Barricade (G1)
| The name or term "Barricade" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Barricade (disambiguation). |
- Barricade is a Decepticon Micromaster from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Barricade learned how to take care of himself while running with Cybertron's most vicious racing gangs, and he brings that same brutal edge to his position as leader of the Race Track Patrol. His troops know that the slightest mistake will result in a merciless dressing down in front of the others, and they strive to meet his exacting standards. His hard-nosed, abusive leadership style doesn't do much for morale, but he figures it's for their own good.
Sometimes he is previously known as Runner.
Fiction
Zone story pages
Following Metrotitan's defeat at the hands of Roadfire, the Race Track Patrol were introduced as rivals of the Autobot Micromasters. They were described as being former Autobot Micromasters who defected to the side of the Decepticons, fueling the rivalry. They never actually took part in any battle. Zone Part 9
Dreamwave Generation One continuity
Originally named "Runner", Barricade was created as part of a cross-factional experiment in which new Micromasters were allowed to function as neutrals, and to choose their own affiliations. Runner quickly saw the potential rewards of joining the Decepticons, and earned the new moniker "Barricade" in recognition of his blockade-running tactics. He was "scouted" by Bombshock and other Decepticons, and soon began preaching the Decepticon way to any Micros who would listen. When the Meltdown Riots hit, Barricade convinced a number of Micromasters to join him and officially sign up with the Decepticon cause. Victims of the Revolution
Barricade eventually became leader of his own squad, the Race Track Patrol. After a time, however, he became disillusioned with the Decepticon leadership. The full-sized "guzzlers" hoarded the ever-scarcer energon supplies in the Decepticon camp, despite the significant contribution by Barricade and his men to recover that energon in the first place. Commander Shockwave did nothing but tell them to file a formal complaint, and so Barricade finally quit the Decepticons, taking the Race Track Patrol with him. Destined for Nothing
Out in the Wastelands, Barricade's team ran into their old rivals, the Autobot Hot Rod Patrol. Big Daddy and his crew had come to a similar conclusion about the Autobots, and were looking to strike out on their own. Both groups made their way to Little Iacon to regroup and ponder their futures. The Gray Race When Venom's Insecticons arrived in Little Iacon looking for the Hot Rod Patrol, Barricade broke tradition to side with a faction instead of his fellow Micros, in order to secure safe passage for his team. Back at Decepticon headquarters, Barricade discovered Skystalker (a high-ranking Micro newly returned from space) had secretly overthrown Shockwave and put the Decepticons on the path to total war. Recipe for Hate
Skystalker was preparing a skirmish to wipe out the guzzlers altogether, and he wanted Barricade and the Decepticon Micromasters to stand with him in the new world order that would rise up afterwards. Listening to Skystalker's speeches, however, Barricade came to realize just how much the Decepticons had duped him in the past, using him to recruit the other Micros, but never truly respecting him or his fellow 'bots. Barricade convinced his team to join up with the Autobot Micros who had been taken prisoner in Little Iacon, and they responded to the scene of the guzzlers' battle, bringing an end to the conflict. Victims of the Revolution
IDW Generation 1 continuity
Gorlamite
A tiny dude who looked kinda like Barricade was one of the denizens of Gorlam Prime who accosted Hardhead and Nightbeat when they arrived on the planet. Spotlight: Hardhead
Cybertronian
A full-sized Barricade was a Decepticon police officer who settled on Starscream's post-war Cybertron to rebuild a peaceful society, though unlike others he refused to join the neutrals out of faith in the true Decepticon cause—equality. The Killing Jar Despite this, he wasn't above 'collecting' pre-war shanix on the side. Redemption
He participated in the investigation of the murders of Wilder, Brisko, and Treadshot, stressing that the victims were Cybertronians and not just some "'Cons", though Starscream thought it unimportant and advised him to take it easy with the investigation. City of Steel After three more Decepticons were found dead, Barricade recognized one of the victims as Stratotronic, leading the investigation onward to Gutcruncher. Fight or Flee Following the firey death of Gutcruncher and even more Decepticons, Barricade joined Chromia, Sandstorm and the Dinobots in apprehending the primary suspects, the Firecons. Quest for Fire
The Firecons were proven innocent and Barricade went on to help investigate a fourth murder scene. This time, Starscream ordered him to gather a crew and raze buildings in the Decepticon ghetto in hopes of getting someone to squeal, but he rejected the order, refusing to turn on his fellow Decepticons, an act that earned him praise from Optimus Prime. The Killing Jar Barricade then helped Prime with his plan to lure out the killer by using the Dinobots as bait, dropping the Autobot team through a trap door to keep them out of danger. Forever Is a Long Time Coming
Following Cybertron's newfound alliance with Caminus, Barricade got into a relationship with the Camien Swift, and together with Strafe they made plans to transport a truckload of Camien sparks to Alyon where they could grow. Not wanting bigshots like Starscream or Optimus Prime to learn of their plan, Barricade instead approached Slug, whom he'd recently arrested, and offered him pay in exchange for aid from the Dinobots. He didn't trust Slug enough to tell him what the mission was for and thus the Dinobots, who assumed he was entirely corrupt after learning where their pay would be coming from, planned to snitch on him to the Badgeless; he'd likely die and they'd get a briefcase of dirty shanix anyway! (Slug changed that plan after learning what the real cause was) The journey was long and hazardous, the travelers being menaced by Badgeless, Sweeps, and mutated turbofoxes, but Slug always urged the others to keep moving, eventually causing Barricade to realize he knew what the secret shipment really was. Moved by Slug's unexpected compassion, he promised to carry on... only to be cut down by Bludgeon, who sought to destroy the sparks. As he lay bisected, he apologized to Swift for his failure before Bludgeon ignited the truck's fuel, destroying both Barricade and the sparks.
To everyone's surprise, Alyon already had a field of sparks forming naturally and by inadvertently bringing everyone over to stop Bludgeon desecrating it, Barricade had succeeded. Slug was pretty sure Barricade would have been glad to die for that. Afterwards, Slug told Swift that when the Badgeless came back, she should tell them that they'd kidnapped her and Barricade and that the cop had "died protecting Cybertron". Redemption
Swift would later join the Decepticons on the strength of Barricade's rose-tinted explanations of the cause. New Worlds Order
Beast Wars: Uprising
Barricade and the rest of the Race Track Patrol were among the Builders guarding Fortress Maximus when the Resistance attacked, and all four were killed in combat with Corahda. Head Games
Games
Transformers Legends
Barricade was part of a convoy led by Motormaster which attempted to deliver the final component for a super weapon to Decepticon HQ. The Aerialbots successfully intercepted them right as they neared their goal, and the four Decepticons had to destroy the weapon to keep it out of Autobot hands. Eagle Eyes
Transformers: Earth Wars
Toys
Generation 1
- Race Track Patrol (Micromaster Patrol, 1990)
- Japanese ID number: D-341
- Barricade transforms into a blue and magenta Ligier JS31 Formula-1 race car. He was only available in a four-pack with Ground Hog, Motorhead, and Roller Force.
Zone
- Race Car Patrol Team (Microtransformer Team, 1990)
- ID number: D-341
- In Japan, Barricade and his teammates were released as a small boxed set with no notable changes from the Hasbro versions.
The Last Knight
- Barricade (Deluxe Class, 2017)
- Released as part of the first wave of the Premier Edition Deluxes, Barricade is a new-mold Deluxe figure. Continuing the trend of police themed Saleens, he turns into a Saleen 302 Mustang in police colors (albeit a genericized and unlicensed version). He is armed with a nightstick and pistol, both of which can be held in his hands or mounted on his hips for storage in robot mode and underneath the car in vehicle mode. The nightstick has a sculpted "barrel" on the tip, so it can double as a cannon by plugging it into a port on Barricade's wrist. He also has a wrist-mounted gun that can be unfolded and mounted on the rear windshield in vehicle mode. Amusingly, he has knuckle-dusters on both fists that say "PROTECT" and "SERVE" written backwards so anything he punches would be stamped with the motto.
- As an undocumented feature (or extra play-ability): Barricade's car roof can be removed due to having a C-joint, and combines with the nightstick to form a riot shield. Do be careful however, as it has been reported to break the C joint if taken off with little care. Note that this feature was NOT intended by the designers and is completely fan-made. However, its notoriety among the community warrants it being mentioned here.
- Care should be taken when handling and Transforming Barricade, as his backpack is made entirely of transparent plastic, which makes the C joints and tabs more susceptible to breakage than usual. The tabs that secure his feet to the car's trunk in vehicle mode have been reported to have stress wear straight out of the package. It is currently unknown if these stress marks expand into cracks that affect the tab's functionality.
- Barricade's instructions seem to ignore the hinge that connects his arms to his torso. This hinge is a necessary part of transformation, since it is the only way to give Barricade's arm and hood proper clearance.
- The wheels of Barricade's vehicle mode have very loose ratchets that create an engine revving noise when the toy is rolled, no doubt to simulate Barricade's penchant for driving without a muffler in the movie. These ratchets also reduce the friction between the wheels and the vehicle, allowing Barricade to roll very well, even on carpet or cloth! Unfortunately, the sound effect only works on a surface that is either soft or completely smooth. If Barricade is rolled on an uneven surface, the clicking of his wheels against the ground will drown out the engine noise.
Notes
- In Japan, the "Race Car Patrol Team" were the only Micro Transformer set to be marketed as Decepticons. They were released as part of the Zone line to serve as minions of Metrotitan... though this seemingly didn't even net them an appearance in the Zone story pages.
- Micromaster Barricade is gang-molded with his teammate Roller Force, sharing the same plastic colors.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Barricade (バリケード Barikēdo)
- French: Muraille (Canada)
- Italian: Barracuda
