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 a type of mass-produced drone from the 2007 movie franchise in the live-action film 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, whereever they need it, in their quest for the All Spark it's Payload's job to get it to them, even if he has to smash right through Autobot lines to do it.
Both the Autobot and Decepticon armies make use of drones based on his design, which are heavily-armored, brutal melee fighters.
Sometimes there are lots of him.
On both sides.
Fiction
IDW Transformers movie comics
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. Prime Directive (IDW) issue 1 Later, Payload drones were part of the crew of Starscream's ship that pursued the All Spark and Megatron to the Eshems Nebula. They were forced to turn back for repairs when the ship was damaged by an Autobot concussion chain. The Reign of Starscream issue 1
After Megatron was killed and the All Spark destroyed during the battle of Mission City on Earth, Starscream returned to Mars. While he was recuperating, a team of Autobots attacked, and drones, including Payload models, were activated to defend the ship. The Reign of Starscream issue 3
Payload himself was back on Cybertron, under the command of Dreadwing. When Starscream returned with the knowledge to build a new All Spark, Payload 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 issue 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. His fate is unknown. The Reign of Starscream issue 5
Titan Magazines Transformers movie comics
Payload units are used in the occupation of Earth. They have no personality or higher consciousness, their dialogue being things like "Classification: Autobot. Identifying...".
Ironhide smashes them real good. Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 2
When the Savannah All Spark facility's Swindle drones all magically turned into Payloads between issues, they almost overwhelmed the Autobot rebels but eventually failed to kill them or save the facility. Also, Bonecrusher smashed them real good simply cos they were in the way. Not the best boss on Earth... Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 5
Get out the way...
An army of Payloads made an assault on oil pipelines in Alaska as part of a major campaign. Dark Spark
An even bigger army of them stood around going "GRRRR" as part of a Decepticon group shot when the Decepticon Heartland prepared for war. Revolution Part 1 And an even bigger army than that served as the bulk of the invasion force when Starscream announced the re-conquest of the USA.
Unfortunately for Starscream, the Payloads under Hardtop were intercepted by Stockade and his crew, and Fracture reprogrammed the entire platoon to work for them. They became the first defected drones in a Decepticon Civil War Revolution Part 2 and soon all of them were under Stockade's command, since every one that wasn't had been slagged.
Following the sudden Autobot strike that saw every Decepticon exiled from Earth, the Payloads remained. The Autobots have now got a task of decommissioning all of these drones. Revolution Part 3
The Veiled Threat prequel novel
Payload (who now turns into an anti-aircraft tank) is a core member of Starscream's Decepticon team and fights in several battles in Africa. He tried to destroy a dam while Macerator and Starscream held off the Autobots, but was briefly distracted by Ratchet, who he promptly slagged. He was unprepared for the military opening up the floodgates however, and was washed away in the ensuing torrent. His ultimate fate is unknown. It is also possible that the name Payload was mistakenly given to Gunbarrel, who was on Earth at the time in the Alliance comic and was an anti-aircraft tank Decepticon. The Veiled Threat
Games
Battle For the Allspark online game
Payload units of both sides have a strong defense, good attack, but poor speed. They are differentiated by little more than the make of their noggins; Autobot versions use a facemask-with-optics model, while Decepticons have a circular lens-face. Battle for the Allspark
Transformers: The Game (console)
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 Prime 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 aforementioned head differences, Decepticon Payloads are dark blue, while the Autobot versions are silver-white. Transformers The Game (console)
Transformers: Autobots/Decepticons
Payload's body frame has been shown in numerous forms: his Armored Truck mode, the Peace Van, the Moving Truck, the School Bus, the Ice Cream Truck, the Death Truck, the Funky Bus, the SWAT Van, and the Prison Bus. Certain forms have either the Autobot head or the Decepticon head, but which game is unimportant; the same vehicle has the same head in both games. Transformers Autobots/Decepticons
Toys
Transformers (2007)
- 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. However, in order to do this, the claw-shaft sticks far out of his back in robot mode, making posing and display in narrow spaces difficult. It also makes him hard to balance.
- 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 brushguard, 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 as Pegload.
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. His card art was done by Lucio Parrillo.
Trivia
- The company name on Payload's toy, "Armored Security Systems", spells out "ASS". This may have been intentional.
- Payload's for as an 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, but whether they were meant to be the same character is unknown.
