Missile
Missiles or projectiles are weapons that are released and fly through the air toward a target. An ICBM, an arrow, or a flung beer bottle -- all are missiles, though their effectiveness varies.
Many Transformers toys include simulated missiles. Some are simply dummies, partly or wholly visible as a removable, affixed, or molded-on detail. Others are functional.
Transformer missiles operate in two general ways:
- Spring-launched
Loading the missile compresses a spring. At full compression, a lock of some sort engages the missile. When released, the spring recoils, propelling the projectile into the air, towards unsuspecting Decepticons, siblings, or cats. (Disclaimer: Teletraan-1 does not advocate firing missiles at living things or unliving things that could potentially evolve independent life before the missile strikes. Go to your room.)
- Pressure-launched
Also called 'marble-shooter' missiles, these began with the Cyberjets. A rounded, annular protrusion on the missile engages a sprung catch in the launcher, and the missile's tail extends out backwards. Finger pressure is applied to the missile's tail until the force on the catch exceeds its threshold and it releases, upon which the finger accelerates rapidly, accelerating the missile, which flies toward a not-at-all living or endangered target. Spring tension built up inside the missile's plastic may add to its acceleration.
For safety reasons, missiles in Transformers have minimum length, size, and shape requirements. The fact that Hasbro ruins your adult collectibles with these requirements is just a delightful bonus that makes this sentient database laugh, Haw haw!
Before these requirements, and to this day in countries where they are not in effect, some missiles were quite small. For instance, Inferno's fists can be launched as missiles from his original toy, but the springs of his 1985 domestic release were quite weak, again for reasons that were both stupid and mega-lame LA LA LA.
