K-Class
- K-Class Decepticons are suicide bombers from the IDW portion of the Generation 1 continuity family
While it has been said that any Autobot who joins the Wreckers is not merely willing to die for his cause, but is actively seeking to bring about his own violent demise ahead of time, any Decepticon who volunteers to be re-engineered into the K-Class has this complex on steroids.
Known as K-Cons and organised into K-Squads, the K-Class are outright kamikaze — re-engineered to transform into bombs with powerful, tightly-integrated, explosive warheads to match, they have a life expectancy measured in nano-kliks once they jump from their launch point and auto-transform into bomb mode, detonating on impact. Consequently, while some K-Cons are simply super-enthusiastic Decepticons looking to give their life for the cause, active conscription into K-Squads is not unheard-of, including the forced recruitment of prisoners languishing in Decepticon penal colonies such as Styx.
Due to the nature of their combat style, K-Class Decepticons are widely known for their fearlessness, to say the least, and receive a level of respect from most other Decepticons.
- Known K-Cons include
Fiction
IDW Generation 1 continuity
Fulcrum was convicted of cowardice after fleeing an Autobot attack on B'lahr 39 and sent to Styx to die by Traitor's wheel. However, this sentence was commuted into forced service in a K-Squad instead, where he met Torque. Who's Afraid of the DJD? They were deployed during a battle involving the Nightmare Engine on the planet Clemency where Torque explosively took out his intended target, Ultra Magnus. The Gloaming Fulcrum, however, was saved by his cowardice—frozen with fear, he failed to transform into bomb mode and hit the ground as a robot instead. Who's Afraid of the DJD?
He was discovered much later, after the war had ended, by a rag-tag team of Decepticons called the Scavengers who initially tried to loot his fuel pump, believing him to be dead. This motley crew soon came to the attention of the Decepticon Justice Division, who coldly informed them that one of their names was on The List and that the rest would be spared if they handed him over. Rules of Disengagement Using the captive Grimlock as a distraction, the Scavengers fought the D.J.D. and during the ensuing battle it was revealed that their target was Fulcrum, for surviving his K-Class mission. Overcoming his cowardice at last, Fulcrum transformed into bomb mode to take out Tarn, only to hit the ground with a thud rather than a bang, since the light-fingered Spinister had already removed his explosives. The D.J.D. then took off to pursue a more important target, leaving Fulcrum, Grimlock and the Scavengers to continue their journey in the Weak Anthropic Principle. Who's Afraid of the DJD?
Later, on the planet Constancy, Fulcrum sprang Misfire from Galactic Council death row, though this mission went awry for two reasons: Misfire stopping for snacks and the strange illness that temporarily knocked out the rest of the team. Arm the Lonely
Notes
- The K-Class seem to have close ties to other gimmick-laden transformers. This is appropriate, seeing as all of the Scavengers, Fulcrum being a member of them are gimmick-laden Transformers. The K-Class gimmick is clearly Autotransformation, which was seen in simple toys for young children.
