Blue Bolts (RID)

The name or term "Bluebolt" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Bluebolt (disambiguation).

Blue Bolts is an Autobot weapon from the Robots in Disguise continuity family.

This gun has more attack names than some Transformers get in their whole lives.

Blue Bolts (also Blue-Bolts and Bluebolts) is Ultra Magnus's personal weapon, which can sometimes act as an independent Battle Master. It features a laser cannon, a gatling gun, and two smaller missile-like barrels, with which Ultra Magnus can use a variety of combat abilities, such as the Arm Laser, the Arm Cannon, or even a combination of the two.

Blue Bolts can also be wielded by Omega Prime—the combined form of Ultra Magnus with his brother, Optimus Prime—who can likewise perform variously-named attacks with the weapon.

Fiction

Dreamwave Robots in Disguise comic

When Ultra Magnus got involved in an attempted Predacon/Decepticon heist of a nuclear facility, he used Blue Bolts to take down the villains while arguing with Optimus Prime. He would drop his weapon in the subsequent confrontation with Scourge. Ultra Magnus...to the Rescue?

Fun Publications comics

In the Universe War, Omega Prime fought with Blue Bolts on his shoulder. During Unicron's collapse, the Autobot combiner escaped through a portal, Revelations Part 2 ending up in another, unexpected universe to deal with Nemesis Prime and his Dead Matrix. He still carried Blue Bolts on his person. Revelations Part 1

Later events would lead to the resurrection of Unicron, and Omega Prime leapt to action to defend the Mini-Con colonies against their creator, with Blue Bolts fully mounted on his back now. Revelations Part 4 It was utilized to great degree in taking down Unicron's Decepticon Mini-Con followers. The full might of the "Omega Arsenal Blast" was unleashed on Unicron himself. Revelations Part 5

Legends comic

The events of the Robots in Disguise cartoon occur in Japanese continuity as noted above, except that they take place in the world of the original Generation 1 cartoon where the Transformer cast are time travelers from the Beast Era to Tokyo in the year 2000.

After Devil Gigatron reformed and began working with the Dimensional Patrol, God Magnus and Fire Convoy learned to merge with him as well, going even further beyond God Fire Convoy to create "Devil God Fire Convoy". This three-part being still used Blue Bolts as attached weaponry. Epiloge

Toys

Robots in Disguise (2001)

• God Magnus (2000) / Ultra Magnus (Super Class, 2001)

• Known designers: Hisashi Yuki (TakaraTomy)

Robots in Disguise Ultra Magnus's weapon (referred to as simply "gun" in the English and Japanese instructions and properly named in both bios) can be configured into three different modes (referred to in Japanese as "Vulcan Mode", "Laser Mode", and "Laser & Vulcan Mode" and aligned to the "Magna/God Vulcan", "Magna/God Laser", and God/God Fire Burst" attacks) and, when plugged into the proper connectors, generate different sound effects. The Japanese release is slightly different in that it uses different missiles, features darker, metallic-flaked plastics, and, as expected, Japanese voice clips. When Magnus combines with the large Robots in Disguise Optimus Prime toy to create Omega Prime, Blue Bolts can be attached to receiving stalks on his shoulder blades to produce a back cannon.

The Japanese Bluebolt sound clips for God Magnus are as follows: "Bababababa!" (バババババ!) for the Magna Vulcan, "Bishūn! Bishūn! Bishūn!" (ビシューン!ビシューン!ビシューン!) for the Magna Laser, and "'Goood' subabababān!" (「ゴーッド」スババババーン!) for the God Burst. For God Fire Convoy, the sound clips are respectively "Dobabababa!" (ドババババ!) for the God Vulcan, "Doshūn! Doshūn!" (ドシューン!ドシューン!) for the God Laser, and "'God Fire' sudodododo!" (「ゴッドファイアー」スドドドド!) for the God Fire Burst.

Sonokong also released God Magnus in Korean markets, outwardly similar to the Takara release but using the Hasbro version's sound effects.

• More information on Blue Bolts at TFU.info

• Black God Magnus (2000)

This black repaint of Ultra Magnus is hugely rare, to the extent that its very existence is occasionally questioned. Only ten units are known to exist, having been offered in a TV Magazine prize draw that seemed to slip under everyone's radar. Presumably it includes a black Bluebolt (Blackbolt?) but no photography including the weapon has been found.

• God Fire Convoy Special Clear Version (Giftset, 2000)

The God Fire Convoy Special Clear Version (ゴッドファイヤーコンボイ スペシャルクリアバージョン) set includes a unique clear version of the Ultra Magnus figure not available anywhere else, paired with a clear Super Fire Convoy, who together combine to form Clear God Fire Convoy. The set includes a not-actually-very-clear variant of Bluebolt principally distinguished from its retail counterpart by the flip-up reticle (here recolored from its usual blue to a fluorescent lime green) and the red parts (cast in clear plastic).

The giftset was exclusive to Japanese Toys"R"Us stores. Released in November 2000, it was limited to 3000 pieces; reportedly, only 100 TRUs carried the set, and limited customers to one purchase on the day of release.

• More information on "Clear" Bluebolt at TFU.info

Universe (2003)

• Ultra Magnus (Super Class, 2003)

The Universe Sam's Club-exclusive Ultra Magnus was more-or-less unchanged from its Robots in Disguise counterpart, with the only noticeable difference being that his dark blue parts had become a much darker blue. This extends to Blue Bolts' stocks.

Exciting. On the other hand, it was way cheaper than getting the original.

• More information on Universe Blue Bolts at TFU.info

Cybertron

• Ultra Magnus & Optimus Prime (Multi-pack, 2005)

Cybertron Ultra Magnus is a repackaged version of the Universe version of 2001 Robots in Disguise Ultra Magnus, and was sold in a Costco-exclusive multi-pack with a red redeco of the 2003 Universe Optimus Prime. As such, it includes a Blue Bolts identical to the Universe version. Sold under the Cybertron banner, their continuity of origin was ambiguous for years until clarified in 2015 by the Facebook edition of Ask Vector Prime.

Encore

• God Fire Convoy (Multi-pack, 2018)

In this Encore reissue giftset, Super Fire Convoy and God Magnus have slightly different plastic colors such that Bluebolt is marginally more saturated in a gesture towards show accuracy.

Most of the production run had the Bluebolt's voice samples swapped, so that the line "Magna Laser" plays in "Magna Vulcan" mode and vice versa. This issue, along with a printing error on the box and widespread complaints of overall poor quality control, led to the set being recalled by TakaraTomy.

Legacy

You need that BLUUUUUEbolts! For a TRUUUUUE jolt!

• Omega Prime (2025)

• Known designers: Evan Brooks (Hasbro), Hisashi Yuki (TakaraTomy)

Part of Hasbro Pulse's HasLab Omega Prime package, "Autobot Bluebolts" is a roughly Deluxe Class-sized figure transforming into Ultra Magnus's signature weapon. While formally billed as a "Battle Master", the figure breaks apart into six modular components in the style of the long-running Weaponizer/Armorizer gimmick to power up any figure with compatible 5 mm ports. Bluebolts can be wielded in "weapon pack" mode by Ultra Magnus and Omega Prime (the combined form of the included Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus) in all modes just like the original, in addition to the new feature of stowing away in Ultra Magnus's legs when not in use.

• Designer commentary on Legacy Bluebolts from Evan Brooks on Instagram

Notes

• TakaraTomy designer Hisashi Yuki pitched personifying Magnus's weapon at the very first design meeting for HasLab Omega Prime, throwing up a rough sketch of a humanoid mode on a napkin.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Bluebolt (ブルーボルト Burūboruto)