Skids (G1)
| The name or term "Skids" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Skids (disambiguation). |
- Skids is an Autobot from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Skids is a theoretician. This is appropriate, as some would say his existence is merely theoretical; everyone forgets who he is or that he was there. But if they got to know him, they'd learn that he likes to daydream, get built into furniture, and pick up cowboy chicks.
Skids is also a fast learner, voraciously absorbing and compartmentalizing new information he receives. This allows him to adapt to new environments and unexpected situations very quickly. His calm, observant nature and tendency to fade into the background sometimes causes some to question his ability to fight, but make no mistake; Skids can handle himself in battle.
He'd just rather...listen to some music, y'know?
Fiction
Generation 1 cartoon continuity
The Transformers cartoon
- Voice actor: Michael Chain (English, "Quest for Survival"), Dan Gilvezan (English, "Triple Takeover"), Keiichi Nanba (Japanese, "Quest for Survival"), Ken Shiroyama (Japanese, "Triple Takeover"), Lu Jun (Chinese), Roberto Alexander (Latin American)
Like many of the Autobots who first appeared in 1985, the exact circumstances behind Skids joining the original group of Earth-based Autobots remain unknown. Skids first appeared as part of a strike force that was sent to stop the Insecticons from ravaging a human farm, only to meet with failure. Apparently injured in the battle, Skids underwent some repairs by Hoist upon return to Autobot Headquarters, where he responded incredulously to Bumblebee's report that he had retrieved robotic insecticide from the planet Floron III to deal with the Insecticon threat. Quest for Survival
Later, Skids was part of a team sent to investigate bombs that were raining down on a city from a football stadium (the work of the Triple Changer Blitzwing). Blitzwing, however, had the stadium surrounded by a massive "Zone Defense" maze built by the Constructicons, and while attempting to traverse it, Skids crashed into Prowl and was driven over by tank mode Blitzwing. Skids and the other Autobots' remains were then gathered by Scrapper, who built a throne for himself out of them. These Autobots were soon rescued and quickly rebuilt, and participated in the crises that ensued as Blitzwing, Astrotrain, Megatron and Devastator vied for Decepticon leadership. Following that skirmish, Prowl opined that Optimus Prime was the greatest leader in the universe, which prompted himself, Skids, Bluestreak and Tracks to form themselves into a throne for Prime; Prime refused to sit, saying that thrones were for Decepticons—he'd rather roll. Triple Takeover
Japanese cartoon continuity
Henkei! Henkei! Generations manga
When Skids successfully proved the existence of particles able to cross over between dimensions, he put his discovery to work for the forces of good, coating his armor in these "Dimension Slide" particles and endowing himself with the power to move between realities, as well as a snazzy new green paintjob. In this quest to examine anomalies within the multiverse, Skids found he could summon other versions of himself from different dimensions to aid him, but for unknown reasons, one of these alternate versions wound up trapped in Skids's home dimension, unable to return to his own world. Renamed "Screech" (presumably to save all the Autobots a headache), this alternate Skids teamed up with his counterpart, and together, the pair worked as "Quantum Operatives" policing the multiverse while searching for a way to get Screech home. Skids's toy bio Screech's toy bio
Hot on the trail of one such multiversal anomaly, Skids and Screech pursued Starscream's ghost across the multiverse to a parallel dimension where he was causing trouble. While the two dimension-hoppers kept the ghost busy with wordplay and pop culture references, the Mirage of that world used his illusion casting powers to scare Starscream into fleeing the dimension by projecting an illusion of his greatest fear: Galvatron! Starscream's New Body
Ask Vector Prime
Vector Prime claimed Skids was from Primax 308.0 Zeta while Screech was from Primax 1008.15 Gamma. The two worked with him in Primax 308.13 Beta. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/07/23
Legends comic
Skids would later take on a new body, blue as usual but more heavily armed, styling himself as a "dimensional investigator" (次元捜査官 jigen sōsakan). When Deadlock caused trouble in the Legends World by bringing SARA there, Skids showed up to teach him how to use SARA's powers to return to Cloud World, and also warned the Decepticon against causing any more interdimensional chaos. Bonus Edition Vol. EX
Finding there to be many more Transformers from other dimensions in the Legends Universe, Skids regarded this as problematic and decided to send them all back by force and seal off the dimension. Met with resistance from Megatron and his cohorts, he summoned the Skids Squadron to fight the Decepticon leader while he personally dealt with the others. When Megatron came to their rescue, Skids entered "Full Burst Mode" and seemingly killed the Decepticon with a mighty barrage, only to realize the villain just sacrificed himself for his comrades. Following protests by the natives of the Legends Universe, Skids caught on to the fact that their world was a peaceful one without factions or war and that he was the one causing chaos and violence, prompting the investigator to abandon his plans and undo the seal. He continued to keep the dimension under surveillance, and even stuck around to look up its fictional representations of himself. Bonus Edition Vol. 20
Skids would come to join the Dimensional Patrol, a G1 World organization dedicated to battling multiversal threats. He was guarding Devil Gigatron at their base when Black Convoy's group came to break him out. Devil Gigatron had reformed, however, and refused to leave with Black Convoy. In fact, he removed the corruption in Black Convoy's spark he had placed there years earlier, reverting Black Convoy to his original Autobot state. LGEX Scourge Prologue With the Commandos still corrupted, Skids and Black Convoy pursued the fugitives to the Legends World on behalf of the Patrol. The people of the Legends World were less than enthused by the presence of this occupying military force. Even after the Commandos were captured and reverted to protoforms, Skids and the Patrol insisted on staying until the Dark AI computer entity was found. Instead, the Headmasters of the Axalon Trading Company helped Dark Ai re-install Black Convoy's original personality, and he then helped drive Skids and his Dimensional Patrol drones off of their world. Black Convoy Bonus Edition
At some point in their career, Skids and Screech prevented the Insecticons from consuming the universe by defeating them with a new type of robotic insecticide. Bonus Edition Vol. 47
Eventually, Sky-Byte convinced Skids and the Dimensional Patrol that the Legends World was not a threat, but was worth preserving. Skids brought the Dimensional Patrol to the Legends World as protectors, defending the populace against an invading army of Zamojin, and the rampage of Majin Zarak. Legends World in Imminent Danger! Part One
Skids continued working with the Dimensional Patrol, under the leadership of the combined Devil God Fire Convoy. Legends Final Chapter
Story of Binaltech
Skids was the first of the Binaltech Autobots created simply with the intent of upgrading an existing, healthy Transformer, rather than in the name of repairing one that had been injured. Outfitted with self-repairing nanomechanical antibodies, Skids's body can, barring heavy damage in battle, theoretically function for thousands of years without maintenance. In both his original and new body, Skids dedicated time to studying the chronal warp on Dinobot Island, which gave rise to the Autobot strategy known as "Operation: Distant Thunder", a last-ditch scheme should the Decepticons tamper with the fabric of space-time. That horror occurred in 2004 when Ravage used the Kronosphere to alter the timeline, and Skids prepared to initiate the plan and send Wheeljack's memory data back in time to avert the catastrophe. Darkest Hour
The data probe was launched, but as the timeline was righting itself a Nemesis Prime arrived, and manipulated the temporal wave to preserve the Binaltech timeline separate from the original continuity. Possessed by the Spark of the Protector, hailing from some future point in time, Nemesis Prime informed Skids and the others that their timeline was destined to produce great warriors capable of safeguarding the entire multiverse, and therefore must continue on its new course. Binal Time
Skids was among the Autobots seen returning to base after the defeat of Nemesis Prime. Outlier
Legends comic
Binaltech Skids was a member of the Skids Squadron, a group of dimension-hopping versions of Skids led by dimensional investigator Skids, who summoned them to help force Megatron out of the Legends World. Bonus Edition Vol. 20
Marvel Comics continuity
Marvel The Transformers comics
In the event that the Ark's mission would require more manpower, Optimus Prime had several Autobots encode copies of their personalities as light patterns within crystalline containment vessels, including Skids. When a large number of Prime's troops were then injured during the opening volleys of the war on Earth, Prime arranged for the construction of new bodies, which the personalities were then programmed into, bringing Skids and the others to life "for a second time".
Now in a new body that transformed into a blue van equipped with a bandana-wearing driver, Skids went with Bumblebee and the other new Autobots to learn about their new home. Along the way he learned about an upcoming Brick Springstern concert, and immediately took a liking to the music of Earth and the possibilities of what could be learned from interacting with mankind. When the concert turned out to be the target of a Decepticon attack, Skids and the others were forced into action, engaging Shockwave and three Decepticon jets in battle. They quickly retreated after routing their foes, so that the show could go on. Rock and Roll-Out!
When Megatron ran out of fuel in the middle of the Powder River Basin in Wyoming, Optimus Prime took Skids and a few other Autobots to prevent harm to the humans who had discovered him. Unfortunately, these humans (and their military) forced the Autobots into a retreat. I, Robot-Master!
Skids voiced some concerns about Optimus's plans to raid the heavily fortified Decepticon base for information on the combining process, but Prime vetoed them. En route, distracted by a human radio station, Skids nearly forgot to activate his facsimile driver; a moment later he accidentally clipped the car of hot-tempered Jake Dalrymple, who pursued the Autobots on their mission. Despite the wall of weaponry facing them, Skids made it through the battle unscathed; but as the Autobots retreated with the information, they encountered Jake Dalrymple again, who distracted Skids just long enough for Ravage to blast him off a cliff. Although Optimus Prime mourned the loss of Skids, neither the Autobot leader nor any other Autobot thought to recover the believed deactivated body of Skids later after their mission had been completed. Command Performances!
Lying crippled and unable to transform, Skids was shortly discovered by register girl Charlene, who, thinking he was an ordinary van, had him fixed up with the intent of keeping him for herself. Skids was open to the idea at first, preferring a peaceful life to that of a warrior, but after another bout of road rage with Dalrymple, the unearthly stunts he performed left him no option but to reveal his true nature of Charlene.
And maybe I'll wash you
A somewhat unusual relationship ensued between the two, but more trouble soon came Skids's way in the form of Donny Finkleberg, who was being hunted down by Ravage. Fleeing from the Decepticon with Charlene and Donny, Skids hid out at an abandoned mining town, but yet again, the raging Dalrymple tracked him down and shattered his windshield, knocking him unconscious and into a dream where he died through his refusal to attack Megatron and save Charlene. Reawakening, he engaged Ravage in battle again, finally finding the strength to act, and causing his foe to tumble down a mineshaft. Skids then parted ways with Charlene, having come to the realisation that their two roles in life were too different for their relationship to work out. Showdown!
Skids returned to the Ark with Finkleberg, with Optimus pleased to find him alive. Jetfire was sent to verify Finkleberg's claim about a group of missing Autobots, uncovering a trail of spilled Transformer fuel. Aerialbots over America! Skids was outfitted with a chemical tracker to follow the fuel trail; taking Finkelberg with him, he began tracing the fuel back to its source. En route, he broke cover to save a trapped driver from some downed power lines, a move that caught the Decepticons' attention. The newly created Stunticons were dispatched to "ambush" Skids - by acting as though they were his allies. The humans' Rapid Anti-robot Assault Team and the Aerialbots soon arrived and engaged in a three-way battle. When it was over, the Aerialbots were defeated, the Autobots' reputation was smeared, and the Stunticons were triumphant; Skids could do little but clear out to continue his mission with Finkleberg. Unfortunately, money still governed Finkleberg's actions, and that evening he sold out Skids to RAAT's leader Walter Barnett while Skids was deactivated for the night. Heavy Traffic!
Skids was disassembled for study, but when the Decepticons Runabout and Runamuck appeared on Earth and began defacing landmarks, RAAT operative Circuit Breaker was forced to enter into a deal with the Autobots to stop them. Skids and the other Autobots' components were combined to form a jury-rigged robot that Circuit Breaker used to stop the Battlechargers, but in return for their co-operation, Skids and the Autobots were allowed to go free. Decepticon Graffiti!
On the return trip to the Ark, however, Skids was abruptly torn from reality when the future Decepticon Galvatron traveled back in time from 2006, shunting Skids into Limbo to maintain temporal balance. Fallen Angel
Skids attended Optimus Prime's funeral, Funeral for a Friend! witnessed the arrival of a group of children within the space-borne Ark, Spacehikers! and watched Blaster and Grimlock fight for Autobot leadership on Earth's moon. He was presumably either off-lined during the subsequent Decepticon ambush, Totaled! or during Starscream's Underbase powered rampage. Dark Star
Skids remained in Limbo for two years while Galvatron ran amok on Earth, his mind steadily succumbing to the dream-illusions created by the parasites native to the realm. Time Wars In his dreams, a brutish Skids led monsters in orgies of destruction. With Galvatron's eventual death during the Time Wars, Skids was finally returned to Earth, but he had spent too long in Limbo—the Limbo parasites had succeeded in shaping a reality from his dreams, and the nightmarish monsters that he had imagined materialised on Earth with him. Fleeing from the beasts, horrified at the "weakness" that had led to him making them, Skids was convinced by the creatures that they would exist so long as he was alive. Their goal was to break him into joining them in their bloody rampages (and also to just mess with him). Skids lured them into a nuclear power plant which he had planned to detonate, wiping out the monsters and himself. However, he struggled to find the courage to end his own life in order to spare the Earth from the horrors he had birthed.
Thankfully, it didn't come to that, as the remnants of the Autobot Wreckers—joined by Catilla and Carnivac of the Decepticon Mayhem Attack Squad—arrived to aid him, defeating the monsters even as the creature's leader admitted they'd made up that whole 'die to stop us' thing. Skids joined with this group of Transformers, forming the Survivors. Survivors!
Carnivac soon tired of Autobot life and Skids and the others could only watch as he fell out with Springer and struck out on his own. Way of the Warrior When a human called in the rest of the Survivors to help Carnivac against the new Mayhem Attack Squad, Springer was adamant that they shouldn't help the renegade Decepticon, but Skids, Broadside and Inferno were swayed by Catilla's pleas to get involved. Survival Run They arrived just in time to save Carnivac from the Decepticons, but Catilla was killed by Bludgeon and Carnivac swore vengeance. A Savage Place!
Grimlock traveled to Hydrus Four to use Nucleon to revive the Dinobots. Returning to the Ark, he also pumped Nucleon into the med bays, reviving Skids and several others, and headed towards Cybertron. Grimlock used the Ark as a blunt instrument across Unicron's head, forcing Skids and the others to evacuate and join the battle against the Chaos Bringer. On the Edge of Extinction!
Earthforce
When Carnivac ran off on his own to avenge Catilla's death, Skids and the other Survivors insisted Springer contact Grimlock and the Earthforce for back-up. Wolf in the Fold! Though Grimlock was hesitant to lend any warriors in order to save a Decepticon, he was swayed into doing so in exchange of the Survivors' word that they would permanently join up with his unit afterwards. Hooked up with these Autobot reinforcements, Skids and the others stormed the Mayhem Attack Squad's tropical island base. Skids personally confronted Octopunch in single combat, holding his own against the murderous Pretender. Where Wolf?
On a later mission for Earthforce, Skids and the Survivors protected an oil tanker from Starscream, while the rest of the Decepticons were trying to distract the Autobots with an all-out assault on their base. Undeterred by the sleight-of-hand, the Survivors caught up with Starscream in the Gulf of Mexico. Skids used a flying leap by Carnivac as a distraction to catch Starscream with his liquid nitrogen cannon, and then Inferno knocked the Decepticon commander into the drink. Divide and Conquer!
Transformers Comic-Magazin
Skids was part of the Autobot team when they battled the Decepticons in defense of Earth's precious energy resources. The Transformers' Grand Hour: Headmaster of the Dimensions
Goldbug later recalled the events of the previous battle. The Cosmic Adventure: Memories of Bumblebee
Regeneration One
In 2012, when Optimus Prime discovered Megatron was still active on Earth, he took an armed assault squad of Autobots, including Skids, to put an end to the tyrant's menace once and for all. Battling Megatron's reanimated Decepticon zombies as the two leaders clashed, Skids called dibs on taking out Overbite. Loose Ends, Part 5
After the battle, Skids and Prowl attended to Kup as he recovered from a Scraplet infection. He then departed Earth with the other Autobots. Natural Selection, Part One As they arrived back at Cybertron, the Valiant was targeted by missiles from the Civil Defense Hub, though they were called off at the last second. Nonetheless, Skids and the rest of the armed assault squad prepared for immediate deployment upon landing. Natural Selection, Part Five
Skids would later respond when Jhiaxus's Primum Fugae began attacking the Demons and Dinobots indiscriminately and upon Ultra Magnus's orders, he and Sideswipe began prepping the Dinobots for medevac. The War to End All Wars, Part 2 During the invasion of the Hub Network, Skids and a team of Autobots comprising Beachcomber, Sky High, Jazz, and Getaway aboard the Lancer Two were shot down by Jhiaxus's forces when they revealed their full defensive power. The War to End All Wars, Part 3
Dinobots Strike Back
Although Skids had reported the strange electromagnetic readings he'd been getting from Dolphin's Bay even before Optimus Prime sent Windcharger to Bandit's Bluff to remove the cerebro-shells from the rampaging Dinobots, it took Grimlock's report that evening to prompt Optimus to have Skids investigate it for possible Decepticon activity. Prime chose Bumblebee to accompany him in Wheeljack's new mini-submarine, but wasn't sure whether to assign Sludge to the mission as well, since Skids clearly didn't want him along.
If Prime left Sludge out, Skids celebrated by absentmindedly crashing into Mount Lomas, crumpling his hood and causing Bumblebee to notice a suspicious trail in the woods. If the pair followed it instead of continuing to the bay, they walked into a trap set by Scrapper and Gravedigger, who disassembled Bumblebee and Skids to serve as the first components of the Autobot Memorial Power Plant.
If they continued to Dolphin's Bay and the sub, Skids traced electromagnetic waves back to some black coral, then hacked into a Decepticon computer and learned of a plot to convert the coral into superfuel. Bumblebee then exited the hatch to break a piece off, triggering an explosion which trapped him in a canyon beneath broken columns of crimson coral. Without underwater gear, Skids had only two options: If he went back to the channel for help, Seaspray used his laser to free Bumblebee, then tried to sail back to the Ark, only to have Starscream blow all three of them up with a cluster bomb. If Skids tried translating some nearby dolphins' language, he succeeded in five minutes, talking the three largest dolphins into moving the broken coral. Skids and Bumblebee brought the black coral and his report back to Optimus Prime, ensuring an Autobot victory.
If Prime did include Sludge, Skids, and Bumblebee made it to the bay first, then used the sub to track the readings to an underwater cave. Bumblebee entered it, radioed Skids about Operation Black Coral, then failed to reemerge. If Skids chose to return to the Ark for help, two possible endings saw an Autobot assault save Bumblebee and destroy the Decepticons' base. If Skids tried to radio Bumblebee, the sub was promptly hit by a sonic attack from Frenzy, making it go haywire and tear through the bay. Whether Skids tried to stop it by activating the backup systems or shorting the controls out with his electron blaster, he was saved by Sludge, ensuring an Autobot victory in two more endings. Dinobots Strike Back
3H comics
Several months after the defeat of Unicron in 2005, Skids was among the senior scientists (including Perceptor, Quickmix, and Rad) who questioned Rodimus Prime's plan to send out the best of the remaining Autobot science and research members to establish deep-space reconnaissance posts. Betrayal
Dreamwave Generation One continuity
8.2 million years ago, Skids was in the Chamber of the Ancients, observing the ceremony in which Optronix was given the Matrix of Leadership and transformed into Optimus Prime. Immediately, three Decepticon assassins attacked, and though Skids acted to protect the new Prime, his arm was cut off by Umbra. The War Within #1
Skids was repaired and he returned to his post at the Decagon. While Prime was absent, Skids picked up radar of incoming Decepticon invaders and a transmission from the force's field commander, Shockwave. The War Within #2 Skids helped man auto-defenses from inside the Decagon and coordinated troops in the field. The War Within #3 Eventually, the Autobots' Omega Sentinel units were destroyed. Picking up their personal weaponry, Skids and the other Autobots were all that was left to defend Iacon, and made a desperate last stand against Shockwave and his forces. The War Within #5 The Autobots were only spared from annihilation because Starscream at that point activated one of Cybertron's planetary engines. This caused a chain reaction, which crumbled Iacon into a crater, driving away the Decepticon forces. The War Within #6
During the Dark Ages, when Optimus Prime and Megatron both disappeared into a prototype spacebridge, both factions splintered into several sub-groups. Skids served under Prowl's faction of Autobots. Fragmentation Together, they investigated reports that the Decepticons were in the process of building a mobile fortress, only to find Trypticon already completed and battle-ready in the Praetorus Wharf. Devastation Finding that nothing they threw at the giant Decepticon had any effect, the Autobots tried to outrun it instead. Skids hid in a nearby building, onto which Trypticon jumped to crush him. Revelation Though battered by the incident, Skids managed to survive it, and was brought back to Autobase for repairs. As Ratchet was tending to his wounds, The Fallen broke into the Autobots' headquarters, reappropriated Blitzwing from one of their holding cells, and took off. Confrontation Once The Fallen's base of operations was uncovered, Skids joined a cross-faction army in rushing it to put an end to the ancient Transformer's scheme. Ultimately, The Fallen was defeated by the power of Primus himself, and all factions agreed to keep the chamber The Fallen had tried to breach sealed to prevent anyone from further abusing the power held within it. Conflagration
At some point, Ultra Magnus took command of the Autobots, and reunited them into a single faction. Under his leadership, the Autobots gained a significant hold over Cybertron's resources and territories. This eventually forced the Ultracons and Shockwave's Decepticons to sign a peace treaty with the Autobots. Skids was in attendance at the signing of the truce, which was interrupted by a bombing, engineered by Starscream and his Predacons. This act of aggression only served to unite the Autobots, Ultracons, and Decepticons however, who struck back against Starscream's troops. A united Cybertron finally seemed within reach... that is, until Megatron made a dramatic return, accompanied by an army of Air Warriors. The Age of Wrath Megatron quickly took over the planet, and enslaved the majority of Autobots. Skids was among the many unfortunates captured, and put to work in Internment Camp Pi. The Age of Wrath Pt.2
Optimus returned to Cybertron, and the Autobots were freed from slavery. The Age of Wrath Pt.6
Skids was not among the Autobots who traveled to Earth aboard the Ark, remaining behind on Cybertron as the planet slipped into the deactivated state known as the Great Shutdown. When Shockwave began reactivating the planet and successfully unified the Autobot and Decepticon factions, Skids was a member of the council of Autobots who served to represent their faction in the alliance. Few of the council members were actually suited for leadership, however, and slowly found themselves giving more and more control to Shockwave. Revelation Even when Perceptor presented the council with evidence that Shockwave was performing immoral experiments on fellow Cybertronians, the High Council was unwilling to take any constitutional action against Shockwave.Cold War Eventually, the example shown by the Ark's returning crew and several homegrown Autobot insurgency cells tore the blinders from the council's optics, and Skids gathered his fellow councilmen in taking to the streets and ousting the Decepticons from power. Revelation
G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers
During an Autobot peace ceremony on Cybertron, Skids reported to Optimus Prime that Hot Rod, Springer, and Sandstorm had yet to find the Autobots and Joes that had gone missing while chasing Serpent O.R. Their conversation was then interrupted due to a Decepticon attack. The Art of War #3
Skids was later stationed on the Arc II on Earth, where he helped his comrades in the field by warning them about incoming G.I. Joe S.H.A.R.C.s. When the ship came under attack by the Pretender Monsters, Skids was knocked out by Icepick while alerting the others on board. Black Horizon, Part 1 of 2 He was sent to the Pit for repairs and was expected to quickly recover from his injuries. Black Horizon, Part 2 of 2
TransTech
In an Offworld Zone of Axiom Nexus, a Skids was yet another victim of Bulletbike, murdered for a cred-key. I, Lowtech
The Beast Within
During a particularly violent brawl between the Autobots and Decepticons, Skids could do nothing but avert his eyes as The Beast began distributing wanton carnage onto the battlefield. The Beast Within
Later, Skids was amongst the few Autobot survivors still intact despite the brutality of the battle. He and a small number of surviving Autobots rode in Optimus Prime's trailer in a desperate effort to outrun The Beast. He was then killed when the Beast took a swipe at Optimus's trailer, crushed utterly in The Beast's monstrous paw. The Beast Within Part 2, Consequences
2005 IDW continuity
An outlier with "super-learning" powers, Skids of Nova Cronum trained as a theoretician at Senator Shockwave's Academy of Advanced Technology. Once a heavily religious 'Bot, his faith died in Grindcore gulag when his old friend Glitch tricked him into rebuilding a smelting pool, then forced him to watch fifty Autobots die because of him. He repressed these memories hard.
Later, he would fake his death and become part of Prowl's Special Operations, teamed with Getaway. After a mission to "convince" Chief Justice Tyrest to resign with a nudge gun went wrong, he erased his memory of Special Ops and ended up as part of the crew of the Lost Light
He would be part of the Lost Light crew for years, until, needing for someone to be traumatised to "supercharge" his friends, he asked Chromedome to restore his repressed memories. It proved too much for him, and he died soon after.
Cloud
As an Autobot from Cloud World, Skids was part of an inter-dimensional police force that kept the peace throughout the multiverse, while collecting excess energy to ensure the welfare of SARA, the super-robotic being that allowed them access to other dimensions. When the Autobots' city of Metropolis came under attack from the Decepticons of the Underground, Skids was stationed at the Autobots' Directorate of Operations to safeguard it as part of a garrison. But the Decepticons' rampage across multiple city districts had turned out to be nothing more than a distraction from their real scheme. Shockwave and others forced their way into the Autobots' headquarters, catching the guards by surprise, and managed to make their escape with SARA in tow. After the Decepticons' retreat to the Underground, Optimus Prime called a meeting. Skids personally apologized for failing in his responsibility of protecting SARA. Optimus, however, took the blame onto himself for not having formulated a better strategy against the Decepticons. Optimus decided to head into the Underground himself to retrieve SARA. The other Autobots, unwilling to let their beloved leader go alone in this venture, all volunteered to join him. Resolve
Q-Transformers cartoon
Bumblebee named Skids, Cliffjumper, and Drift as three characters who had been produced as toys for the popular Q-Transformers line. The Road to Winning a New Fanbase
Legends comic
Skids was a member of the Skids Squadron, a group of dimension-hopping versions of Skids led by dimensional investigator Skids, who summoned them to help force Megatron out of the Legends World. Bonus Edition Vol. 20
Games
3D Battle-Card Game
Skids was one of Optimus Primal's many Autobot allies in a fight against Megatron's Decepticon forces, in what might possibly have been an inter-universe battle. Energon Wars Expansion Set
Transformers Legends
During the war on Cybertron, Skids was among a group of Autobots led by Sentinel Prime, who went to Tyrest in an attempt to reason with Megatron. They were ambushed by the Decepticons, and Sentinel Prime was killed. The War Within
Transformers: Battle Tactics
Skids participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was an Rare character that could be recruited by collecting 130 units of Cybermetal, 75 units of Transmetal, and 45 hunter cores. Transformers: Battle Tactics
Transformers Operation Omega
Toys
The Transformers (Generation 1)
- Skids (Autobot Car, 1984)
- Accessories: "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets
- Skids began life as part of TakaraTomy's Diaclone toyline, where he was known simply by the name of his alternate mode, the Honda City Turbo, and was available in blue, red, or black color schemes (see Notes, below). The blue version of the figure was used by Hasbro as part of the Transformers toyline, sans a small scooter accessory that the Diaclone figure had come with which stored inside his trunk. Despite sharing this common point of origin with many of his fellow Autobot cars, he features a few unusual touches: his rear wheels fold into his feet for added robot mode stability, and his weapons attach by clipping over his forearms, rather than plugging into his fists. Among his armament is a "rocket pod", the spring-loaded missile-firing mechanism of which was neutered for Hasbro's release of the figure.
- Skids had a somewhat odd release history: Because he was not one of the original eleven Autobot Cars released at the line's inception, he is commonly grouped in with the later 1985 Autobot Cars both fictionally and in the minds of fans. However, Skids was actually added to the 1984 Autobot Cars assortment (taking the place of a second Mirage in a case of twelve) very late in the year (December 1984 is the current earliest confirmed availability of the figure), during which time he came in 1984 packaging including a ™ mark by the "Transformers" logo, rather than an ® mark. Like the other 1984 cars, at least some of these early Skids releases lacked the rubsign on the roof that would later be added to all Transformers toys in 1985.[1] Presumably due to this early release, he got the short end of the stick in 1985: That year, the "Autobot Cars" price point was divided into two separate assortments, each of which contained six of the figures that had debuted in 1984 (packaged one per case in a case of 12) and three of the new figures that debuted in 1985 (packaged two per case). Since Hasbro apparently considered Skids a 1984 release, he ended up being packaged only one per case, thus making him somewhat more rare than his peers.
- Skids has been reissued several times; this article lists each reissue separately where appropriate. This mold itself is a retool of an earlier Diaclone toy, the Honda City R; this earlier tooling was used to make Crosscut and the Transformers Generations 2009 exclusive Screech.
Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers
- Skids & Sunstreaker vs Buzzsaw (multi-pack, 1985)
- ID number: VSZ
- Accessories: "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets
- Skids was not released on his own in the Japanese Generation 1 toyline, and was instead available only in a multi-pack with Sunstreaker and Buzzsaw, which was also the only way to get the other two on the Japanese market at the time. This box set remains a considerable rarity on the secondary market.
- Skids & Screech Quantum Operative Ver. (exclusive multi-pack, 2009)
- Accessories: "Material acceleration pistol", dual-barreled gun, "quantum shield" launcher, 3 rockets, scooter
- "Quantum Operative" Skids is a green redeco of the original Generation 1 toy, available in conjunction with his Encore release (below), and including for the first time the scooter accessory that was eliminated from the Diaclone toy for his original Transformers release. He was sold in a set with Screech that was a mail-away exclusive available only with volume 3 of Million Publishing's Transformers Generations 2009. While Skids's colors are an homage to Revenge of the Fallen Skids, Screech is likewise a match for Skids's twin Mudflap.
- Amusingly, the color scheme for this exclusive was accidentally revealed early by TakaraTomy when they mistakenly included its missile launcher, denoted by its bright green launching tab, with the normal Encore version that was on display at Tokyo Toy Show 2009.[2]
The Transformers Collection
- Skids (reissue, 2002-09-27)
- ID number: 3
- Accessories: "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets
- Skids received his first reissue in 2002, when Takara made him available as part of their "book-box" Transformers Collection series, surprising many with the inclusion of such an overlooked character so early in the line. He features no significant differences from the original (save for a working missile launcher, as with the original Japanese release), though the figure suffered from a common, if not universal, problem: an excess of plastic on the underside of Skids's right foot means that his rear wheel can not fold down flat beneath it, resulting in a slightly unstable robot mode. Since the original Japanese figure was released only in a giftset, Skids did not get a Japanese ID number at the time, a situation this reissue rectifies by retroactively giving him the ID number 96 on the included Tech Spec and bio card.
- The aforementioned Crosscut was released exclusively through e-HOBBY in conjunction with this reissue.
Commemorative Series
- Skids (reissue, 2004)
- Accessories: "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets
- Skids got his first Hasbro reissue as part of the eighth wave of their Commemorative Series line, exclusive to Toys"R"Us stores. He features no notable differences from the earlier Takara Transformers Collection release, except for the fact that his launcher's spring has been removed.
Alternators/Binaltech
- Autobot Skids (2005)
- Alternator ID number: 17
- Japanese ID number: BT-16
- Accessories: Engine-rifle
- Skids transforms into a 1:24-scale blue Scion xB. All four doors open, revealing a fully-detailed realistic interior with seats for a driver and passengers, plus his hood pops open to reveal his engine. His robot mode is very reminiscent of his original toy, with his head sculpt based off his animation model with toy details. His engine pops out and unfolds to become his hand-held pistol.
- The Hasbro Alternators release (part of the first wave of new "bubble packaging" toys) differs from the Takara Binaltech release in that it has a much darker shade of blue, tinted windows, and various Scion-type tampographed flame decals. The Japanese release naturally has die cast metal parts, is painted a lighter shade of blue, and has different paint decos. It also includes a sheet of stickers, including flames resembling the ones printed on the Alternators version, as well as some Generation-1-style red stripes, and most humorously, a Japanese "New Driver" badge.
- This mold was also used to make Binaltech Asterisk Broadblast.
Encore
- Skids (reissue, 2009)
- ID number: 18
- Accessories: "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets
- TakaraTomy reissued Skids again in October 2009 as part of their Transformers Encore series. This version of the figure shifted its colors a little, changing him from tomato-red and blue to cherry-red and blueish-purple, as well as noticeably lightening the translucent blue plastic used for his windows. His Autobot symbol and tail light stickers were replaced with tampographs, while some of his other stickers were updated slightly, including his factory-applied front grill sticker. Like past reissues, this figure too suffered with an unstable robot mode, and both feet had wheels that would not fold away flat.
Generations
- Autobot Skids (Deluxe, 2013)
- Series / Number: 02 / #009
- Accessories: Nudge gun & nitrogen gun (combine to form rifle)
- Part of the seventh wave of 2012-onwards Generations Deluxe Class toys, Thrilling 30 "Autobot Skids" transforms from a contemporary-looking hatchback into a robot mode largely based on Alex Milne's design for IDW's More than Meets the Eye comic, most notably featuring that body's numerous integrated weapons. He also includes the nudge gun carried by Skids in said comic and a new version of the liquid nitrogen rifle from his original toy, the two of which can combine into a larger rifle. Both weapons can peg onto his hands or vehicle sides via 5 mm post.
- There are numerous reports of the figure's hips being assembled the wrong way round, thus affecting the car mode as well as hampering the leg articulation (and it could even result in the ball joints at the waist snapping off), this can simply be fixed by popping them out and swapping them to the right place (just as long as you are careful with the aforementioned ball joints). At least some later releases fixed this issue.
- He comes packaged with the twenty-second issue of IDW's aforementioned More than Meets the Eye comic series, featuring a cropped version of its retailer incentive cover, which is called out as a 'Hasbro Exclusive Cover' on its front.
- Skids was redecoed into Age of Extinction Rollbar and Timelines/Diaclone Burn Out, which was later repurposed as Shattered Glass Skids. This mold was also retooled into Generations Crosscut.
Q-Transformers
- Q-Transformers Skids is a redeco and retool of QT-15 Hound, transforming into a super deformed Suzuki Hustler.
Kre-O
- Kreon Class of '85 (Kreon figure set, 2015)
- Set number B5152
- Voted: Most Thoughtful
- Accessories: 2 clip-on rifles
- Kre-O "Autobot Skids" is a small brick-built Kreon figure, using the 2015-style construction with raised hands and the sturdier "peg-in-peg" torso/waist connection. His body tampographs are heavily toy-based, with a ton of intricate design.
- He was only available as part of the San Diego Comic-Con-exclusive "Kreon Class of '85" 30-Kreon set. This set was also sold online through Hasbro Toy Shop after the show.
Legends
- Legends Skids is an extensive redeco of the Generations Skids toy. It features a color scheme faithful to the character's appearance in the More than Meets the Eye comic, with a darker shade of blue, black front grill with red details under the grill, silver and black detailing on the feet, painted front lights and pink striping on the front hood and on the back's sculpted detail.
Merchandise
Decoy
- Cybertron Hero Collection 22 (multi-pack, 1986)
- Skids was among the many characters rendered by Takara as part of their series of 1.5" soft rubber keshigomu figurines. Like all the figures in the series, Skids featured a number sculpted into his back that was the sum total of his Tech Specs, for use in the various games that could be played with the figurines. He was available in red as part of a 22-piece box set of Autobot figures, in peach as part of various other randomly-packed box sets released by Takara subsidiary Seven, and in a wide variety of different colors in "gachapon" capsule machines.
- Skids (1987)
- Decoy number: 12
- The Skids 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. Like all Autobot Decoys, he was a randomly-chosen pack-in available with the carded Throttlebots, Aerialbots, Protectobots, and Technobots.
3d Battle-Card Game
- Skids (3D Battle-Card, 2007)
- A 26-point "common" character in the 3D Battle-Card Game's "Energon Wars" expansion, Skids "transforms" into a grey pickup truck of indeterminate make. He uses the same parts layout as Ironhide and Dropkick.
- He is equipped with a LN2 Cryo Rifle, an Electron Blaster, and a Rocket Launcher, which are similar to his G1 weapons — but due to the interdimensional nature of the Energon Wars subset, the Battle-Card may or may not also represent the live-action movie Skids.
Notes
- The Diaclone version of Skids was additionally available in black or red. The BotCon 2015 toy and character Burn Out, a non-Cybertronian Diaclone mech from within the Transformers multiverse, is based on the black version.
- Skids' animation model head appears to be based on early Diaclone promotional concept art. The toy's head would be different... and ultimately different from the Crosscut head shown in his instructions, which also popped up a few times in the UK comics.
- Though Skids' toy turned into a Honda City Turbo, his car mode was often misinterpreted in Transformers fiction as one of the then-new minivans, despite the fact that a Honda City Turbo is a subcompact car, and as such, could theoretically be stowed in the back seat of an actual minivan. This is likely because most Americans in 1985 wouldn't know what a subcompact car is.
- As Skids was released in the interim between the original 1984 launch and the big push of new 1985 figures, the character consequently fell by the wayside in the Generation 1 fiction of the 1980s. He was not included in the commercial promoting the new 1985 range of Autobot Cars, as he wasn't technically part of it. Similarly, he was also left out of the list of new 1985 product in the Generation 1 cartoon's production bible intended for inclusion in the show's second season, and as such, only managed to appear in little more than cameo roles in just two episodes, speaking one line in each and voiced by a different actor each time. He fared a little better in the Marvel comics, debuting alongside (an incomplete roster of) the other 1985 cars, but after getting an issue dedicated to himself, he all but completely vanished from the book and was banished to limbo by the UK comic for upwards of 100 issues, abandoned and forgotten.
- In the "Survivors!" story, Skids was suddenly drawn with the original Diaclone toy's head (which years later would be used for the new character Crosscut). "Survivors!"' artist, Dan Reed, previously drew him with his real head, so it'd be interesting to learn why and how this change happened. (He would later mysteriously regain his own face.)
- In more recent years, toys sporting the name "Skids" have required an additional "Autobot" prefix for trademark reasons, hence making the official name "Autobot Skids".
Foreign names
- Japanese: Skids (スキッズ Sukizzu)
- French: Platon ("Plato")
- Hungarian: Szán
- Italian: Furetto ("Ferret")
- Mandarin: Shāchē (China, 刹车, "Brake")
- Portuguese: Patins (Brazil comic, "Roller Skates"), Pé-de-cabra (Portugal comic, "Crowbar")
- Russian: Tormoz (Тормоз, "Brake")
References
- Pages with broken file links
- Pages with image sizes containing extra px
- Character stubs missing fiction
- Character stubs missing video games
- 3D Battle-Cards
- Alternators Autobots
- Cloud Autobots
- Council members
- Decoys
- Dimension hoppers
- Dreamwave Generation 1 Autobots
- Exclusives
- Generation 1 Autobots
- Henkei! Henkei! Autobots
- Kre-O Autobots
- Kreons
- Legends Autobots
- Lost Light crew
- Q-Transformers characters
- Regeneration One Autobots
- Scientists
- SDCC exclusives
- Universe Autobots
