Under-3

This article is about the yellow lion head. For the blue lion head, see Lionhead.

Under-3 is a Maximal from the Beast Wars portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.

Your vapid, shallow playthings will outlast even your frail and finite frame, achieving an immortality you can never know while remaining forever in a grave of civilization's pointless detritus. Please enjoy Arby's.

Under-3? Yeah, that bot has seen some serious slag, man, stuff that is definitely not appropriate for children. A gruff, bitter survivor of war's horrors, Under-3 even refuses to acknowledge his original name and past life, choosing instead to mutter grimly about how war changes you. Makes you hard. Makes you grow up too fast. Makes you leave the foolishness of youth behind and finally grasp the utter hatred that is the universe and what it inevitably does to you. There is no Under-3. There is only pain.

He is also known as Lionhead or Unit-3. Sometimes he becomes a leg for Magnaboss.

Fiction

Wings Universe

Under-3 was hanging out at the Galadria Space Bridge Outpost in the Delta Prysmos Sector when a pirate ship appeared overhead and dropped a bomb on him and several other passersby. Hoist the Flag

Recordicons

Under-3 and Lionhead had a musical act together. On one occasion they followed Tape-Filled Idiots in the lineup. Recordicons #25

Bot on the Street

Under-3 was asked if he'd like to change his alternate mode, but was happy with his current one. Bot on the Street

Beast Wars: Uprising

In Primax 209.0 Gamma, Lionhead was the headmaster of the Maximal Academy. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/05/23 Lionhead expelled Jawbreaker after the student executed a final prank upon him. Jawbreaker's profile in Club magazine #55 In the wake of the Vehicon Apocalypse, he was on the shortlist of "under three" bots being considered to take the deceased Lio Minor's place on the Maximal High Council, alongside Cheetor. He was eventually selected for the honor. Derailment

IDW Beast Wars comics

Cry about perceived damage done to your favorite stories about fictional robots as you purchase an extravagant plastic trinket assembled desperately by a half-starved third-world slave. There is no reward awaiting either of you after death. This cruel injustice is all there is and all there ever will be.

At the very end of the Great War, the third unit of Autobot warriors (which included Perceptor) was completely wiped out on the battlefield... save for one Autobot. Now naming himself "Unit-3", since he was all that remained of Unit 3, he returned to the Nova Plenum to report the deaths of his fellow warriors to the Autobot High Council. He declined to tell them how it had happened, as he wasn't emotionally ready yet. He was, however, ready to be put back into battle so he could take down as many Decepticons as he could in cold revenge. However, the Council had other plans, preferring to use Unit-3's affinity for information gathering to maybe fill the role Perceptor had left vacant.

Shortly thereafter, he became a leg for Magnaboss as the Autobot combiner fought Predaking. Dawn of the Predacus

Toys

Beast Wars

This is how children learn that happiness is a lie they tell themselves between failures.

• Under-3 (McDonald's Happy Meal toy, 1996)

Part of the first McDonald's Beast Wars promotion, Under-3 was, well, the toy developed for children less than three years of age. Hence his incredibly simple transformation and lack of small parts in any capacity. He transforms into a disembodied lion head.

• More information on Under-3 at TFU.info

Combiner Wars

"Do you know what else kills lions? The relentless persistence of time & the pointless cruelty of life. You'll die the same way."

• Unit-3 (Deluxe Class, 2016)
  • Accessories: Shotgun, double-barreled gun/fist/foot

Unit-3 is a redeco of the Generations Combiner Wars Protectobot Streetwise toy, transforming into a modified R35 Nissan GTR police car. He can also form either an arm or a leg for any standard-issue Combiner Wars or Unite Warriors gestalt, though his "nominal" placement is as the right leg to Magnaboss.

Unit-3 was released as an at-show souvenir figure for BotCon 2016, limited to 1200 pieces. Remaining stock was later sold at the Transformers Collector's Club website, with Tigatron & the Magnaboss sticker sheet.

Ironically, his bag states that he is "not for children under 3 years".

• More information on Combiner Wars Unit-3 at TFU.info

Combiner Wars mold: Dead End

Version 1: Hasbro: Combiner Wars Dead End Dead End (Generation 2) Brake‑Neck Brake‑Neck (Generation 2) TakaraTomy: Unite Warriors UW-02 Dead End UW-02 Wildrider Version 2: Hasbro: Combiner Wars Protectobot Streetwise Prowl Smokescreen Lightsteed Fun Publications: Combiner Wars Unit-3 Bluestreak TakaraTomy: Unite Warriors UW-03 Streetwise UW-05 Prowl Version 3: Hasbro: Combiner Wars Dust Up TakaraTomy: Unite Warriors UW-EX Flowspade

Notes

• "Under-3" may seem like an odd name, but the text "Under-3" was printed on the baggy in the same location as the names of other McDonald's toys such as Beetle, Panther, etc.
• Under-3's Japanese name and brief character write-up come from a Japanese Beast Wars guidebook called the Beast Wars Perfect Book.
• Ben Yee specifically points out that he didn't include the "Lion Head Optimus Primal figure" into the Beast Wars Sourcebook, which is sad but mostly a relief, given he probably wouldn't have been called "Under-3."

Foreign names

• Japanese: Lionhead (ライオンヘッド Raionheddo)