Slingshot (G1)
- Slingshot is an Autobot from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Slingshot is a loud-mouthed, bragging jerk. Many believe that his annoying, self-aggrandizing, and abrasive personality is a cover for his insecurities over being the smallest and weakest Aerialbot. Just as many couldn't care less and just wish he would shut up, and/or go away.
He can combine with his fellow Aerialbots to form Superion.
- French-Canadian name: La Fronde
- Japanese name: Sling
Fiction
Marvel Comics continuity
Generation 1
Thanks to his previous connection to the Creation Matrix, Buster Witwicky began experiencing dreams and visions of new Transformers, beginning with an etching of Superion he made without even being consciously aware of it. Devastation Derby! By sharing his visions with Optimus Prime, Buster was able to clarify the images and understand the future of the evolution of the Cybertronian race -- amalgam model robots like the Constructicons' Devastator, capable of a more-streamlined merging into a more powerful form. It was these visions which allowed Optimus Prime and Wheeljack to conceive of and construct the Aerialbots. Second Generation!
Working on a plan to reverse engineer the gestalt technology the Decepticons used to create Devastator, Optimus Prime and the Autobots staged a daring raid on the Decepticon base of operations, giving Bumblebee enough time to digitally record the Constructicon's electrical transformation pattern for study. Command Performances! Working off that blueprint, Wheeljack successfully created Slingshot and the Aerialbots. During the new warriors' testing phase, however, the Autobots were alerted to a Decepticon operation at Hoover Dam. Only the Aerialbots were fast enough to reach the location in time, and so Prime was forced to send them into battle before their programming was completed.
As the Aerialbots arrived and engaged the Decepticons in aerial combat, Slingshot was blindsided by Ramjet, who literally rammed him out of the skies. He recovered, but only to take another shot from Shrapnel's electro-blasts, and had to be rescued from a nosedive by Silverbolt.
The Aerialbots eventually turned the tide on the Decepticons and drove them off, giving them time to focus on the energy siphon which was the core of the problem. At Silverbolt's command, they merged into Superion and began dismantling the drill device. A problem arose, however, when Bombshell's cerebro-shell controlled pawn Ricky Vasquez pointed Megatron (in his gun mode) at the giant Autobot. Because the majority of the Aerialbots were not programmed specifically to protect human life, Superion only saw a potential threat that needed to be eliminated. As the human fought against the Decepticons' control, Silverbolt too fought inside Superion's gestalt mind to protect the human. In the end, Silverbolt was forced to disengage Superion to keep him from destroying the human. Luckily, Ricky was more successful and managed to break the cerebro-shell's hold long enough to point Megatron at the drill and destroy it, ending the threat. Aerialbots over America!
After the near disaster at Hoover Dam, Optimus Prime had the Aerialbots shut down and their programming completely erased. Returned to a blank slate, he then inputed fully-programmed personalities for them with the Matrix before their next mission. It, uh...didn't help. In battle with Menasor as Superion, the Aerialbots were attacked by Circuit Breaker, deactivated, and captured by RAAT. It was only a lucky break that they were eventually freed. Heavy Traffic!
As Grimlock took over the Autobots, Slingshot and the other Aerialbots took an extended leave of absence from the war, since the Dinobot commander focused Autobot resources on repairing their fallen comrades and prepping the Ark to become spaceworthy again.
Sometime later, the combined Autobot and Decepticon forces went into battle with Starscream, who had acquired the nigh-infinite power of the Underbase for himself. The Aerialbots were his first victims, wiped out in a single blast of cosmic power in the skies over New York City. Dark Star!
Along with the other deactivated Autobots aboard the Ark, Slingshot and the Aerialbots were eventually revived by the Nucleon super-energy Grimlock and the Dinobots recovered from Hydrus Four.
Earthforce
Slingshot was present with the entire Earthforce team outside Autobot Earthbase when Wheeljack unveiled his brand-new unbreachable defensive system. This was unfortunate, as Wheeljack had forgotten that, once activated, the system could only be turned off from the inside. Prowl elected to run the gauntlet and reach the shutdown console inside, and the Aerialbots provided air support for him. Slingshot and his buddies gunned down the Acid Bats at the entryway, giving Prowl his chance to get through. The House that Wheeljack Built!
Marvel UK future timelines
In 2008, Slingshot was one of several Autobots deactivated by the Quintessons when they invaded Autobot City. Space Pirates!
Generation 2
After the defeat of Bludgeon and his Decepticons on Klo, the Autobots split into smaller combat units throughout the universe. Once Optimus Prime and Grimlock learned of the threat posed by the second generation Cybertronian army, though, the Autobot forces reconsolidated under their command. Slingshot and the other Aerialbots were first seen after the Autobots had retreated to an asteroid sanctuary for retraining. They were, um, outsmarted by Hot Rod. The Power and the Glory He was later seen fighting the Cybertronians with his fellow Aerialbots on Ethos. Escalation! In the final battle with the Swarm on Earth, Slingshot was heavily damaged and then consumed by the entity alongside Slag. A Rage in Heaven!
Cartoon continuity
Voice actor: Rob Paulsen (US); Hirotaka Suzuoki (Japan)
Slingshot was created from an old carrier drone along with the rest of the Aerialbots by the Autobots as Optimus Prime's answer to the newly created Stunticons. However, Slingshot quickly made it clear that he didn't care for Earth, the humans, or the other Autobots, and he certainly had no respect for his new commander, Silverbolt, whose fear of heights caused him to abandon Slingshot when Motormaster attacked him. Ironhide threated to install some humility programming into Slingshot via his fists on more than one occasion. However, Silverbolt was able to convince Slingshot and the other Aerialbots of the noble natures of the Autobots and humans. Slingshot even saved Silverbolt after the latter destroyed the Key to Vector Sigma. The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 2
Slingshot was once a major fanboy of Starscream and the other Decepticon jets, and believed Megatron would be a real swell guy to have as a friend. He changed his mind while in Cybertron's past, after seeing Megatron casually destroy the young Orion Pax. After that, he declared that Megatron will never be able to run from the Aerialbots, and they won't stop hounding him until he is finished. Man, he is such a bandwagon jumper. War Dawn
While in the Middle East, Slingshot and Skydive were captured by plane-nappers, only to saved by a young boy named Ali. Slingshot had to wear the front grill of a Rolls Royce on his chest.Aerial Assault
Alongside Blades and Wheelie, Slingshot was one of the first Transformers whose energy was consumed by Tornedron. Call of the Primitives
Japanese manga
Dreamwave comics continuity
Toys
Generation 1
- Slingshot (Aerialbot, 1986/1992)
- Team ID number: A4
- Japanese ID number: C-53
- Accessories: "Neutron rifle"
- Slingshot transforms into a white Sea Harrier jumpjet with VTOL capabilities. While the other three Aerialbot limbs follow a standard design with similar proportions and parts distribution, Slingshot is unusual in that he is much, much thinner than the other jets (partly due to his vehicle mode), with stick-like arms and his front landing gear is mounted on his chest, as the Harrier nose cone on the toy is far too short to accommodate fold-down landing gear. Additionally, due to a lack of the interior space the other Aerialbots have, Slingshot's arms cannot fully collapse into his torso (and thus the sides of the plane).
- As a Scramble City-style combiner, Slingshot can be connected to any free arm or leg slot on Silverbolt to form Superion, and indeed can also combine with any other Scramble City combiner. However, his nominal placement is as the left arm of Superion.
- Slingshot, along with his teammates, were released in the 1992 European/Australian 'Classics' reissue of Generation 1 toys.
- Superion (Gift set, 1986)
- Japanese ID number: C-55
- Slingshot was also available in a Superion boxed giftset, along with the rest of his teammates.
Generation 2
- Slingshot (Aerialbot, 1994)
- Team ID number: A4
- Slingshot was recoloured gold and silver with cheesy orange and blue tiger striped stickers on his wings which (in the Generation 2 tradition) proudly proclaim his name.
- This toy is noted to suffer from Gold Plastic Syndrome, so be careful.
Trivia
- The Canadian giftset of Superion accidentally misspelled Slingshot as "Slingslot".
