Afterburner (G1)
| The name or term "Afterburner" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Afterburner (disambiguation). |
- Afterburner is an Autobot Technobot from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Afterburner hates authority, hates being given orders, and is generally a seething cauldron of anger. Even innocuous remarks from teammates can send him into a furious rampage. He is ruthless and relentless in battle, giving him the greatest outlet for his rage. Somehow, he can get his temper under control long enough to form the giant Computron with his fellow Technobots, and it does not affect the combiner’s mental processes.
He is sometimes known as Afterburst or Afterbreaker.
| “ | Mellow out, Afterburner. | ” |
—Lightspeed gives Afterburner some good advice, "Grimlock's New Brain" | ||
Fiction
Marvel The Transformers comics
Afterburner was one of the Autobots who left Cybertron aboard the Steelhaven in order to start a new life away from war (maybe he was feeling sick that day). Ring of Hate! But the Decepticons followed them to their new home on Nebulos. Afterburner and the other Technobots repelled a Terrorcon attack on the resort city Splendora Love and Steel! before all of the Transformers left Nebulos. Brothers in Armor!!
Afterburner was part of the crew of Steelhaven when they descended on Earth's moon to watch a ritual combat between Grimlock and Blaster for overall leadership of the Autobot forces. He never got to see the end result, as the proceedings were interrupted by a Decepticon attack. Totaled!
When Starscream took control of the powers of the Underbase, Afterburner was part of the joint Autobot/Decepticon force that challenged him in the city of Buenos Aires, and one of Starscream's many, many victims. Dark Star
Marvel UK future timelines
In the post-Time Wars version of 2009, Afterburner was stationed at Autobot City on Earth. He was seen racing to the rescue of Kup and his shuttle crew when Unicron possessed Rodimus Prime and turned him against the Autobots. Shadow of Evil
In 2510 of another future, Afterburner was present when Rodimus Prime announced the official end of the Autobot / Decepticon war. Unfortunately, hostilities were stirred up between the Technobots and the Wreckers at the peace ceremony, leading to a NEW war on Cybertron. Don't look at Afterburner—he really didn't have anything to do with it. Peace
Generation 1 cartoon continuity
The Transformers cartoon
- Voice actor: Jim Cummings (English), Toshio Ishii (Japanese), Holger Schwiers (German, Grimlock's New Brain), Reinhard Brock (German, Money Is Everything)
The Technobots were created by Grimlock as a countermeasure to the new Decepticon Terrorcons, using the heightened intelligence the Dinobot had gained through an accident. Once their bodies had been built, Grimlock transferred his powerful intellect into them, returning to his original intelligence settings. Grimlock's New Brain
The Technobots were soon after stationed at Autobot City on Earth, to learn how to work with humans. Afterburner was incensed when he observed Scattershot and Strafe being beaten around by Hun-Gurr, and rushed off to assist without waiting for his slow-talking, slow-walking comrades. He eagerly attacked their Terrorcon opponent and, with the others' help, drove him off. Later he accompanied EDC captain Marissa Faireborn on a mission to track down a Quintesson base within the solar system, threatening along the way to do nasty things to the self-serving smuggler Dirk Manus. Finding his teammates damaged and under attack by Sharkticons, he eagerly attacked. His strategy: hit 'em hard! Despite having apparently led the Technobots into a trap, Manus managed to talk his way out of being abandoned by the Technobots; Afterburner wasn't exactly impressed. Thanks to his somewhat underhanded help, the Technobots were led to the Quintesson base and defeated the Terrorcons there. Money Is Everything
The Technobots responded to the Terrorcon attack on Mark Morgan's laboratory. Combining into Computron, they fought Abominus, but the battle inadvertently injured Morgan's daughter, leading the scientist and his friend Gregory Swofford to infect the Autobots with the Hate Plague. The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1 Months later, the Technobots were present for the attack on Autobot City where the Decepticons stole the key to the plasma energy chamber. The Rebirth, Part 1 Afterburner was later present as Cybertron was re-energized and a new Golden Age was ushered in. The Rebirth, Part 3
Japanese cartoon continuity
The Great Transformer War
The Technobots, upgraded with the help of the human scientist Doctor Dalton, faced off against the Terrorcon Abominus, but it was a trap set by Galvatron. Forcing Abominus to split into his components, the individual Terrorcons spat a mind-controlling substance at Computron. Before Galvatron could get far with his new warrior, Spike Witwicky came to the Technobot’s rescue in an exosuit, firing a beam into Computron’s eyes that removed the mind-controlling effect. The Great Transformer War #2
The Headmasters cartoon
In 2011, Galvatron staged a major attack on Cybertron. Afterburner and the Technobots joined the Dinobots on the front lines of defense. Four Warriors Come out of the Sky As Hot Rod continued his search for the Matrix of Leadership, Ultra Magnus gathered Afterburner and the Technobots to prevent the Decepticons from hampering his quest. When Hot Rod finally located the Matrix, Galvatron confronted him with the Decepticon Headmasters and Terrorcons, but the Technobots arrived to help even the odds. Scattershot ordered them to form Computron, and the mighty giant occupied the Decepticons so that Hot Rod could make a break for the space bridge. Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime
Later, Galvatron launched Metamorphose, a metal-twisting meteorite, and the Aerialbots were its first victims. Afterburner and the Technobots were sent out to recover their damaged comrades for repairs, but they were intercepted by the Terrorcons. The fighting escalated with new arrivals on both sides, as the Decepticons tried to keep their foes occupied until the meteorite reached Athenia, destroying the Autobots completely. The Battleship Maximus eventually arrived to carry the Headmasters into space to confront the meteorite, and so Afterburner and the Technobots formed Computron and covered their retreat. Approach of the Demon Meteorite
When a giant carnivorous plant took root in San Francisco, Ultra Magnus sent Afterburner and the Technobots to deal with the incident. The plant proved to be extraordinarily resilient, however, and it was also guarded by the Decepticons. The Technobots were distracted by combat with the Stunticons, first as individuals and later combined as Computron and Menasor. Head On!! Fortress Maximus After the Trainbots ran into trouble on Mars, Afterburner and his team were on the way to help when Sixshot and Trypticon intervened. The Earthbound Decepticons succeeded in occupying the Technobots so that they couldn't make it to Mars. Explosion on Mars!! Maximus Is in Danger
Afterburner and the Technobots were part of a strike team that flew to the moon to disrupt Scorponok's gathering of Decepticons. They immediately formed Computron upon entering the battle. Return of the Immortal Emperor Afterburner's regiment later helped load the Trainbots with energon supplies for the destitute planet Sandra. They were attacked by the greedy Decepticons and fought back both as the mighty Computron and as individuals, using the Trainbots' large vehicle modes as a shield. SOS from Planet Sandra
When Fortress was choosing his team to chase after Scorponok and the Decepticons through space, Afterburner was one of the Autobots tapped for service. Daniel Faces His Biggest Crisis Ever!! During this extended mission, Afterburner and the Technobots formed Computron to battle Predaking on the planet Paradise. Head Formation of Friendship
After returning to Earth, Afterburner and the Technobots reassociated with Ultra Magnus at Autobot City on Earth. They were sent to Miami to counter a Decepticon attack, and battled Abominus as Computron. Unfortunately, the attack was a ruse to draw them away from Autobot City, and they were unable to stop Sixshot's assassination of Ultra Magnus. Ultra Magnus Dies!! The Decepticon attacks continued even after Magnus's death, as Sixshot launched five separate strikes at once around the world. Afterburner and the Technobots were dispatched as Computron to one of the many battle sites. The Emperor of Destruction Vanishes on an Iceberg When the Decepticons seemingly abandoned Earth, Afterburner and the Technobots assisted Spike in rebuilding the planet after the enemy's departure. On one occasion, they located Sixshot's old command base. By combining into Computron, the Technobots helped Defensor and Raiden obliterate the base, wiping out all trace of the Decepticons' presence. Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 1)
As part of Computron, Afterburner participated in the Autobots final battle with Scorponok's Decepticons at the North Pole. He lent his energies to the Headmasters' Head Formation to revitalize Fortress Maximus at the critical moment. The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 2)
Unite Warriors
Learning of the human custom of Father's Day, the Technobots decided to throw a party for their own "father", Grimlock. Afterburner and Nosecone were still in the midst of preparing energon goodies and decorations when Grimlock arrived earlier than expected. Surprise Father's Day Party!! Afterburner was also one of the guests invited to a rehearsal of the Disaster Relief Team's new musical. Invitation to the Dress Rehearsal!
IDW Generation 1 continuity
Afterburner was a crewmember of the Autobot survey ship Calabi-Yau along with his fellow Technobots and Jetfire. They discovered mysterious signs of active energon on the supposedly dead world, and sent a team down to investigate. Afterburner and Nosecone stayed aboard the Calabai-Yau, but were shot down by Bludgeon and his hidden team of fanatics. Stormbringer #1 Hunted by Centurion droids and worn down by the planet's dangerous radiation levels, the two Technobots managed to survive until Optimus Prime and the Wreckers arrived and took them to safety. Stormbringer #2 Stormbringer #3
When Optimus Prime came across a group of Cybertronians who had been grotesquely re-engineered into a combined form by the scientist Jhiaxus, he turned the sextet over to Jetfire and the Technobots for study and possible help. Spotlight: Optimus Prime Afterburner and his science team took up work at the Garrus-9 penitentiary, until it was assaulted by the Combaticons under the command of the Decepticon Secret Service. Under heavy fire, he and Scattershot were prepared to carry out Prime's instructions and terminate the combiners rather than let them fall into Decepticon hands, but ultimately failed to do so before Vortex triggered an orbital bounce and stole the sextet right out from under them. Spotlight: Arcee
Events escalated shortly after that when Ultra Magnus and the Ark-12 chased an unknown Cybertronian to a cave on Corata-Vaz. The cave was emanating an unusual but powerful energy source, and was guarded by none other than a reactivated Thunderwing. Afterburner and the Technobots were put to work by Jetfire to do their best to analyze the energy signature despite Thunderwing's efforts to keep them from making direct contact with it. When the Autobots quest for answers led them to the void of the Benzuli Expanse, Jetfire volunteered to try Pretender technology as a means of entering the Expanse safely. Spotlight: Hardhead
Aboard their new cargo vessel Nightbird, Afterburner and the Technobots rushed to reach Cloudburst's team at the edge of the Benzuli Expanse. As they traveled they also worked on perfecting new Pretender carapaces for the journey inside the Dead Universe. Spotlight: Doubledealer They arrived just in time to execute a ship-to-ship transporter beam, pulling Cloudburst and the Mirror-Manifold's crew to safety. The Technobots provided the carapaces Cloudburst and company needed to enter the Dead Universe and dispose of the Nega-Cores threatening their universe. Spotlight: Sideswipe
After the Surge, Afterburner was reassigned to a platoon under the command of Pyro. They successfully defeated the Tremorcons on Hydrus 5, thanks largely to the heroic actions of their commanding officer. Bullets
He later ended up stationed at Kimia Facility in time to see Cyclonus and his army of Sweeps invade the facility and slaughter almost everyone inside. Afterburner and Lightspeed took part in the fight against the Sweeps. Lamentations Despite their stand against the Sweeps, many of the remaining Autobots at Kimia were killed in the fight and soon Cyclonus was using the facility as a massive laser cannon. However, Afterburner and Lightspeed had managed to survive and held against the Sweeps. Realizing what Cyclonus and his Sweeps were doing, the two used charges to destroy the facility from within, sacrificing themselves in the process. Numbers
Commercial appearances
- Faced with the might of Scorponok, Afterburner and his fellow Technobots dodged the huge Decepticon's claws and merged into Computron to fight back, but they were quickly bowled over when Scorponok hurled a mountain at them. Technobots and Scorponok commercial
- Afterburner, Lightspeed, and Nosecone worked together to project a forcefield to halt a boulder pitched towards them by Rippersnapper. The Technobots then stood their ground to stave off an attack from the rest of the Terrorcons against Fortress Maximus. Technobots and Terrorcons commercial
Games
Transformers Legends
Because they feared Computron's power, the Terrorcons ambushed Afterburner and the rest of the Technobots. Fearing the loss of the key to Autobot City, Scattorshot sent Afterburner for reinforcements. Circuit Breaker The Technobots came to Dirk Manus's aid when his ship was attacked by the Terrorcons. Though they managed to repel the first attack, the Terrorcons eventually overcame them, however after the Quintessons doublecrossed Manus, he used the Recreator to repair the Autobot team so they could defeat the Quintessons. Money Is Everything
Transformers: Battle Tactics
Afterburner participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was a Super Rare character available as a reward for the "Computron's Challenge" event. Transformers: Battle Tactics
Transformers: Frontiers
Toys
Generation 1
- Afterburner (Technobot, 1987)
- Team ID number: TK1
- Japanese ID number: C-90
- Accessories: "Sonic Blaster Pistol", "Pulse Cannon", "Missiles" launcher
- Afterburner transforms into an orange and white Cybertronic motorcycle, with add-on (non-firing) missile launcher and cannon accessories. He combines with Lightspeed, Nosecone, Scattershot, and Strafe to form the giant robot Computron. As with most of the Generation 1 team combiners, he uses the Scramble City-style of combination, enabling him to form the arm or leg of any combiner combination.
- Computron (Gift set, 1987)
- Japanese ID number: C-91
- All five Technobots were available both separately and in a full-team gift set. The box-set versions are identical to their individual releases.
Kre-O
- Computron (Micro-Changer Combiner, 2014)
- Set number: A7307
- Pieces: 75
- Accessories: 2 clip-on rifles
- Kre-O "Afterburst" (so named thanks to ever-changing trademark situations) is a Kreon who can be rebuilt from robot mode to a Cybertronian motorcycle. He uses a pair of clip-on rifles, and uses the "Constructicon" style helmet. His parts are also used to make Computron.
- He was only available in the Computron Micro-Changer Combiner set, along with Lightstorm, Scattershot, and Strafe. The wave Computron came in was mostly available through online outlets rather than through standard brick-and-mortar stores.
G.I. Joe and the Transformers
- Marissa Faireborn with Afterbreaker (2015)
- Accessories: Wheel
- Timelines Afterbreaker (renamed due to trademark issues) is a non-transforming futuristic bike redecoed from the G.I. Joe Retaliation Wheel Blaster Bike toy. True to the toy's name, the front wheel can be launched as a projectile at targets.
- Available exclusively through the Transformers Collectors' Club store (as well as the G.I. Joe Collector's Club Store) in 2015, he is packed with Marissa Faireborn in homage to her work with the Technobots in the Generation 1 cartoon episode "Money Is Everything".
Generations
- Computron (Box Set, 2016)
- Accessories: Scattershot's Rifle, Shield, Afterbreaker's two rifles, Lightsteed's gun, Nosecone's drill-gun, Computron Hands/feet, Cybaxx Targetmaster
- Combiner Wars Afterbreaker is a retool of Unite Warriors Groove featuring a new canopy section that more closely resembles his G1 alternate mode apart from being green, the rest of his deco is largely inspired by his G1 toy. As a Combiner Wars Deluxe limb he can combine with any Voyager Class toys released as part of the Combiner Wars/Unite Warriors subline or into one of Legends Godbomber's legs but is, of course, intended to be combined with his pack-in Technobots to form Computron.
- The early stock CG render provided by Hasbro showed this release using the Groove head, but the toy itself features the same new head as the Unite Warriors release. It also featured a much redder deco than the final toy.
Unite Warriors
- Computicon (2016-08-27)
- Japanese ID Number: UW-08
- Accessories: Weapons (combine to form a larger gun for Computron), Technobot weapons/extremities
- Announced before his Combiner Wars counterpart and released at approximately the same time, Unite Warriors Afterburner is a retool of Unite Warriors Groove featuring a new canopy in bike mode, a new head in robot mode, and two new guns. His color scheme is heavily based on the animation where Afterburner tended to be more red than tan. His new guns are based on the 'Pulse Cannon' and 'Missiles' launcher that were included with his Generation 1 counterpart. Like the original figure, both guns can mount on the side of his vehicle mode, but unlike the original figure he can now hold these while in robot mode. The Breakdown/Sunstreaker/Wheeljack HFG accessory is intended for him rather than the Alpha Bravo/Blades/Vortex previously associated with Groove. As a Unite Warriors limb he can combine with any Voyager Class toys released as part of the Combiner Wars/Unite Warriors subline or into one of Legends Godbomber's legs but is, of course, intended to be combined with his pack-in Technobots to form Computron.
Notes
- Like all his fellow Technobots, Afterburner's rear-view character model was designed without any reference beyond the front-facing model. Consequently, it's an entirely made-up design, with the added goofs of omitting his rear wheel, and misinterpreting the position of his front wheel, which is made to jut out of his left shoulder, instead of projecting from the middle of his back. This model featured only in AKOM-animated episodes of the original series; in episodes animated by Toei, a corrected model that adjust the position of the wheel is used. Unfortunately, the incorrect model was used throughout the entirety of The Headmasters.
- Since Computron's animation model was designed with a picture of the toy at the correct angle for reference, it positions Afterburner's wheels correctly.
- Afterburner's bio has the peculiar last line "Combines with fellow Combaticons to form Computron." This was corrected in the tech spec on the giftset box.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Afterburner (アフターバーナー Afutābānā)
- French: Postpyro (Canada)
- Italian: Radarbot
- Mandarin: Làotiě (烙铁, "Flatiron")
- Russian: Astrofakel (Астрофакел, "Astrotorch")
