Payload (Movie)
| The name or term "Payload" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Payload (disambiguation). |
- Payload is a Decepticon, and sometimes Constructicon, from the live-action film series continuity family.
Transforming into an exceptionally fast and powerful armored truck, Payload is the one the Decepticons rely on to procure the money and energy they need to function on Earth. Whatever they need, wherever they need it, in their quest for the AllSpark it's Payload's job to get it to them, even if he has to smash right through Autobot lines to do it. What can he say? It's the one job he has. Many of his allies would find his job boring and tedious compared to open fighting, but Payload not only understands how crucial his role is, he thoroughly enjoys it since it earns him praise for being a reliable soldier.
Both the Autobot and Decepticon armies make use of Class Beta drone units, which are heavily-armored, brutal melee fighters.
Fiction
IDW movie comics
When Megatron first began his push for domination, Payload was one of the many Cybertronians who listened to Megatron as he rallied his soldiers to push back and slaughter alien invaders. Defiance #2
Payload was one of the Decepticons who took part in the Battle of Tyger Pax on Cybertron. He was also with Swindle during the interrogation of the surviving Autobot defenders. Movie Prequel #1
Payload remained back on Cybertron, under the command of Dreadwing. When Starscream returned with the knowledge to build a new All Spark, Class Beta drones were among those assigned to guard the Autobot slaves who were being forced to build the new Cube. They brutally punished Warpath when he saw to the exhausted Grindcore. Later, after the new All Spark was completed, Payload arrived leading a team of drones carrying the massive generators required to drain the life force out of the Autobot prisoners and put it into the Cube. He dissed Dreadwing's drone army for not being much help to them. The Reign of Starscream #3 The Reign of Starscream #4
Unfortunately for Starscream, the Cube didn't work, and Dreadwing's forces betrayed him. During the battle between Starscream's loyalists, Arcee's Autobots and Dreadwing's traitors, Payload grappled with Stockade, who eventually got the better of him. Outmatched, Payload decided to flee, with Stockade chasing after him. His fate is unknown. The Reign of Starscream #5
Transformers: Beginnings
The Veiled Threat
Payload came to Earth in response to Starscream's signal, sent out after Megatron's death. When Starscream recruited the Human Accessory Force, he joined in a battle to capture a dam construction site in Zambia. He was skeptical of Starscream's claim that Megatron was truly dead, but accepted Macerator's word that the recordings of the event clearly showed Megatron being killed. Once the Autobots had come to investigate the Decepticon activity, Payload, Macerator and Dropkick lured them into the Zambezi River to fight. Though Payload managed to keep Ironhide distracted as they neared Victoria Falls, two humans, Kaminari Ishihara and Petr Andronov interfered with the fight using strange hi-tech guns, and Payload was forced to retreat.
The three Decepticons proceeded to Kariba Dam, where Payload descended into the gorge and started blasting away at the bottom of the dam, with the intention of rupturing it. When the Autobots caught up with them, Ratchet started attempting to repair the dam, and Payload began firing at him instead. He inflicted heavy damage on Ratchet, however the humans released the floodgates on the dam. Unable to withstand the raging torrent, Payload was swept away. Optimus Prime later spoke of tracking down and terminating the Decepticon, but it's unclear if this was done. The Veiled Threat
Toy bios
When the Decepticons need something delivered, they can turn to the Constructicon Warrior Payload. His heavily armored and powerful body allows him to simply smash obstacles. Ratchet is the latest Autobot to get in his way, and Payload is amused that Ratchet thinks he can stop him.
Games
Battle for the Allspark
Payload units of both sides have a strong defense, good attack, but poor speed. Battle for the Allspark
Transformers The Game
Payloads show up in Mission City to put the hurt on both Autobot and Decepticon alike. Their primary attack is an unstoppable running charge that can send even the likes of Optimus and Megatron reeling. The only way to break them out of this attack is to nail them with a thrown object or melee attack when they briefly pause between charges.
Payloads also appear in the bonus Cybertron levels on both sides.
Aside from the head design differences, the Decepticon versions are dark blue, while the Autobot versions are silver-white. Transformers The Game (console)
Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark (3DS)
Toys
Transformers (2007)
Really long back plunger? "Accessible Action Feature!" Shelfwarming? "Easy and Affordable Army-Building!"
- Payload (Deluxe, 2007)
- Japanese ID number: MD-17
- Payload transforms into a Bulldog II Armored Truck model based on the Decepticon-drone coloration and face type. In robot mode, his midsection has a large push-out grabber-claw that extends waaaaaaaaaaaaay far out. Of course, when the claw-shaft stores in robot mode, it sticks equally far out of his back.
- Several pieces on Payload tend to pop off easily: his brush guard, midriff-plate/claw-center, and even his upper shoulder/head assembly. The mold was later retooled to include larger pegs for the shoulder/head assembly and an added tab on the brush-guard, to connect to the new slot in the claw plunger. While this was intended to give the pieces a better fit, it actually puts more pressure on the parts and causes them to pop off even more easily. The chest piece, however, fits fairly well on either version, but is still easy to remove.
- Payload had a tendency to sit on shelves for weeks, with some examples of end displays filled completely with Payload figures. This has led to some fans affectionately renaming him Pegload.
- The mold was later retooled into Movie Advanced Series Dispensor.
Transformers (2010)
- Payload (EZ Collection, 2010)
- Autobot Alliance Payload is a redeco of the non-combining Legends class Long Haul released in Hasbro's 2010 Transformers toyline, transforming into a yellow dump truck.
- Stock photos of Payload had orange plastics, which was not present in the final product. However, this could be the trick of the photography lightning or a photoshop, so don't let your eyes deceive you.
- Payload (Voyager Class, 2010)
- Part of the first wave of 2010's Transformers toyline, Payload is a redeco of the Revenge of the Fallen Voyager-class Long Haul, transforming into a genericized "earth mover" dump truck with a functional truck bed. In robot mode, he has three "Mech Alive" gimmicks: turning his head also turns a cog in his chest, bending his elbows moves some pistons, and finally, moving his feet also moves the "springs" connected to them inwards. Only the piston gimmick is advertised on the packaging. Meanwhile, each forearm houses a spring-loaded, flip-out axe.
- Payload has a mild variant, where the purple paint on his head and chest can be very dark and flat or extremely deep and shiny. The latter version seems to be the harder to find, although exact quantities of each are unknown.
Merchandise
3D Battle-Card Game
- Payload (3D Battle Card, 2007)
- Card number:
- In the 3D Battle-Card Game, the Payload is on the Decepticon side. Pieces punched out from two different cards can be assembled to form a SWAT truck or a robot, while a third double-sided card gives its stats and attacks for each mode. He uses the same piece layout as Ratchet, though his lens-head peeking up over the back end of his vehicle mode looks less doofy than Ratchet's does. This layout was later also used for Trailbreaker. Payload's card art was done by Lucio Parrillo.
Notes
- Artist Ken Christiansen designed Payload (and the subsequent Class Beta drone units), along with the other new characters in the Transformers - The Game and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - The Game video games. The security company logos on his design and the toy, "Armored Security Systems", spells out "ASS". Christiansen says this was not intentional.
- A variant of Payload, crudely textured with a shoddily compressed Pepsi livery, can be found in the internal files for Transformers The Game. It was most likely cut early in development.
- Payload's altmode as a Decepticon anti-aircraft tank in The Veiled Threat gives him a form similar to that of the unreleased Gunbarrel toy, who appeared unnamed in the Transformers: Alliance comic at the same time. Whether they were meant to be the same character is unknown.
- 2010 Payload's packaging bio describes him as an armored transport vehicle and has the same Tech Spec numbers as 2007 Payload. Sneaky Hasbro, making them the same guy!
- Hasbro has stated in the March 2010 Q&A session that 2010 Payload is one of the Constructicon Warriors appearing in the Revenge of the Fallen video games. Guess he moonlights as an armored truck.
- The stock photography for both EZ Collection Skipjack and Payload depict them in shades that hew closer to orange than the yellow they came out in. Whether this was an artifact of the photographic process or an intentional plastic color-change is uncertain.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Payload (ペイロード Peirōdo)
External links
- Payload concepts and final rendering on artist Ken Christiansen's blog.
- 3D Battle Card Game at Wizards of the Coast
