A>."<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-0><A title="" href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Drift_(G1)#cite_note-0">[1]</A></SUP>
- According McCarthy, Drift's Japanese overtones are meant to be a tip of
the hat "to the country that gave birth to [Transformers]."<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-1><A title="" href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Drift_(G1)#cite_note-1">[2]</A></SUP> It is possible he meant <I><A title=Diaclone href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Diaclone">Diaclone</A></I> and <I><A title="Micro Change" href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Micro_Change">Micro Change</A></I>, as the <I><A title="Transformers brand" href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Transformers_brand">Transformers</A></I> franchise was developed between <A title=Hasbro href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Hasbro">Hasbro</A> and <A title="Marvel Comics" href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Marvel_Comics">Marvel Entertainment</A>, two American companies.
- <A title="IDW Publishing" href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/IDW_Publishing">IDW
Publishing</A> claimed that <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff66">Drift</B> had been solicited by <A title=Hasbro href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Hasbro">Hasbro</A> to receive a toy in the <I><A title="Universe (2008 franchise)" href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Universe_(2008_franchise)">Universe</A></I> line. After months of no word whatsoever on the subject from Hasbro or a single hint that such a thing would happen from the usual sources (read: leaks and stolen toys), Hasbro's Australian branch eventually answered the claim with a rather unequivocal "no, he isn't" in an online Q&A session.<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-2><A title="" href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Drift_(G1)#cite_note-2">[3]</A></SUP> IDW editor <A title="Chris Ryall" href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Chris_Ryall">Chris Ryall</A> maintained at New York Comic-Con 2009 that <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff66">Drift</B> is still on track to receive a toy, but no release date has been set.
- Drift's name is derived from the Japanese driving technique of "<A
class=extiw title=wikipedia:Drifting_(motorsport) href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drifting_(motorsport)">drifting</A>", rendered in Japanese as ドリフト走行 (dorifuto sōkō). This is also the source of the Japanese Katakana writing on his car mode doors and in Chris Ryall's announcement;<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-3><A title="" href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Drift_(G1)#cite_note-3">[4]</A></SUP> it is a transliteration of his English name and is not from Japanese fiction.
- Drift's vehicle mode design is similar to the <A class="external text"
title=http://www.zapfcreation.pl/megabloks/mega-bloks-magnaformers-magscinder-28451-p-318.html href="http://www.zapfcreation.pl/megabloks/mega-bloks-magnaformers-magscinder-28451-p-318.html" rel=nofollow>Mega-Bloks Magna Former</A> <A class="external text" title=http://www.collectiondx.com/node/1789 href="http://www.collectiondx.com/node/1789" rel=nofollow>Magscinder</A>, from the drifting body kit, to the rising sun deco right down to having "<B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff66">DRIFT</B>" written in katakana on its car doors. <A name=References></A> <H2><SPAN class=editsection>[<A title="Edit section: References" href="http://tfwiki.net/w2/index.php?title=Drift_%28G1%29&action=edit§ion=4">edit</A>]</SPAN> <SPAN class=mw-headline>References</SPAN></H2> <OL class=references> <LI id=cite_note-0><A title="" href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Drift_(G1)#cite_ref-0">↑</A> <A class="external text" title=http://www.smactalk.com.au/?p=101 href="http://www.smactalk.com.au/?p=101" rel=nofollow>Shane McCarthy blogs about Spotlight: <B style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff66">Drift</B>.</A> <LI id=cite_note-1><A title="" href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Drift_(G1)#cite_ref-1">↑</A> <A class="external text" title=http://comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=18585 href="http://comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=18585" rel=nofollow>Comic Book Resources October 27th, 2008 interview with Shane McCarthy</A> <LI id=cite_note-2><A title="" href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Drift_(G1)#cite_ref-2">↑</A> <A class="external text" title=http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=3438 href="http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=3438" rel=nofollow>Ozformers Q&A with Hasbro Australia</A> <LI id=cite_note-3><A title="" href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Drift_(G1)#cite_ref-3">↑</A> <A class="external text" title=http://ryalltime.blogspot.com/2008/12/blog-post.html href="http://ryalltime.blogspot.com/2008/12/blog-post.html"
