Reflector (G1)
| The name or term "Reflector" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Reflector (disambiguation). |
- Reflector is a Decepticon from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Reflector likes to watch. He lives (they live?) to observe anything and everything, from scenery, to wildlife, to architecture. But above all else, Reflector likes to watch his (their?) comrades, learn their dark secrets, and profit from them. Reflector is also very impressed with his (their) own abilities both in the fields of observation and blackmail.
In robot mode, Reflector is generally a hivemind composed of three bodies (individually called Spectro, Spyglass, and Viewfinder) which combine into the one single-lens-reflex camera altmode that is Reflector.
Fiction
Generation 1 cartoon continuity
The Transformers cartoon
- Voice actor: Chris Latta (English), Ken Sansom (English; "Divide and Conquer"), Yoku Shioya (Japanese), Keiichi Nanba (Japanese, "Fire in the Sky"), Wang Wèi (Chinese), Ulrich Bernsdorff (German), Gerd Wiedenhofen (German, Generation 2, "More than Meets the Eye, Part 1"), Willy Schäfer (German, Generation 2, "S.O.S. Dinobots"), Mário Monjardim (Brazilian Portuguese)
Reflector was among the warriors who accompanied Megatron aboard the Decepticons' space cruiser during its assault on the Autobots' Ark four million years ago. When the Ark crashed on Earth, Reflector was entombed in stasis with the other Transformers and awoke with the other Decepticons on Earth in 1984. Withdrawing from the Ark, the Decepticons immediately set about constructing a temporary base for themselves, and Reflector and Thundercracker were assigned to patrol the perimeter. As they surveyed the desert landscape, Reflector expressed his disbelief that the Autobots had also survived the crash. Thundercracker then spotted something off in the distance, and Reflector transformed to camera mode so that Thundercracker could use him to zoom in on the mystery object. Reflector dispensed a Polaroid photograph of the truck that had caught their attention, and Thundercracker reported the intruder to Megatron as a possible Autobot (which it wasn't). More than Meets the Eye, Part 1
Reflector later battled the Autobot forces on an offshore oil rig, More than Meets the Eye, Part 1 and joined in the Decepticons' attack on Sherman Dam. Soon after, numerous Reflector robots were seen pillaging energy all across the world and helping stack energon cubes in the ruby crystal mines of Burma. More than Meets the Eye, Part 2 Reflector participated in the battle royale with the Autobots shortly before the Decepticons' failed attempt at returning to Cybertron aboard a new space cruiser. More than Meets the Eye, Part 3
While the Decepticons were in the midst of testing their new intergalactic "space bridge" transport system, Reflector took part in two battles with the Autobots when the heroic robots tried to interfere with the test run. The battle ended badly when Megatron was sucked through the space bridge and back to Cybertron, Transport to Oblivion but Reflector seemed unfazed by the apparent loss of his leader, as he went on to carry out orders that had previously been given to him and began staking out the laboratory of antimatter researcher Doctor Alcazar. Using his photographic abilities to obtain the entry code for the laboratory's security system in secret, Reflector concluded his stakeout just as Megatron returned to Earth, and he quickly reported his findings to the Decepticon leader. Reflector subsequently followed Megatron back to the lab and entered the entry code for him, allowing the villains to enter the complex stealthily. Reflector was no doubt rather cheesed off to learn that his spying had been for naught when it turned out that Alcazar had gotten rid of the antimatter formula by transmitting it to Chip Chase. When the Decepticons acquired the formula from Chip, Reflector helped charge energon cubes with the antimatter they created, and then participated in the subsequent battle with the Autobots, which ended when the antimatter cubes Megatron was using to power himself threatened to overload. Roll for It
Reflector later worked with Starscream and Rumble on another attempt to transport energon cubes to Cybertron via the space bridge. In addition to the normal three Reflector robots, a fourth robot sharing their body type was present for this operation, and when Starscream required a pilot for the space bridge vessel, this unfortunate warrior was selected. He begged that he not be chosen, but his words fell on deaf ears as Starscream picked him up and dropped him into the transport craft. Fortunately for this robot, his piloting skills allowed him to traverse the space bridge, and he safely arrived on Cybertron with his energon payload.
A group of Autobots soon arrived to investigate the Decepticon goings-on, but Reflector was quick to act and dazzled them with a blinding flash from his central lens. The Autobots soon got themselves together, though, and Reflector was dispatched when his duplicates were hurled into one another, causing them to recombine into one. Reflector's component selves later took part in a Decepticon attack on Autobot Headquarters and were fired upon by Spike Witwicky, but the three robots were confident that the Earth germ couldn't hit all of them at once. Divide and Conquer
Reflector did most of the grunt work when the Decepticons sought to drain the energy of the Earth's core via a crystal shaft in the Arctic, operating machinery and gathering energon cubes. When their digging unearthed the frozen Autobot Skyfire, Reflector tried attacking the towering robot by running at him in a sort of cheerleader-pyramid formation, only to be—unsurprisingly—knocked to the ground with a swipe of Skyfire's arm. Fire in the Sky
Along with Soundwave and Laserbeak, Reflector gathered valuable intelligence on the Great Falls hydroelectric power station, and he took part in the attack that their information-gathering helped facilitate. S.O.S. Dinobots Soon after, Reflector went with the other Decepticons on a mission to Peru in another attempt to seize the power of the Earth's core. Fire on the Mountain Later still, Reflector was part of the Decepticon team who tried harnessing energy from an unstable meteorite. War of the Dinobots
When the Decepticons used their space bridge to pull Cybertron itself into Earth's orbit in order to reap the energy released by the natural disasters that would result, Reflector was at Megatron's side as the Decepticon leader watched the construction of a hydroelectric energy collector. When an unexpectedly strong tidal wave demolished the structure, Megatron and Reflector escaped aboard a transport ship, though Reflector was given pause to wonder on the fate of the Decepticons' human ally, Doctor Arkeville. The Ultimate Doom, Part 3 Cybertron was soon blasted out of Earth's proximity, but some robots of Reflector's body design were seen on the planet not long after, carrying the wounded Arkeville to a medical bay. Countdown to Extinction
After taking part in another energy-raiding attempt with the help of new arrivals the Insecticons, A Plague of Insecticons Reflector joined the other Decepticons in relinquishing his power chip rectifier to a machine that would transfer all of the Decepticons' special abilities to Megatron, enabling him to best Optimus Prime easily in a one-on-one duel. During the combat, Megatron employed Reflector's power to generate a brilliant flash of light to blind Optimus Prime. When Megatron's deception was exposed, Reflector and the other Decepticons were sent tumbling into a river of lava by the enraged Autobots. Heavy Metal War
Learning that the Autobots had transferred Spike's mind into a robot body, Megatron had Reflector watch over Autobot Headquarters, and his spying soon bore fruit when the unstable "Autobot Spike" came bursting through a wall and flew off. Reflector followed and summoned the other Decepticons to his position. Megatron proceeded to try and turn Spike against the Autobots, but the attempt ultimately ended in failure. Autobot Spike
Following the "Autobot Spike" affair, Reflector's role in the war suddenly began to drop off; he became less and less visible on the battlefield, and he was never heard to speak again. Throughout 1985, he was glimpsed only a few times: He joined in the Decepticons' attempt to conquer Washington, D.C., City of Steel he followed Megatron in an attempt to hijack a rocket, Attack of the Autobots and he clashed with the Insecticons over stolen electro-cells. Traitor A little later, he helped battle the Autobots for control of korlonium crystals. A Prime Problem After this, having being absent for a prolonged period, Reflector reappeared as part of a group of Decepticons on the rampage in Great Britain, A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court and soon after, he was among the Decepticons who coated themselves with electrum to cause havoc. The Golden Lagoon Reflector then disappeared from the field of battle for quite some time, returning for one final appearance that year, battling the mutinous Starscream and his Combaticons. Starscream's Brigade
Reflector put in his final, very brief appearances in 2005, when he could be spotted at both the Battle of Autobot City and the coronation of Starscream soon afterward. The Transformers: The Movie
Japanese cartoon continuity
Cloud
Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers manga
Astrotrain photographed the incomplete Autobot City with the aid of Reflector's camera mode, so that Megatron could decipher whether or not it was powerful enough to stand up to Trypticon. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #3
Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers story pages
Reflector was amongst the Decepticons who attacked New York City early in their conflict with the Autobots on Earth. Broadcasting on TV! Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers
Full Throttle Scramble Power!
The Decepticons constructed a new weapon to pursue their energy-plundering campaign on Earth, the Omega Whip. Reflector and Shockwave were charged with manning the device's control as other teams of the Decepticons would go out and attack power plants to retrieve the energy stored within them. The whole plot was foiled when Jenny, a captive of the Decepticons, managed to reprogram Starscream into blowing up the Omega Whip's controls. Reflector was sent tumbling away from his post. He then followed Megatron into battle, but was forced to flee along with the rest of the Decepticons when a massive amount of Autobot reinforcements joined the fray. Full Throttle Scramble Power!
The Battle of the Star Gate
The Reflector trio were amongst the Decepticons who attacked the Trigger as it neared completion. They took it over easily, thanks in part to the human collaborator, Trov. One human, Makoto, had been overlooked by the Decepticons however, and managed to pin down Reflector and the rest of the group under Megatron’s command in the Trigger's rail room with a powerful electromagnetic field. Reflector was almost sent hurdling to the farthest side of the galaxy by the Trigger, but a blast from Megatron's fusion cannon disabled the portal. Then the Autobots showed up, and the two factions began their battle aboard the space station. The Decepticons lost the fight and fled. First Contact
Wings Universe
The Reflector trio were "one" of fourteen Warlords that arose championing the Decepticon cause. His / their legion, the Photons, were an endless series of identical Cybertronians apparently patterned after their leader. As the Autobot Elite Guard began picking off the Decepticon Warlords one at a time, Reflector attended the War Councils with the other Decepticon leaders to discuss strategy. It was Reflector who suggested they pool secrets and information for the greater good of the Decepticon cause. It was also Reflector who assimilated his / their Photons into the ranks of Megatron's Decepticons after the Warlords gave up their secrets to each other. This merger allowed him / them to avoid certain destruction when Deathsaurus sent an unwitting suicide bomber to the next council meeting, wiping out all the remaining Warlords besides Megatron. A Team Effort
As Devastator breached Iacon's walls, Reflector was there with the rest of Megatron's forces. Battle Lines, Part 5
Marvel The Transformers comics
Prior to the Decepticons' departure from Cybertron, at least one member of the Reflector trio attended a presentation from Shockwave, where the Decepticon strategist outlined how they would board the Ark and overpower its crew. Warrior School!
After failing in this strike, falling offline on Earth for eons and awakening once more, Spectro, Spyglass, and Viewfinder worked with the Decepticon medic to repair their fellow Decepticons. Subsequently an oddly colored Viewfinder was seen decorating the cavern floor of Mount St. Hilary after all the Decepticons were rendered inoperable by Sparkplug Witwicky's poisoned fuel. They didn't even get to introduce themselves in painfully lengthy exposition. Alas, Reflector was taken away from us before his prime. The Last Stand
S.T.A.R.S. continuity
Using the human power known as "imagination," S.T.A.R.S. recruits could perceive what it was like to be Reflector. You Have Been Chosen.
Before the construction of Autobot City on Earth, Optimus led a convoy of Autobots to find the ideal location for their new base's construction. Reflector was (maybe) amongst the Decepticons who lay in wait to ambush Optimus and the Autobots. The battle that ensued later came to be known as "Digital Doom on the Highway to Destruction." Rodimus Prime remembers the Transformers greatest battle on Earth.
Evidently, the battle went in the Decepticons' favour, as Optimus was forced to send some of his troops away to fetch reinforcements. Transformers Combat Data Later, Reflector discovered that the same squad of Autobots was out scouting for new energy source. The Autobots Are Under Attack!
Dreamwave Generation One continuity
Reflector was part of Megatron's crew, active on Earth in the 1980s before the Ark II incident. When Megatron was snatched up by the Keepers, not all Decepticons fell into line under Starscream's maniacal command. Skywarp and the three Reflector robots chose to make a stand against Starscream's leadership at Hoover Dam, outside the Decepticon's new base in Las Vegas. Spyglass and Skywarp drew Soundwave's electronic attention, prompting Starscream and his communications officer to make an appearance at the Dam. As Skywarp rejected Starscream's rule, the other Reflector robots leapt out of hiding to attack the usurper. The battle quickly turned against Skywarp and Reflector, though, as Soundwave's sonic attack ripped Spectro apart, sending him over the edge of the dam and into stasis lock. Once Skywarp was disabled as well, Spyglass and Viewfinder wisely chose to abdicate to Starscream. Hardwired
The surviving two Reflector parts remained under Starscream's command only as long as necessary, and left Las Vegas with Megatron's splinter faction of Decepticons soon after their former leader returned to Earth. Annihilation After the Decepticons reunited, Reflector was instrumental in several attempts at blackmail and media manipulation against the President of the United States, first recording him whimpering helplessly in Megatron's massive hand during an attack on the White House, and later sending the media outlets footage of the U.S. Armed Forces attempting to assassinate Autobots AND Decepticons in the Nevada desert. Fusion
A duplicate of Reflector remained on Cybertron and worked for Shockwave, monitoring the planet and its inhabitants for him from a central mainframe. Brothers' Burden They were destroyed by Starscream when he broke ranks with Shockwave's command structure; using Soundwave's expertise, Starscream delayed footage of himself as he encroached on Shockwave's monitor womb, within which the Reflector trio were posted. They thus were unable to foresee Starscream sneaking up on them, and he blasted all three 'cons to death. Countdown to Extinction The true Reflector, on Earth, dismissed this duplicate as an inferior copy. Fusion
G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers
The three Reflector components were among the Transformers who crashed on Earth millions of years in the past, and upon being discovered by humans, they were reprogrammed to serve the terrorist organization Cobra. The Autobot Wheeljack eventually restored everyone's original programming, and the angry Reflector trio broke into Cobra's control center to teach the fleshlings a thing or two about messing with their heads. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #4 Reflector was then ordered by Megatron to assist Doctor Mindbender and Firefly while they used the SPS Satellite to create energon cubes. When Optimus Prime arrived to halt their scheme, the three Reflectors attacked him, but were easily swatted aside. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #5
In a dark alternate future where the Decepticons had conquered Earth, three black Reflectors guarded human slaves imprisoned near a factory, but were killed by Ratchet, Tomax and Xamot. As this future was also full of multiple Sweeps, Insecticon swarms and Ravage packs, it is possible these Reflectors were some sort of clones. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #3
Viewfinder was present for a Decepticon gathering on Cybertron, during which Serpent O.R. took control of the Decepticon army. The Art of War #3 During a subsequent Decepticon assault on an Autobot peace ceremony, the Reflector trio were charged with delivering a message to Optimus Prime. After being carried to Prime in Menasor's palm, Viewfinder used his chest lens to project a hologram of Serpent O.R., allowing the Decepticon leader to negotiate with Prime. Reflector came under attack by Jetfire during the negotiation, but Viewfinder managed to continue the transmission despite being injured. The Art of War #4
IDW Generation 1 continuity
Early in the war, the Reflector trio tried to stop an Autobot prison break in the Citadel only to be blown away by Springer. Rise Spectro and Spyglass were later seen aboard a Decepticon orbital outpost, terrified of walking down the same hallway as Sixshot. Spotlight: Sixshot
All three Reflector units (speaking entirely in unison), eventually joined Megatron on Earth, and helped defeat the Autobots there. All Hail Megatron #7 Following this victory, the Reflector trio help destroy New York City along with the other Decepticons. All Hail Megatron #3 Spectro and Spyglass enjoyed "playing games" with the city's fleshy inhabitants, but were disappointed about how easily they came apart. Viewfinder preferred to brood by himself, while still echoing the other two's dialogue. All Hail Megatron #8 Reflector stayed with Megatron when Starscream rebelled against his leader All Hail Megatron #10, and fought back against the Autobots when they returned to Earth. All Hail Megatron #11 The Decepticons were ultimately defeated All Hail Megatron #12 and Viewfinder and Spectro left the planet aboard Astrotrain. All Hail Megatron #13 Spyglass was left behind, however, and was still trying to get off the planet two years later. New Arrivals, Old Encounters
In the aftermath of the war with Galvatron and D-Void, the trio was instructed by Shockwave to undertake a special mission beginning with the theft of Turmoil's time-sliding space cruiser. Night and the City Using the ship, they were supposed to locate LV-117 and report its circumstances back to Shockwave, but were unprepared for the planet's erratic movement through time. Appearing out of nowhere right in front of them, LV-117 flung the Reflector trio over one hundred years into the past, depleting the ship's fuel supply and causing it to crash. Syndromica (2)
Viewfinder was killed in the crash when a large piece of the bridge's shattered canopy impaled through his chest. Spectro and Spyglass survived and eventually they located Wheelie, who had previously crashed on the same planet and had been building an escape vessel with a friendly alien. They managed to hijack the vessel shortly before it launched by threatening to kill Wheelie's friend, but the tiny Autobot removed the safety catch from his energon converter before disembarking, causing it to explode violently shortly after takeoff, killing the last two fragments of Reflector's being. Spotlight: Wheelie
Timelines
After the apparent death of Viewfinder, Spectro and Spyglass sought out Jhiaxus to stabilize them for individualized life. However, when Viewfinder's body was recovered from LV-117, it was discovered that exposure to Ore-1 would allow his spark to be reignited, and thus Reflector was reborn from this process. BotCon 2016 Reflector profile card
Hearts of Steel
The Reflector trio were three of the many Decepticons under Starscream's command during Earth's industrial revolution. They helped overlook the construction of the railway that would allow The Astrotrain to reach New York. Hearts of Steel #3
Alternity
Three Reflector units hailing from an unknown universal stream were among the minions serving under Megatron during his complicated, cross-dimensional war with the Autobot Alternity. This incarnation of Reflector was a Pretender, with each of his components able to disguise itself as an ordinary-sized human being.
Reflector was dispatched to universal stream 905.0 Beta to search for the source of a new dimensional flux of previously unheard type. In their Pretender guises, the trio tracked the source of the disruption to the Otsuka Museum of Art, and found that it was a strange tablet. Reflector was about to make off with the tablet when he was accosted by Bumblebee and Elita Seven, and his components promptly dropped their Pretender forms to battle the little Autobot. Unfortunately for Reflector, he was no match for the unearthly powers of an Alternity: Bumblebee snatched the tablet away, and with a snap of his fingers, reduced Reflector to a nearly two-dimensional state. From across the dimensions, Megatron saw his minions collapse like paper, and lashed out with his tesseractal swords, destroying the museum and the tablet, and wounding Bumblebee. By the time Bumblebee came to, Reflector was long gone. The World Is Flat!
Games
Sector Seven game
Dubbed "Non-Biological Extraterrestrial - 115", a video of Reflector transforming in the midst of a child's birthday party reached the public through "hacked evidence" files. Sector Seven (game)
Transformers Legends
Reflector rallied with Starscream when the latter became Decepticon leader in Megatron's absence. The Autobots soon had the Decepticons defeated and Starscream's plan thwarted. Countdown to Extinction After the Decepticons discovered a Crystal of Power in South America, Starscream and Reflector were sent to steal materials for a cannon. They succeeded, despite Autobot interference, though the Autobots later managed to destroy the cannon anyway. Fire on the Mountain
Angry Birds Transformers
Reflector is an "Accessory" character, giving Deceptihogs he's attached to a boost to their weapon's power. This bonus can be increased with upgrades won from random-prize Crates or in the "Shockwave's Tower" mini-game.
He can be unlocked by purchasing him with Gems in the Barracks, with Tokens during specific Challenge Events, or won from Crates and Shockwave's Tower. Angry Birds Transformers
| Deceptihog | Body Part | Rarity | Gem Cost | Base Effect | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bludgeon | Chest | Epic | 650 | +10% Damage |
Transformers: Earth Wars
Spyglass, Spectro, and Viewfinder were selected to spy on and gather intelligence on the Nova Core. They sneaked through the base's security and found the Nova Core. Unfortunately, by their own incompetence and curiosity they removed the device with the power plant still running. As soon as the reactor was set off, Reflector fled the scene. Project Supernova
Reflector were out of contact while the two snipers Brake-Neck and Smokescreen fought it out. Bit of a Longshot
Viewfinder had absorbed most of the damage from the blast, and the other two set up a shielding unit to protect them while they complete repairs. Megatron reminded them of their mission, and Brake-Neck reminded them of Smokescreen. They naively thought they could be three less targets by transforming into camera mode. Battle Hardened
Reflector soon informed Megatron they were back to being 100% operational and going to make a move to recover the Nova Core. As the battle was taking place, they were spotted by Smokescreen. Reflector asks for Brake-Neck's cover fire, but he refused and told Spyglass it was stupid of them to be in a open field in the first place. Then Viewfinder is hit by a sniper bullet as they ran and cranked up their shields.
As First Aid heads to an extraction site where his Medi-bots will meet him, Brake-Neck is compromised by Smokescreen, and Reflector steals the Core and tries to take off with it. First Aid intervenes, and... unexpectedly, Spectro drops the Nova Core into... water, of all things. The Core enters critical mode, and First Aid convinces Reflector to help him shield the energy as the Nova Core melts down. The Nova Core fades, and Viewfinder only asks that the Autobot not tell Megatron about what just happened. Then Viewfinder gets hit by Brake-Neck's bullet. Reflector is tellingly pissed. Big Bang!
When Reflector comes through the Spacebridge, Shockwave thought it was malfunctioning, seeing as it had multiple lifeforms coming through at once. After they made their entrance, Starscream warns Shockwave about their meddlesome nature, in which Shockwave replies the four of them of them would get along well together.
While Swindle was having a sale with Luca, Reflector eavesdrops on the two, and learns Luca has a "plan" for Starscream involving a box. Naturally, Reflector goes to tattle on Starscream about the ploy. Starscream destroys the box, much to Swindle's chagrin. Apparently it wasn't a trap, but in fact a gift for Starscream's Inception Day! - Cybertron-21, a high-fidelity holographic battlefield simulator. Starscream was shocked he had just destroyed a game (in mint condition). Reflector thinks that it was a bad call to have done that, and they decide to go back to blackmailing people.
- Class: Medic
- Lowest Star rating: 2 stars
- Weapons:: Viewfinder uses a medi-gun of unusual make in which it shoots out health bombs, instead of one continous stream. Spectro and Spyglass both use medi-beams like Hook and Shockwave to provide 40-45% resistant shields. If any of Reflectors' components are not healing bots, they use their pistols to shoot targets.
- Ability: Reflector Team Up! Summon Spectro and Spyglass, each with an ability to shield friendly bots blocking 40/45% of incoming damage.
- Cost: 4 ability points +2 cost increase.
Reflector at Transformers: Earth Wars Wiki
Toys
Generation 1
- Reflector (Mail-away, 1986/1987; wide release in Japan, 1985)
- Japanese ID number: 21
- Accessories: Spectro's "Shutter Gun", Viewfinder's "Lens Laser", Spyglass' "Optic Blaster", flash cube/missile launcher, 3 missiles, telephoto lens.
- Reflector was first sold in Japan in 1985 as an ordinary retail item. However, Hasbro delayed selling him in the US until 1986, and only then via mail-order from a direct-mail flyer promoting The Transformers: The Movie. (Oddly, this came just as the character was being fully phased out of the fiction.) The toy would be a common offering in pack-in flyers from then on, at a cost of $10 and two Robot Points.
- Reflector is composed of three distinct robots that combine to form a camera: Viewfinder as the central component with the lens, Spectro as the right-side component with the shutter button, and Spyglass as the left-side component with the flash. It includes a telephoto lens and old-style flashcube that doubles as a missile launcher, but of course, the Hasbro version has the spring-loaded mechanism neutered for safety reasons. Undocumented in the instructions is that the telephoto lens is supposed to fit onto Viewfinder's gun to reduce kibble.
Generations
Thrilling 30
- Skrapnel & Reflector (Legends Class, 2014)
- Series / Number: 02 / #008
- Part of the sixth wave of 2012-onwards Generations Legends Class toys, Thrilling 30 "Skrapnel" comes with Reflector, a smaller robot based on Viewfinder's package art. Reflector can transform into a camera or a weapon modeled after Shrapnel's grenade launcher, both of which Skrapnel can wield via its 5mm post, or mount onto Skrapnel's back in insect mode. The only way Reflector's camera mode can be held right-side-up is loosely by the unfolded robot arms – the 5mm post is on top of the camera, and is sculpted to resemble a camera's flashcube.
- Stock photography of Reflector depicts him with his arms swapped, and therefore facing backwards. This mold was redecoed into Spy-Eye for Botcon 2015.
Combiner Wars
- Reflector (3-pack, 2016)
- Released as a BotCon 2016 souvenir exclusive, Combiner Wars Reflector (Spectro, Spyglass, and Viewfinder) is a redeco and retool of Combiner Wars Shockwave, utilizing the mold's preexisting alternate head. Reflector transforms into a spaceship based on Shockwave's Cybertronian handgun mode. Undocumented in the instructions, Reflector can transform into a gun mode for any Combiner Wars gestalt.
- Hasbro has encouraged finding ways to combine the three into a vaguely camera-shaped object, and as such there are multiple unofficial attempts. The links below are listed in order of increasing structural integrity.
- This version of the mold was also used to make BotCon 2016 Flash Sentry. This mold also served as the model for the non-toy Beast Wars: Uprising incarnation of Movor.
Masterpiece
- Megatron Gold Ver. (12/2014)
- ID number: MP-05G
- Accessories: None
- A non-transforming Reflector comes with MP-05G Megatron, the Hasbro Asia gold-chrome redeco of the MP-5 mold Megatron.
Merchandise
Transformers Milk Caramel
- Reflector (1985)
- A small soft-rubber figurine of Reflector (known as a keshigomu in Japan) was released as part of Kabaya's Transformers Milk Caramel line of candy toys. Based specifically on the Viewfinder toy, the figure was available in multiple colors and came packaged with a piece of chocolate-covered caramel.
Transformers Gum
- Reflector (1985)
- Accessories: Spectro's "Shutter Gun", Viewfinder's "Lens Laser", Spyglass' "Optic Blaster", flash cube/missile launcher, missile, telephoto lens
- Essentially a downsized version of the original Reflector toy, the Transformers Gum kit is sculpted from black, red and grey plastic, features stickers rather than paint applications for details, and came with a stick of gum.
Decoy
- Destron Hero Collection 22 (multi-pack, 1986)
- Reflector was among the larger keshigomu developed by Takara, molded from soft purple rubber and initially sold in a multi-pack with twenty-one other Decepticon figurines. The figure, based on Reflector's animation model (unlike the earlier Caramel figure), features a number etched into its back which is the sum total of Reflector's Tech Spec ratings, for use in the various simple games that could be played with the figures. Reflector was later available in a peach coloration as part of various other multi-packs.
- Reflector (1987)
- Decoy number: 52
- The Reflector figurine was later brought over to Hasbro markets as part of the Decoy promotion, largely identical to the Japanese release except for the fact that the number on his back was replaced with a simple "checklist" number (52, in Reflector's case). Like all Decepticons Decoys, he was a randomly-chosen pack-in available with the carded Throttlebots, Stunticons, Combaticons and Terrorcons, and was, very early on in the promotion, available in an alternate red coloration that was only packed in with the Throttlebots. Unsurprisingly, this red figurine is much rarer.
Notes
- Reflector was originally the "Camera Robo" from Takara's Micro Change sub-series of the New Microman line. The only noteworthy difference between the two releases, besides the whole missile-launcher-neuter-in-the-United-States thing, is that the Microman release has "MICROX" emblazoned on the center unit's decals instead of "REFLECTOR".
- Not so surprisingly, the Camera Robo was first designed as a single unit. Apparently, the primary designer of the final toy, and possibly this initial design, was mecha designer Shinji Aramaki, who designed the robots for Megazone 23 and Genesis Climber Mospeada.
- Reflector's role early in the cartoon makes it seem likely his toy was originally planned for inclusion in the initial 1984 line, a theory supported by the inclusion of a Hasbro product code consistent with the other 1984 toys in Teletraan I's files on the Decepticons in "Heavy Metal War". Why Hasbro decided not to release it until so late in the game is unknown, as is the reason they later reversed that decision to make it a viable mail-away.
- In the Japanese dub of The Transformers cartoon, and in true anime fashion, Reflector announces the name of his special attack every time he uses it: "Flash Beam!"
- At BotCon 2010, it was announced at the Hasbro design panel[2] that Reflector was being considered as the redeco for the Transformers: Reveal the Shield Perceptor toy, using a built-in alternate "pretool" head for the sculpt that was designed to look like Perceptor's toy head (which does bear a passing resemblance to Viewfinder). Thus far, Hasbro didn't follow through with this plan, whereas TakaraTomy later used it for the e-HOBBY exclusive Generations Magnificus toy.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Reflector (リフレクター Rifurekutā)
- Mandarin: Fǎn-shè-chìn (Taiwan, 反射鏡, "Reflector"), Zhàoxiàngjī (China, 照相机, "Camera")
References
- Pages with image sizes containing extra px
- Character stubs missing fiction
- Pages with broken file links
- Alternity Decepticons
- Combined forms
- Combiner Wars
- Deceptihogs
- Decoys
- Generation 1 Decepticons
- Generations
- Mail order exclusives
- Multi-component Transformers
- Pretenders
- Reconnaissance specialists
- Wings Universe Decepticons
