Skids (ROTF)
| The name or term "Skids" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Skids (disambiguation). |
- Skids is an Autobot from the Revenge of the Fallen franchise in the live-action film continuity family.
When a Spark splits into two separate sparks, the resulting two Cybertronians are considered twins, with an incredibly close bond. The dopey-looking Skids and his twin Mudflap are a result of one such division. His hyper-reactive optical imaging scanner allows him to process tactical information faster than anyone (except his twin). Add that to his supreme firepower and his unpredictable actions, and he's a pain in the aft for any Decepticon who wants to counter him!
He spends his time arguing with his brother and trying to outdo him in crazy stunts, all while believing he's the responsible, level headed one! In his own mind, everything dangerous and dopey he does is simply making him a better warrior. And that means one day, one glorious day, Optimus Prime will notice him! Prime even looking in his direction makes him babble, fall over, and generally fail to make an impression, but that won't stop him trying!
Each twin can transform into smaller separate vehicles or combine for a single, more durable alternate mode. [1] Upon first arriving on Earth, Skids and his brother took the form of a beat-up old ice cream truck, but he later scanned a Chevy Beat for a disguise.
| “ | You gotta blend in... be stealthy... like a ninja. | ” |
—A less-than-successful Skids tries to conceal himself, Revenge of the Fallen | ||
Fiction
IDW Transformers movie comics
Skids and Mudflap arrived on Earth as part of Autobot reinforcements that Optimus Prime requested. They both chose the combined form of an old, beat-up ice cream truck. The newly-arrived Autobots joined the human-Transformer military alliance NEST and began training in earnest on Diego Garcia, but soon had to be deployed to Shanghai, China. Alliance #4
Titan Magazines Revenge of the Fallen comics
Skids first met Bumblebee when they were about to be thrown into a smelting pool. Dogfight!
Skids and Mudflap happily stayed on Cybertron, going through intensive training (which totally wasn't goofing off) and having extreme-sports contests. Neither wanted to leave their homeworld, and they were the only Transformers on it until Starscream turned up with a Decepticon army. When they heard him mention a star harvester, they realised they should tell someone...but Skids worked out the fastest way to do that would be in person, meaning they'd have to leave their homeworld.
The decision was made for them when the Decepticons attacked. Skids angrily blew away some of the jet-drones when they shot his brother, using an impressive missile barrage, and used transform-and-shoot moves to keep their pursuers away...but he realised this was delaying the inevitable. They fled the planet, with Skids remembering to head for Earth, the site of Optimus's message. Training Day
The twins made it to Earth soon, crash-landing in Toronto, Canada. On the way in, Mudflap hit a big tower, but Skids felt it wasn't that big a deal. They swam their way to Ball's Falls, where they picked up Earth alternate modes and set out to try and find local Autobots and warn them about the solar harvester.
Driving along the wrong side of the Interstate (Skids wanted a challenge!), the twins were attacked by the Seeker Ransack, trying to kill them on the Fallen's orders. While Skids dissed Ransack's retro alt mode, he pursued them across open countryside. With their energon levels low, the airborne enemy kept up with the twins, and Skids soon collapsed, unable to run any further. He and his brother would've both died, if not for Bumblebee arriving and forcing the Seeker into retreat. Dogfight!
Revenge of the Fallen movie
- Voice actor: Tom Kenny (English), Tomokazu Seki (Japan), Michael Pan (German)
Skids and his brother were part of a taskforce deployed in Shanghai to root out Decepticon activity. In their combined ice cream truck alternate mode, they rolled through the evacuated zone, taunting and trying to lure out the Decepticons in the area. When the Decepticons did show themselves, they gave chase to the escaping Sideways. However, their slow and ungainly choice of vehicle could not keep up with the fugitive, and they rounded a corner too sharply, tearing their combined form in half.
Upon arrival at Diego Garcia and NEST headquarters, the twins received new, separate alternate modes. A fight broke out between the two of them over which vehicle they wanted, and Skids "called" the Beat, resigning Mudflap to the form of a Trax.
Later, the twins, along with the other NEST-allied Autobots, were dispatched to look for Sam Witwicky when Decepticons were detected heading towards his college. After Optimus Prime was killed by Megatron, the twins helped the Autobot force fight off the Decepticon leader and Starscream, allowing Sam, Leo Spitz, Mikaela Banes and Bumblebee to make good their escape. Skids and Mudflap met up with Bumblebee and the humans, and together they fled to a remote location. After teasing Leo for a while for his panic attack, Sam inquired whether one of them could interpret the Cybertronic symbols he had become obsessed with, but the twins claimed that they couldn't read the ancient Language of the Primes, and weren't much into reading, anyway.
"Yep. Wesa screwed."
With the help of the Decepticon Wheelie and former Sector Seven agent Seymour Simmons, the group made their way to the Smithsonian, where the humans reactivated the venerable ex-Decepticon Jetfire. He teleported them all to Egypt before telling them the tale of the original Primes, the Solar harvester, which had the potential to destroy all life on Earth, and finally, the Matrix of Leadership, the key to activating the harvester, and possibly the only thing that could bring Optimus Prime back to life. When the Matrix could not be found at the ruins of Petra, the twins began to fight with one another, and their bickering created a hole in the wall where the Tomb of the Primes lay, and with it, the Matrix.
Making their way back to the Pyramids where NEST waited with Optimus Prime's body, the group came under attack by Starscream. Mudflap, Skids, Leo and Simmons acted as a decoy to lure the Decepticons away from Sam and Mikaela. Unfortunately, they attracted the attention of the Constructicons, who combined into Devastator and attacked by vacuuming up loose objects such as sand, cars, and Mudflap. When his brother was thought dead, Skids clambered up the Decepticon's leg for vengeance, only to discover that Mudflap had survived being vacuumed up by Devastator and had blasted a hole through its head. Together the twins attacked the combiner, but were unable to stop him from reaching the Great Pyramid of Giza. Revenge of the Fallen
Toys
Revenge of the Fallen
Legends Class Toys
- Skids (Legends, 2009/2010)
Deluxe Class Toys
- Autobot Skids (Deluxe, 2009)
- Japanese ID number: RA-10
- Skids was released as part of the second wave of deluxe class Revenge of the Fallen action figures. He transforms into a green Chevy Beat Concept car with black stripe designs on either side and a black hood. His vehicle form features transparent blue windows. In robot mode, Skids features a "Mech Alive" gimmick that makes the fenders on the sides of his chest push out and his head move forward when the front grill is pushed inwards. Moving the head up and down through this gimmick may suggest it's meant to make him appear as though he is talking, but the packaging only says "Moving Armor Panels".
- Skids' right arm is larger than his left, just like his movie counterpart's. It features a small cannon that when pressed both makes the cannon stick out in a position more suitable for firing, and activates Skids' "Punching Robot Fist" action. Despite this, his right hand is surprisingly poseable.
- Autobot Skids And Mudflap (Deluxe, 2009)
- Japanese ID number:
- This two pack of the two twin Autobot brothers can combine into a single, old-fashioned ice cream truck. Unfortunately, they are SMALLER than a scout class figure.
Human Alliance
- Autobot Skids / Arcee / Mikaela Banes (Human Alliance, 2009)
- Japanese ID number: RA-25
- Accessories:
Fast Action Battlers
- Missile Blast Skids (Fast Action Battler, 2009)
- Japanese ID number:
- Accessories:
- Fast Action Battlers Missile Blast Skids is quite similar in transformation engineering to Plasma Punch/Plasma Blast Bumblebee, and even has a similar gimmick in having one arm being a spring-loaded projectile launcher.
Gravity Bots
- Autobot Skids (Gravity Bot, 2009)
- Japanese ID number: ???
Merchandise
Revenge of the Fallen
R.P.M.s - Robot Powered Machines
Battle Series
- Mudflap vs Autobot Skids (R.P.M. Mini-Vehicle, 2009)
- Number: 04 of 08
- Number four in a series of eight Robot Powered Machines Mini-Vehicle versus packs, Skids is packaged against his twin, Mudflap. He's an untransformable Hot Wheels-like car, unless you count his robot mode being sculpted and painted onto the underside of him.
- This toy is also available with the Devastator Showdown track set.
Robot Replicas
- Autobot Skids (Robot Replica, 2009)
Track Set
- Devastator Showdown (R.P.M. Mini-Vehicle Track Set, 2009)
- A Mini-Vehicle of Skids also comes with this Devastator-themed race track set.
Robot Heroes
- Autobot Skids and Megatron (2009)
- Desert Devastation (Multi-pack, 2009)
- Both Skids and Mudflap are sculpted in their vehicle modes for this box-set that also includes Devastator and William Lennox.
- Shanghai Shootout (Multi-pack, 2009)
- Shanghai Shootout replicates the opening action scene from Revenge of the Fallen, featuring figurines of Mudflap/Skids (ice cream truck), Sideways (vehicle mode), Optimus Prime, Demolishor, and Sideswipe (vehicle mode). Demolishor is a slightly-oversized figure and the centerpiece of the box set.
Notes
- The Chevrolet Beat, Skids's alternate mode, goes into production in 2011 as the Chevrolet Spark.
- The ice cream truck's bumper sticker reads "Decepticons, suck my popsicle." Classy.
- The twins have been accused of being derogatory racial stereotypes. Though Skids's voice actor Tom Kenny had not commented at the time this note was written, Mudflap's voice actor Reno Wilson was sad to learn his way of speaking was apparently offensive to himself. Writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman claim to have followed Michael Bay's lead with the characters, while Bay says Wilson and Kenny came up with their schtick on their own. [2] Orci and Kurtzman said the twins' portrayal was not in their script, that they were disappointed in the characters and admitted that they could understand if others were offended by the characters.[3] Bay has admitted the idea was that they were intended to be a caricature of white people pretending that they're black ("wiggers")... which is difficult to convey when they're red and green.
- The twins are less slangy in the comic adaptation and Titan comics, which could either indicate it was a last-minute voice actor decision or Simon Furman just didn't want to try writing ebonics.
- If Skids can't read the Language of the Primes, why does he have a glyph from it on the sides of his vehicle mode?
