Flywheels

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This article is about the sometime Titan Master "Skytread". For the Beast Wars: Uprising Headmaster, see Skytread{{#switch:{{#sub:Skytread|-1}} != .= ?= .

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Flywheels is a Decepticon Duocon from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Howitzer'd!

Flywheels (aka Skytread<ref name="skytread">"Skytread" is a substitute name used by Hasbro for new toys representing the Generation 1 Flywheels character, presumably because the name "Flywheels" is currently not available as a trademark, first used for a Titan Master figure from the Titans Return line released in 2016 and subsequently also for a Deluxe Class figure from the War for Cybertron: Siege line released in 2018. Furthermore, it was also used in Beast Wars: Uprising, where Skytread was a Nebulon Headmaster that was binary bonded to Flywheels.</ref>) tries to keep it together and stay upbeat, he really does, but it's hard when your mind (and often your body) is literally divided in two. A split personality would be trouble enough, but to add injury to illness, Flywheels' two halves are very jealous of each other and basically hate each other's guts. They spend more time fighting one another than the Autobots. It doesn't matter whether they're unified in robot form or not, Flywheels' two halves go right on arguing, which can be disconcerting to others around him, to say the least.

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

Marvel The Transformers comics

Events from the UK-only comic stories are in italics.
"Hi. We're off to do other things now... elsewhere. Without you. Bye!"

Flywheels was a part of Scorponok's army of Decepticons on Cybertron. Upon learning the co-ordinates of the planet Nebulos from Lord Zarak, requesting the Decepticons help in ridding the Autobots from his world, Scorponok ordered his army to lay siege to the alien planet. Flywheels was seen in jet mode as part of a battalion carrying Decepticons from their spacecraft to the surface of Nebulos, where he remained out of sight, away from the main events. Broken Glass! Later, every Decepticon on the planet left Nebulos in pursuit of the Autobots to planet Earth. Brothers in Armor!!

Back on Cybertron, Flywheels appeared in a brief battle against Ultra Magnus and the Sparkabots. He was knocked out of the air by Ultra Magnus and was captured by the Autobots. As a prisoner, he was soon forced to fight with his captors against a horde of zombie Transformers in Kalis. Though the Autobots had taken away his blaster, Flywheels was still able to pull his own weight in destroying the encroaching horde by using his tank mode. After he realized that they were slaughtering former Autobots, Ultra Magnus ordered a cease-fire, hoping they might instead come up with the means to revert the zombies to a fully-living state. Flywheels disobeyed Ultra Magnus' order, but soon stood down when his captors threatened to blast him next. The group retreated to a nearby building, where they puzzled out that they were indeed fighting the dead, but the zombots hadn't been risen through supernatural means; rather, a powerful radio-signal was controlling the motor functions of Cybertronian corpses. With this information in mind, Flywheels led Ultra Magnus to the Baird Beaming Transmitter so they could jam the signal. Reluctantly, Ultra Magnus returned Flywheels his weapons, so that the Decepticon could watch his back while he worked on shutting down the zombies. This proved fortuitous for Magnus, as Flywheels saved his life from a zombie who had managed to sneak up on him, just as he was finishing up his task. City of Fear! Ultra Magnus then allowed Flywheels to go and get reinforcements, though he had little expectation of the Duocon's return. Legion of the Lost! Surprisingly, Flywheels did come back with Trypticon to give the remaining zombots a good stomping, and force his way into the inner sanctum of the crazed scientist, Flame, responsible for the entire Kalis incident. Meltdown!

He later joined the Mayhem Attack Squad and took part in their joint attack with the Wreckers on Galvatron and Megatron. He was one of only three Mayhems to escape alive from the gruesome twosome's base, but was killed by Galvatron after the retreat to the Decepticons' heavy transport.<ref>Although Flywheels's death is not shown, Galvatron grabs him by the right arm during his and Megatron's assault on the Mayhems' ship, and his corpse (with the right arm torn off at the shoulder) can be seen on the ground just before Rodimus Prime and the other Autobots intervene to save the remaining Wreckers and Mayhems. It's pretty clear what happened off-panel.</ref> Time Wars

Regeneration One

Regeneration One continues from the Marvel US series, and does not include the UK stories or any subsequently published stories.

Flywheels took part in Soundwave's attack on the Baird Beaming Transmitter in Kalis, where he berated Ruckus for making too much noise. Counterpoint

Transformers '84

Flywheels, along with Battletrap and Counterpunch, was part of a Decepticon unit under Wingspan's command. They followed the Autobots Fastlane and Cloudraker to Earth in 1017, intent on locating the long-lost Ark. Eager for action, Flywheels and Battletrap headed off to scout the terrain, leaving Wingspan alone with Counterpunch. When the Duocons returned they found Wingspan had been mysteriously killed and, blaming the Autobots, the three Decepticons headed off to confront them. In the ensuing battle, Flywheels was able to gravely wound Cloudraker, but was in turn shot down by Fastlane. '84 #0

Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity

The Headmasters cartoon

Voice actor: Yūki Satō (Japanese){{#if: John Culkin (English, Omni Productions dub)|, John Culkin (English, Omni Productions dub)}}
What is this ominous light that threatens to engulf us?

Flywheels, alongside Battletrap, worked under Scorponok, who first sent them into battle when the Autobots and Decepticons were fighting over a disk containing data on the Master Sword. The Duocons' double amount of vehicle modes was enough to overwhelm the Autobot Targetmasters, and the Decepticons quickly grabbed the disk and retreated. The Master Sword Is in Danger!! Flywheels soon appeared again to defend Scorponok as he used the disk's data to manufacture the Zarak Shield. The Zarak Shield Turns the Tide

The Duocons' next mission was to hide a time bomb on the asteroid Juno, so that Scorponok could blow up Sixshot and Chromedome when the two arrived for their duel. Duel on the Asteroid Flywheels later participated in the climactic battle against the Autobots at the North Pole and retreated into space when Scorponok put his plan to destroy the Earth into motion. The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 2)

Legends comic

In 2021, Flywheels was among Scorponok's Decepticons who battled Fortress's Autobots near a black hole, where he got his butt handed to him by Brawn. Scorponok's detonation of the black hole caused the combatants to lose their bodies, and they were forced to convert their heads into small Headmaster forms and travel to the Legends World in search of new ones. Targetmaster Chapter Prologue Flywheels joined up with the Astrotrain Transport Company for a free body, only to be enslaved by Astrotrain until he and the other Headmasters were able to escape. Bonus Edition Vol. 40 Now unemployed, Flywheels used his speed to pick pockets until he met Zarak, an alternate version of Scorponok from another dimension. Tempted by his offer of a new body, he figured any Scorponok was worth being loyal to and agreed to recruit additional soldiers to his cause, convincing Grimlock and Brawn to join him at his "new workplace". When Zarak moved to conquer the world, however, Flywheels was punched out by an angry Grimlock, then swatted into the distance by Zarak for daring to suggest he could help by forming Scorponok's head. LGEX Headmaster Set Chapter

Flywheels was unfortunate enough to be hanging around in Akihabara when Trypticon landed on top of it. Bonus Edition Vol. 43 When Scorponok arrived in the Legends World, he had Flywheels sneak into the local police station, steal the keys to the jail and break out Slugslinger, Misfire and the Sweeps. After stealing Blitzwing's transtector, he also broke Katsu Don out to aid in Scorponok's plan. Legends World in Imminent Danger! Part One Flywheels was on board Scorponok's Majin Zarak during the final battle for the Legends World. When the other Headmasters abandoned ship, Flywheels was apparently still on board when Scorponok and Majin Zarak were blasted into a dimensional void, trapping him as well. Legends World in Imminent Danger! Part Two

Transformers in 3-D

Flywheels and the Decepticon Clones volunteered for Sixshot's mission to make Hot Rod's weekend more interesting. Whether they succeeded was never recorded. The Test

Dreamwave Generation One continuity

"It is only logical that there will be no side-effects from this whatsoever."

Battletrap and Flywheels were created by Shockwave as early prototypes for his Triple Changer fascination. Instead of achieving three alternating modes, however, they gained the ability to separate into two different alternate modes at once. More Than Meets The Eye #8

2005 IDW continuity

First appearance: More Than Meets The Eye #7

Flywheels was a "twitchy neoprimalist with big feet" who suffered from a possibly made-up form of psychosomatic hyperflexia that caused him to change form when he lied. Rules of Disengagement During the war, he was stationed at Grindcore, where he outfitted new prisoners such as Skids with nasty transformation-hindering inhibitor spikes. Speak, Memory: Part 1

At some point he was captured by the Autobots and imprisoned in Garrus-9. After Overlord's sacking of the prison, Flywheels was allowed to leave as part of Shockwave's crew. Not far out of the Elba System, their ship was intercepted by the Decepticon Justice Division. Flywheels and Flame used the ship's comm system to eavesdrop on the communication between Shockwave and Tarn, discovering that their liberator was willing to sell them all out to save himself, as pretty much everyone on the ship was on "The List" of transgressors to the Decepticon cause. When Tarn rejected the offer and began to use his weaponized voice, they cut the eavesdropping and, along with Scorponok, abandoned ship, figuring that ejecting themselves without direction in space presented better odds of survival. The Ties That Bind Floating aimlessly in the direction of the Dark Nebula, Flywheels began praying for salvation, which came in the form of Krok and Spinister, and their hijacked prisoner escort ship. He joined the hodge-podge crew, though he wasn't taken with their name for themselves. Kill All 'Cons

Flywheels about to feel the agony of "de feet."

Flywheels became part of Krok's ragtag Decepticon crew along with Misfire, Spinister, and Crankcase. Searching for energon and supplies on the planet Clemency, Flywheels mistook the still-living body of Fulcrum firstly for a miracle and then for a zombie and an affront to Primus. Once that misunderstanding had been sorted out the group then chanced upon a P-6 Worldsweeper, a type of ship that Flywheels noted was famous only for "crashing". What they found on board the ship, such as aborted protoforms, disconnected brain modules and a robot apparently made out of wood was disturbing enough, but then they were contacted by the Decepticon Justice Division through Flywheels' communicube and given an ultimatum to surrender one of their number so that the other six could watch him die. As there were only six of them the group reasoned that the D.J.D. must have miscounted, until Krok discovered that the ship also contained Grimlock in a stasis pod. Rules of Disengagement

After agreeing on the seemingly-suicidal plan to fight their way out, the Scavengers spiked Grimlock's stasis pod with circuit speeders and left him out for the D.J.D. to find. While Tarn battled the Dinobot leader, the rest of the Decepticons tried to slip away but were ambushed in turn by the rest of the D.J.D. When Flywheels's feet proved too big for Tesarus to do his usual "grind them up feet first to make the death last longer" bit, he simply stuffed the praying Flywheels into his grinder head-first, leaving only his lower half intact. After the D.J.D. abandoned the fight for a new priority target (believing their primary target, Fulcrum, was dead) the surviving Scavengers looted Flywheels's remains for spare parts and energon. Eighteen months later, what little of him was left was examined by the Necrobot. Who's Afraid of the DJD?

Titans Return marketing material

An ancient Titan Master, Skytread could team up with other bots to grant them the ability to create a clone decoy of themselves. Titans Return Skytread online bio

Beast Wars: Uprising

When the Decepticon-Hive alliance developed the Headmaster process, Skytread and Flywheels became one of the first Headmaster pairs, escalating the conflict on Nebulos with their power. A Brush With Infamy–Prologue

War for Cybertron Trilogy continuity

War for Cybertron Trilogy marketing material

Skytread was a Ground Force Black Ops Raider, whose function was a soldier. Siege webpage<ref name=Siege>Siege website</ref> During the war for Cybertron, Skytread was stationed in Slaughter City. Siege Teletraan-1 Data Files<ref name=Siege/>

On a flame-wreathed Cybertronian road, Skytread ambushed Sideswipe. After an intense shootout, Cog arrived to back Sideswipe up, while Skytread received support in the form of Storm Cloud, Visper, and Megatron himself! Skytread ended up being crushed under some debris that Sideswipe blasted loose. Autobots vs. Decepticons stop motion

War for Cybertron Trilogy cartoon

Voice actor: Philip Bache (English){{#if: Cédric Ingard (French), Vlad Chiriac (German), Roberto González (Castilian Spanish), Carlos Hernandez (Latin-American Spanish)|, Cédric Ingard (French), Vlad Chiriac (German), Roberto González (Castilian Spanish), Carlos Hernandez (Latin-American Spanish)}}

Skytread served as part of an ambush set up for the Autobots, who were searching for the Allspark. He attacked alongside his teammates, tangling with Optimus Prime himself, yet the Autobots escaped, and Impactor was buried under rubble and left for dead, leaving Skytread, Barricade and Spinister to report the failure back to Megatron. Siege episode 2

Skytread and Spinister were standing by in their sector when the Autobot Mirage arrived, disguised as a Decepticon and spinning the lie that he was searching for an Autobot encampment. Skytread and Spinister decided to join the hunting party, as they both desired to add to their kill count, and revealed a dozen Autobots, dead on pikes ahead of them. Both found their work amusing. However, Skytread caught onto Mirage's trick when his hologram started to fail, revealing his true Autobot status. Before he could attack, he was shot in the back by Chromia. Siege episode 3 Skytread was among the Decepticons that attacked Autobot Command as the Ark prepared to launch. In the battle, Skytread shot Red Alert off the Ark before he was knocked out by the other Autobots. Siege episode 6

"This is the thanks I get?"

Horrified by Megatron's spark extraction of various Decepticons, Skytread opted to help Elita-1's team of Autobots escape from the arena. Chromia knocked him out at his request, hoping to avoid arousing suspicion. Earthrise episode 2

Skytread remained on Cybertron under Shockwave's command after Megatron and most of his forces left aboard the Nemesis. Skytread was part of a team that ushered the captured members of the Autobot resistance to Kaon when an injured Chromia shot the other guards from afar. A panicking Skytread pleaded to be spared, saying he had helped them, but Chromia shot him in the head anyway. Not long after, his body was destroyed when Elita-1's bombs went off, blowing up the entire area. Earthrise episode 6

2019 IDW continuity

Skytread was a supporter of the Ascenticons, and attended a rally held by Megatron in Tarn. As Megatron delivered his speech, unknown assailants attacked, seemingly trying to assassinate the Ascenticon leader before vanishing. The World In Your Eyes Part Two

Using the attack and the recent murder of Brainstorm as justification, Megatron formed his own private security force, comprising Skytread, Elita-1, Refraktor, and Quake, drawing the concern of Security Operations and Autobot senator Orion Pax. The World In Your Eyes Part Three

After the murder of the newly forged Rubble and a Voin, Quake disappeared from the Guard. Rubble's mentor, Bumblebee joined the guard shortly afterwards, claiming that he wanted to be part of a solution to Cybertron's current chaotic state. While Elita-1 welcomed him, Skytread and Refraktor greeted him with hostility, obliquely threatening to "break" him if he double-crossed them. Despite Bumblebee stating that Ascenticon second-in-command Soundwave had left it to Elita-1 to allow him in, Skytread became more aggressive, insulting Bumblebee for his poor record in Security Operations and his failure to keep Rubble safe, and even pushing him. Enraged, Bumblebee punched Skytread in the face. When Refraktor attempted to attack Bumblebee from behind, he received an elbow to the face before Skytread tackled Bumblebee, only for the new recruit to sweep his legs. Angered by the behaviour of her comrades, Elita-1 quickly broke up the fight. The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part One.

As unrest continued, the Ascenticon Guard gained more recruits, including Barricade, a former member of Security Operations who had been implicated in the murders of Rubble and the Voin. The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Three Security Operations soon reached Ascenticon headquarters, and Prowl requested that he be allowed to question his former comrade. Flanked by Skytread and Acid Storm, Soundwave refused. The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Four

As Security Operations cordoned off Ascenticon Headquarters, Megatron and Soundwave discussed the truth. Brainstorm, had been killed by The Rise, a terrorist group that Megatron publicly opposed, but was actually in charge of. The Voin had witnessed the murder, and had been killed by Quake based on information from Barricade. Rubble had stumbled upon Quake, and was quickly murdered himself. Aware that Barricade's capture could expose him, Megatron ordered The Rise's direct commander, Shockwave, to carry out a false-flag attack on Ascenticon Headquarters to evacuate Barricade.

As a secret member of The Rise, Skytread guarded Barricade as he prepared to be extracted, only for Bumblebee, himself secretly spying on behalf of Orion Pax, to join them. Despite his best efforts, Skytread was unable to get the spy to leave. As Sixshot, Visper, and Storm Cloud breached the building, Bumblebee attempted to stun Visper, only for Skytread to shield his fellow Riser with his body. While he lay stunned, Bumblebee attempted to fight off Visper and Sixshot, only for Skytread to recover and stun the interloper, allowing Barricade to escape. Later, Skytread was present when Megatron used the attack as justification for the Ascenticons taking a more aggressive approach, and unveiling the movement's new insignia. The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Five

After being branded with the new insignia, Skytread was confronted by Bumblebee for his behaviour during the attack. Refusing to tell him anything, and stating that he should be thankful for stopping Sixshot from killing him, Skytread was blinded by Bumblebee's headlamp before being punched and kicked in the face. Once again, Elita-1 broke up the fight, and claimed that Skytread had saved Bumblebee's life by accidentally stunning him. Bumblebee, however, questioned how much she actually knew about her Guard. The Change In Your Nature Part One

After Elita-1 was removed as leader of the Guard, Soundwave promoted Skytread to the position, who quickly began sadistically flaunting his new authority over Bumblebee. In the aftermath of the Tether's fall, Skytread ordered Bumblebee to search the ruins of a collapsed structure for survivors on his own, secretly knowing that he was sending the spy into an arranged ambush to be eliminated at Megatron's behest. All Fall Down

When Chromia and her Security officers attempted to gain access to Ascenticon HQ again, Skytread confronted her personally, backed by hundreds of Ascenticons who barred their path. Swindle's After Quake was apprehended by Security, Sentinel Prime ordered the killer paraded through the streets in chains. Skytread seeded the crowd with Ascenticon sympathizers and upon receiving Soundwave's order, had them start a riot to cover for Quake's escape. Prisoners

After the movement was rebranded as the Decepticons, the Senate overthrown, and Sentinel Prime killed, rumors began to spread among the now-Decepticon Guard that Skytread would soon be replaced as its commander by Sixshot. Skytread interrupted a meeting between Megatron and Starscream to announce Termagax had arrived at Decepticon HQ. Awakenings

Alas, we never got to see him return as "Flyworms".

When word got out that a caravan of refugees was headed to Darkmount in an attempt to escape the planet, Skytread took a squad to intercept them. They fired on the procession of Cybertronian and alien refugees alike, but were forced to retreat by the unexpected appearance of Dai Atlas. Escape Part Two Skytread attended a meeting of Megatron's inner circle and was ordered to take a squad and free prisoners from a lightly guarded detention center. On the way there, he was irritated when Nautilator brought up the gossip about Sixshot taking his job, which later came to pass. Hunt

Skytread watched Megatron rage after learning that the Autobots had abandoned Iacon. We Are Not Meant To Be Darkness When Termagax was located out by the Sea of Rust, the entire Decepticon Guard mobilized to apprehend her, finding that the Autobots had beaten them there. Skytread bitterly tried to undermine Sixshot's authority, earning him a menacing rebuke from the new Guard commander. After Sixshot sent the Rainmakers ahead and they were shot down, Skytread responded with more pointed words, receiving a physical reprimand from Sixshot this time. Skytread then joined the other Decepticons in a forward charge at the Autobots as the battle commenced in earnest. Sea of Rust II

Skywarp managed to steal the Enigma of Combination from Termagax, but was attacked by Sky Lynx, forcing him to drop it. The artifact clattered to the ground and came to rest at Skytread's feet, who quickly snatched it up. When Sixshot ordered him to hand the Enigma over, Skytread instead ventured that he could use it to gain Megatron's favor and reclaim his old position as head of the Decepticon Guard. Sixshot wasn't having this and blasted Skytread, sending him sprawling to the edge of a cliff. Just then, seismic activity caused the cliff to collapse into the Sea of Rust, taking Skytread with it. Still clutching the Enigma, Skytread cried out for help as rust worms began to devour him alive, and just before he sank under the surface the artifact seemed to activate. Enigmatic

My Little Pony/Transformers


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Commercial appearances

Flywheels's appearance on the battlefield caught the Autobots by surprise when they first thought that a jet was about to crash into a tank, only for the two vehicles to transform into one robot! The element of surprise quickly wore off, however, and Flywheels had to contend with Rodimus Prime pouncing on him. Duocons and Throttlebots commercial

Animation from this commercial was recycled for the title sequence of season 4 of the Generation 1 animated series, even though Flywheels himself didn't appear in the show.

Games

The Transformers (PS2)

Flywheels is a non-playable character. He appears among the legion of Decepticon duplicates in the Autobot campaign.

The Transformers

Transformers Legends

Flywheels and Black Shadow encountered the D.J.D. on Clemency. They both died. Rules of Disengagement

Toys

The Transformers

"Hey, you know what they say about guys with big feet, right?"
  • Flywheels (Duocon, 1987)
The Transformers Flywheels' robot mode is made from the combination of two separate vehicles that make up his alternate mode: a maroon F-4 Phantom II fighter jet and a brown self-propelled howitzer of vague origin. Pressing the jet onto the tank's turret via friction-hold tabs triggers a spring-loaded autotransformation into the combined robot mode. Splitting the robot into the two vehicles is an entirely manual affair, however.
His only robot-mode articulation is the sideways-swinging movement of his arms at the shoulder, but thankfully his rifle has a 5 mm post on the back end so it can at least point forward in robot mode, even if he has to hold it like a sword to do so. The rifle can also be mounted on the tank's front end or on the underside of the jet nosecone.


Titans Return

Oh sure, Battletrap gets a cool exclusive Voyager class and a new Legends Class toy! I lose my name! I lose my body! What do I get? A little more articulation and a little vehicle to ride around in. Huh.
  • Skytread (Titan Master, 2016)
    • Accessories: Tank accessory
  • Known designers: John Warden (Hasbro){{#if: |, {{{2}}}}}
A retool of Titans Return Terri-Bull, Skytread (presumably renamed for trademark reasons) is a small robot who can transform into a Flywheels head that is compatible with any Deluxe-or-larger Titans Return figure. He is packaged with a small vehicle accessory redecoed from Terri-Bull's, which can form a tank for Skytread to ride in robot mode, a 5mm gun for larger figures to wield, or combine with Skytread to form a jet. Due to the sculpt of the head mode face, it can be difficult to get Skytread himself in and out of the jet configuration.
The gun barrels connect to the tank turret via 3mm C joints. This allows them to pivot up and down, as well as clip onto other compatible figures.
As with Terri-Bull, the upper portion of Skytread's legs has been installed backwards. Due to this, his legs have a problem folding down in head mode if not fixed. This appears to have been fixed in the Australian release.
This toy also doubles as the separate Beast Wars: Uprising character Skytread. It was re-issued along with Nightbeat for the fourth wave of Titan Masters alongside Shuffler and Repugnus, which unfortunately became prominent shelfwarmers.
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Legends

"OK Takara, now you fixed my legs; where's my larger body? Oh, it's below me..."
Released as a Wonder Festival 2017 exclusive, this Headmaster version of "Flywheel" is a repaint of the Titans Return mold above, without the vehicle accessory, and features extensive paint apps. Unlike the Hasbro release, this Flywheel features correctly assembled legs.
Flywheel was released along with Grimlock, Chromedome, Hardhead, Gong, and Brainstorm.
{{#if:Titans Return|Titans Return mold:|}} Terri-Bull

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War for Cybertron: Siege

All right! All that's left is my name... Wait, you guys don't have the trademark for the name? Damn it.
  • Skytread (Deluxe Class, 2019)
    • Hasbro ID number: WFC-S10
    • TakaraTomy ID number: SG-11
    • TakaraTomy release date: March 30, 2019
    • Hidden message code: DUOCON
    • Accessories: "HV Electron Breacher," EM24 IR Laser Launcher" (combine to form "LRRF Suspension-Ray Super-Launcher")
Part of the first wave of Siege Deluxe Class figures, Skytread consists of a jet and Cybertronian tank which can transform and combine to form his robot mode. He includes the "EM24 IR Laser Launcher" and the "HV Electron Breacher," two guns compatible with the C.O.M.B.A.T. System, which can combine to form the "LRRF Suspension-Ray Super-Launcher," form his tank barrels in vehicle mode or be added to the jet mode.
Unlike his fellow Duocon Power of the Primes Battletrap, Skytread's components do not have their own robot modes, although this results in a noticeably more stable figure. However, Skytread does use the same connection port and plug system as Battletrap, allowing for mixing and matching between the four components. Skytread features far fewer battle damage paint applications than the rest of the toyline, they are all on the tank mode/lower legs. He features multiple hardpoints all over himself and his weapons to accommodate "Fire Blasts" from the Battle Masters assortment, which can be used to simulate blaster fire or explosions.
Many Skytreads have an issue where the tank mode turret will not tab together properly, and there is not enough clearance to securely mount the tank barrel in position. This is due to a set of raised ridges on the inside of the legs, just above the ankle joints, that are a bit too tall and push the robot waist in tank mode up just enough to prevent proper connections. Carving these ridges down a bit will fix the issue. On some examples of the toy, the leg panels do not peg into the waist properly, though this can be amended by pressing it down with a hammer's head. Repeating this method during transformation will finally fix this issue.
Though designated for release in the first quarter of 2019, Skytread's wave reached U.S. store shelves in late 2018.
Skytread was retooled into Slamdance.

Merchandise

Transformers Trading Card Game

  • Raider Skytread, Special Ops-Soldier (2019)
    • Skytread (Plane), Special Ops-Soldier(2019)
      • Wave 4: War for Cybertron: Siege II
      • Rarity: UT
      • Card Number: T48/T52
      • Stars: 6
    • Skytread (Tank), Special Ops-Soldier(2019)
      • Wave 4: War for Cybertron: Siege II
      • Rarity: UT
      • Card Number: T49/T52
      • Stars: 6
Raider Skytread, Special Ops-Soldier was released as part of Wave 4 of the Transformers Trading Card Game, War for Cybertron: Siege II. In order to depict the character's Duocon origins, Skytread begins the game as two separate cards in Alt Mode, one depicting his tank half and the other depicting his plane half. Once one of the two Alt Mode cards is KO'd, his Revenge ability activates, allowing the player to combine the two Alt Mode cards into one Combiner Mode, depicting Skytread's robot mode.
The artwork for the card is based on the Siege Skytread toy, with the art for both Alt Modes being reused from said toy's packaging art.

Notes

  • It's often speculated that Battletrap and Flywheels' names were mistakenly swapped during production, as the rollers of tank treads are not generally thought of as wheels. Their names are even swapped in the Headmasters episode "The Master Sword Is in Danger!!".
  • In IDW's original G1 continuity, Flywheels is a Triple Changer as opposed to a Duocon, changing between a jet and a tank similarly to Blitzwing.
  • In the War for Cybertron: Siege cartoon, Skytread has been scaled up to approximately match characters based on Voyager Class figures.

Foreign names

  • Japanese: Flywheel (フライホイール Furaihoīru), Skytread (スカイトレッド Sukaitoreddo)
  • Hungarian: Égjáró ("Skywalker")
  • Mandarin: Fēilún (China, 飞轮, "Flywheel"), Tiānjiàn (Taiwan Siege, 天踐, "Skytread")

References

<references />
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