Apex Bomber
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| This article is about Powermaster Optimus Prime's drone partner. For Ginrai's drone from Super-God Masterforce, see Godbomber. |
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- Apex Bomber is an Autobot drone from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Apex Bomber is Powermaster Optimus Prime's drone buddy. He is non-cognitive, but he responds to Prime's orders and can be commanded to "perform combat functions," whatever that may mean.<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-0" title="">[1]</a></sup> His standard alt-mode is just an extra trailer for Prime to tow around. But when Prime is in super robot mode, Apex Bomber can merge with him as Apex Armor.
He has been referred to as a "roller drone,"<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1" title="">[2]</a></sup> which might mean that he is what became of Roller after Prime's Powermaster upgrade (see Trivia below).
Toys
Generation 1
- Powermaster Optimus Prime with Apex Armor (2003)
- When Hasbro re-released Optimus Prime's Powermaster toy in the Commemorative Series, it was simply a repackaging of Takara's earlier God Ginrai re-release, including Godbomber, which had only been sold in the Japanese market. In adapting the toy's presentation for an English-speaking audience, Hasbro was adding a whole new element to Prime's fiction, as Ginrai and Godbomber had nothing to do with Convoy. Thus did Godbomber become "Apex Bomber," which merged with Prime as "Apex Armor."
Trivia
- While the phrase "roller drone" seems to be a clear reference to Roller, there is no corroborating evidence for this connection because Apex Bomber has never appeared in any storylines. When Optimus became a Powermaster in the Marvel Generation 1 comic, Roller simply vanished without mention, and of course the concept of Apex Armor did not exist at the time. Then in the Generation 2 comic, Optimus resembled his first Earth-based body again, and Roller was back in action with no explanation. The contemporary toy bios likewise ignored the issue, so make of this "Apex" retcon what you will.
References
<ol class="references"><li id="cite_note-0"><a href="#cite_ref-0" title="">↑</a> Apex Bomber's on-package bio <li id="cite_note-1"><a href="#cite_ref-1" title="">↑</a> Powermaster Optimus Prime Apex Armor on-package bio</ol>
