Strafe (AOE)
| The name or term "Strafe" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Strafe (disambiguation). |
- Strafe is a Dinobot from the Age of Extinction portion of the live-action film series continuity family.
You'd be forgiven if upon seeing Strafe appear on the battlefield, you had some sort of embarrassing evacuation of waste. After all, the sight of a gigantic, two-headed, fire-breathing metal dragon-like pterosaur swooping down on you with lightning speed like some kind of movie monster would shake the toughest fighters. However, Strafe is an interesting contradiction in terms; while a powerful and merciless warrior on the field, off of it Strafe is one of the most friendly and approachable individuals you're ever likely to meet.
Strafe is very good friends with Bumblebee.
Fiction
How to Ride your Dinobot cartoon
Strafe found himself the unwilling target for Bumblebee's first Dinobot riding lesson. Strafe ensured the Autobot had a rough first lesson, flying out of his reach for the majority of the time while trying to feed on scrap metal. Bumblebee laid a trap for Strafe with a tasty gear, and finally held onto a rope that had snared around his leg... but Strafe happily flew Bumblebee into a mountain's wall. Bumblebee seemed to have learned not to mess with Strafe, since he destroyed the Dinobot-riding instruction manual and quit listening to that maddeningly unhelpful narrator. Getting on a Dinobot
Age of Extinction film
Strafe was among the Dinobots freed from Lockdown's ship, and subsequently yielded to Optimus Prime's command. During the battle in Hong Kong, Strafe aided Bumblebee as he battled Stinger. The two fought on Strafe's back until Stinger was defeated, and Strafe got to munch on Stinger's head. Strafe aided in escorting the Seed to safety until Lockdown returned and unleashed his magnetic vortex upon the group. Though he briefly freed Slug from the vortex, the Dinobots were trapped in it again until Optimus destroyed it. Strafe helped hold the line on a bridge until the Seed was transported to safety and Lockdown was defeated. The battle over, Strafe and the Dinobots were freed from Optimus' command and parted on good terms with their new allies. Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)
How to Ride a Dinobot comic
Strafe was minding his own buisness in a Chinese forest when Optimus Prime and his Autobots arrived, intent on learning how to ride the mighty Dinobots into battle. After Hound tried to boss about Slash and got hurled away for his efforts, Bumblebee attempted to earn their favor...by giving them treats. This goes over a bit too well, and Strafe was forced to rescue the Autobot from the Dinobot stampede; but the Dinobot immediately sent Bumblebee falling to the ground when the Autobot attempted to ride him. When Grimlock caught the scent of Decepticons, Strafe rolled out with his fellow Dinobots into battle, finally letting Bumblebee ride him. How to Ride a Dinobot!
Toys
Age of Extinction
Robots in Disguise
- Dinobot Strafe (Power Battlers, 2014)
- Japanese ID number: LA11
- Part of the initial wave of Power Battlers, Strafe features a simple transformation from a mechanical, two-headed pterosaur into a robot. In robot mode, squeezing Strafe's legs together causes him to rotate at the waist for a spin attack.
- The Japanese release of this toy, sold as Battle Attack Strafe, features a different color layout that adds a lot of silver.
- Bumblebee & Dinobot Strafe (Dino Sparkers, 2014)
- Part of the first wave of Dino Sparkers, this non-articulated toy is a friction-motor pterosaur cast in semi-translucent plastic. When rolled along, "cold" sparks flash inside the creature's back end. Affixed to Strafe's back is a simplified figure of Bumblebee wielding one hella-long sword.
- Dinobot Strafe (One-Step Changers, 2014)
- Part of the fourth wave of One-Step Changers, Strafe transforms from robot to Pteranodon in a single step.
Generations
- Dinobot Strafe (Deluxe, 2014)
- "Generations" Strafe is a more complex and less gimmick-focused version of Strafe than the "Robots in Disguise" toy. Strafe transforms into a twin-headed Pteranodon monster. Like all the other Dinobots, Strafe's design is based on medieval knights. Twin swords peg onto his wings, and the swords can also be hand-held in robot mode. He also comes with a pressure-launch missile-firing "crossbow". Pegs on the crossbow allow the swords to attach and create a larger weapon. Both the crossbow and the swords seem to stem from unused concept art, as seen in this page. His tails are made of soft rubber, but due to his packaging, they are almost always bent at an extreme angle out of the package. This can be fixed by soaking the rubber in hot water and then correcting the bends.
- The Movie Advanced Series version of Strafe features several different paint apps.
- Dinobot Strafe (Evolution 2-Pack, 2014)
- Accessories: Crossbow/launcher, missile, 2 swords
- Available only at ToysЯUs stores in the US, UK, Canada and Germany, this two-pack features the "Generations" Deluxe Strafe toy, with no known differences from the normal retail release, packaged with 'classic' Strafe, a seemingly-unchanged re-release of the Dark of the Moon Mini-Con Rav. The packaging mistakenly[1] uses the Technobot Strafe's art instead of Swoop's G1 art and lists him as a "stealth fighter" (what our wiki described the 2010 Transformers Strafe toy as).
- Bumblebee with Dinobot Strafe vs. Decepticon Stinger (3-pack, 2014)
- Accessories: Crossbow/launcher, missile, 2 swords
- Another unchanged release of the "Generations" Deluxe Strafe toy, only this time he's packaged in a "Scene Pack" with Cyberverse versions of Bumblebee (redecoed from his Revenge of the Fallen Legends class toy) and Stinger (a redeco of Transformers: Prime Legion class Knock Out).
- This three-pack was available exclusively at Walmart stores in the United States, at Asda stores in the United Kingdom, at Müller drug stores in Germany and at Auchan stores in Italy...thus making Strafe the only "Generations" toy from the AOE toyline to be officially released in Italy.
- Bumblebee & Dinobot Strafe (Legion two-pack, 2014)
- Accessories: Submachine gun
- This bizarre entry is a redeco of Beast Wars Terrorsaur, a mold nearly 20 years old at this point. He transforms from an organic, one-headed Pteranodon to robot mode with a spring-loaded one-step transformation. A small gun stores in his robot mode back which can be removed, unfolded, and pegged into his robot mode fist.
- This figure was only available as part of a two-pack with a Cyberverse Legion Class version of Bumblebee that was exclusively to Walmart stores in the United States and to Asda stores in the United Kingdom.
- This mold was also used for Terrorsaur, Fractyl, Lazorbeak, Hydra, and Terranotron. This particular mold use was repurposed as Garboyl.
Construct-Bots
- Strafe (Dinobot, 2014)
- Pieces: 27
- Part of the first wave of Dinobots, Strafe is heavily based on Strafe from Age of Extinction, and can transform from a two-headed Pteranodon monster into a robot. Like all the other Dinobots in the line, Strafe can be ridden by any of the smaller Dinobot Rider toys.
- Like all Construct-Bots Dinobots, Strafe features a gear-driven gimmick. Spinning the gear on Strafe's back causes his wings to flap.
- His nominal Dinobot Rider partner is Bumblebee.
- Bumblebee vs. Decepticon Stinger with Strafe (Walmart exclusive, 2014)
- Pieces: 44
- Walmart exclusive Strafe is a redeco of the single-pack release and comes with Dinobot Riders Bumblebee and Stinger. Strafe retains all the gimmickry of his previous version.
Kre-O
Notes
- According to Transformers Manager of Global Brand Development Mark Weber at New York Toy Fair 2014, Strafe is named so not because of trademark reasons, but because the film's two-headed design was considered too great a departure from previous Swoop characters. Of course, this doesn't explain why various toys released around the same time that represent the Generation 1 Swoop are also named "Strafe"; though that may be just for marketing's sake.
- Also, Strafe's pterosaur mode looks more like a Darwinopterus than a Pteranodon, albeit two-headed, two-tailed and massively overgrown. Still, referring to Strafe as a Darwinopterus is more scientifically accurate than calling him a Pteranodon, seeing as how he has teeth and long tails. Of course, either way, Strafe is far too big compared to most of the cast...
- Strafe's two pterosaur heads in the movie have some noticeable differences, with the right head having a straight beak and a larger crest as compared to the left head that has a more curved beak, a smaller crest, and two large teeth on its lower jaw. Neither head is scientifically accurate, as discussed above.
