Wildrider (G1)
- Wildrider is a Decepticon Stunticon from the Generation 1 continuity family.
What Fireflight does for air travel Wildrider does for the roadways. The difference is that the Aerialbot honestly means no harm and this insanely wild-riding Stunticon most definitely does. Some of his Decepticon comrades suspect him of playing insane to enhance his street cred, but those who have come to know him the best realize that it's no act. Wildrider really is as crazy as they come and a very real danger to anything on the road with him. Even his fellow Stunticons are wary of driving anywhere near him.
Wildrider combines with his fellow Stunticons to form Menasor.
| “ | Either your out of my way or out of luck. | ” |
—Wildrider's motto | ||
- French-Canadian name: Faroucho
- Italian name: Squalo
Fiction
Cartoon continuity
- Voice actor: Terry McGovern (English), Yutaka Shimaka (Japanese)
After a failed attempt to steal experimental rocket fuel from United States Military, Megatron realized that while the Decepticons controlled the skies, the Autobots had supremacy on the ground, and so they needed new ground-based warriors who could out-drive and out-fight the Autobots on their terms. Rumble was sent to steal various human vehicles that would be rebuilt in the the new Stunticons. The Decepticons journeyed to Cybertron, beat the Key to Vector Sigma out of Alpha Trion's possession and ordered the ancient supercomputer to give life to the Stunticons. While the other Stunticons pledged their loyalty to Megatron, Wildrider merely stated his desire for destruction. The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1 Whilst the Autobots were trapped on Cybertron, the Decepticons returned to Earth with the newly awakened Stunticons who began wrecking havoc and damaging the Autobots' good name by attacking the US military base containing the experimental rocket fuel. Eventually, the Autobots returned with the newly built Aerialbots whose combined form Superion defeated the Stunticon combiner Menasor. The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 2
When the Autobots got involved in the fake Europa 2000 charity race he had set up, Megatron needed them removed from the playing field to stop any interference with his plans to dig up the Pearl of Bahoudin and steal an experimental car engine from Auggie Cahnay, the top US driver. He had the Stunticons intercept and eliminate the Autobots, and Wildrider helped disable Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, and Smokescreen with his fellow Decepticons. Bluestreak refused to just lay down, though, dodging the Stunticons' ramming attacks and jumping atop Wildrider's hood. The crazy Stunticon eventually shook Bluestreak off by just crashing hood-first into a mountain at over 150 mph. Afterwards, the Stunticons were defeated when Cahnay rammed his car into Menasor’s face. Trans-Europe Express
When Megatron was infected with Cosmic Rust after a trip to the lost Autobot colony of Antilla, the Stunticons were assigned to capture the Autobot scientist Perceptor, who had developed the powerful anti-corrosion Corrostop. Wildrider drove a speedboat while Drag Strip water skied behind him. After Megatron cured himself and infected the Autobots with the Cosmic Rust, Menasor attacked the Statue of Liberty in New York City with the ancient Lightning Bug heat ray, trying to stop the Autobots from matter-duplicating more Corrostop from the layer they sprayed on the statue. Superion defeated Menasor and destroyed the Lightning Bug. Cosmic Rust
After Starscream was banished for yet another failed coup, he returned with a powerful new Decepticon team called the Combaticons, who were able to outfight Autobot and Decepticon alike. With Megatron needing a trump card, Soundwave attempted to call on the Stunticons to help, but they refused as they were having a demolition derby with various human-owned cars. However, the Stunticons belated arrived after the Combaticon's combined form of Bruticus defeated Devastator and forced Megatron acknowledge Starscream as the new Decepticon leader. Realizing that Starscream would not stop at Megatron, the Stunticons merged into Menasor and disabled Bruticus in one mighty punch. Starscream's Brigade
In his next scheme, Megatron charged the Stunticons with bringing him the last key items for his new molecular disrupter cannon. Wildrider and his partner Breakdown broke into an optics laboratory and robbed a scientist of his experimental lenses for Megatron's weapon. Upon their escape, though, the Stunticons ran into Inferno, Hoist, and Grapple blocking the road. Wildrider took the challenge and managed to just miss hitting the Autobots with his crazy driving, and dodge the missiles fired at him by Inferno. He tested his luck on a second drive-by, though, and was blasted into submission by Hoist. The Stunticons were all captured and imprisoned inside the Ark, while several Autobots employed camouflage paint to disguise themselves as the Stunticons, in a Trojan Horse ploy to find out what Megatron wanted with the components. The Autobot warrior Windcharger took Wildrider's place. After the Autobots took off, however, Breakdown managed to free his fellow Stunticons, and they all joined up to form Menasor, easily smashing through the remaining Autobots guarding them. As Menasor, they returned to Megatron and attempted to convince him they were the true Stunticons. Though ultimately successful, the Autobots had made alterations to the stolen components which caused Megatron's weapon to blow up in his face, and the Decepticons beat a hasty retreat. Masquerade
After their exile to Chaar in 2006, the Stunticons had been reduced to fighting over scraps of energon with the other Decepticons. When Cyclonus returned with the Sweeps, Wildrider expressed the threat that they had better brought some energon with them. When question by Dead End of what he would do if they didn't, Wildrider was at a loss. Nevertheless, he donated his share of energon to revive Galvatron. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1 When the Quintessons arrived offering them energon in exchange for defeating the Autobots, Wildrider was among those Decepticons who were incredulous of the terms due to their weakened state, but signed on regardless. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3
Later, Wildrider and Dead End got into a street race with Rodimus Prime in Japan, ultimately forcing him off the road. After the crash, the two Stunticons found the Matrix of Leadership had been blown clear by the impact, and Wildrider brought it back to his leader, Galvatron. The Burden Hardest to Bear
Zone anime, manga and story pages
Seeking to create a Decepticon Zone to counter the Autobot Zone, Decepticon Emperor Violen Jiger gathered together the Nine Great Demon Generals, upgrading them with powerful new armor and weaponry, then sent them forth to conquer planets. Wildrider was among those summoned, but only as a part of Menasor. Zone Part 1 Transformers: Zone Enter the New Supreme Commander, Dai Atlas!
Marvel Comics continuity
Marvel UK future timelines
In 2003, the Stunticons were recruited by Ravage to steal some classified documents from the Autobots, about their upcoming plans for Autobot City. Wildrider and his cronies ran the courier, Kup, off the side of the road and beat him til he gave up the information. Then they beat up Hot Rod because, well, it was fun. Ark Duty
In 2008, Wildrider was among the Decepticon soldiers aboard Astrotrain when Soundwave was leading them in an assault on Autobase. Space Pirates!
Earthforce
Wildrider worked on Megatron's team when he and Shockwave were vying for control of the Decepticons. He was seen at the Enclave before the fracas broke out. The Bad Guy's Ball!
A poisoned Soundwave staggered into Wildrider's quarters, and gave him a tape of battle plans to transmit to Cybertron. Wildrider assumed that Soundwave had been betrayed by traitors in Megatron's faction of Decepticons, and attempted to send the plans in secret. When Megatron saw him doing so, however, he assumed that the Stunticon was trying to send them to his rival Shockwave, making him the traitor who had betrayed him to Shockwave earlier. With one blast from his fusion cannon, Megatron promptly killed him. Which was exactly what Soundwave (who had not been poisoned and was, in fact, the traitor) had planned. Harsh. Secrets
Dreamwave comics continuity
At some point in Cybertron's recent history, the Stunticons were deemed psychotic and too dangerous to function in society, and as a result were placed into perpetual stasis lock inside of a prison facility. Later, in an attempt to create a diversion while he set his final plans in motion, Shockwave arranged for the release of the Stunticons. They formed into Menasor and ran amuck for awhile, until Ultra Magnus arrived and began insulting them. Unable to reconcile with this, the five Stunticons began to bicker with each other over whose fault it was that they were failing, temporarily stopping Menasor and allowing Ultra Magnus to ram the combiner in the chest, forcing him to separate into his component parts and disabling the Stunticons. Passive Aggression
IDW comics continuity
Wildrider was seen with other Stunticons entering the Kaon arena to join the newly-formed Decepticons for some good ol' fashioned civil disobedience. He also did us all a favor and told Dead End to be quiet because, let's face it, a cheery and optimistic Dead End signals the coming of the End of Days. Megatron Origin issue 3
Toys
Generation 1
- Wildrider (Stunticon, 1986)
- Team ID number: S3
- Japanese ID number: D-53
- Accessories: "Scattershot gun", "plasma-energy blaster"
- Wildrider transforms into a dark grey Ferrari 308 GTB sports car. He comes with a large, black double-barreled "plasma-energy blaster" cannon that attaches onto the back of his vehicle mode.
- In robot mode, Wildrider is armed with a black " scattershot gun" pistol. He usually forms Menasor's left leg, but as a Scramble City combiner limb, he can also occupy any other limb position.
- Menasor (Gift set, 1986)
- Japanese ID number: D-55
- Wildrider was also made available as part of a full Stunticon five-pack in the US, European and Japanese markets. All of the figures inside were identical to their individual releases.
Generation 2
- Wildrider (Stunticon, Unreleased)
- Team ID number: S5
- For the Generation 2 line, Hasbro intended to release redecoes of the Stunticons in 1994, with Wildrider being cast primarily in yellow plastic, with blue and black accents. Ultimately, however, the toys never went into mass poduction and remained officially unreleased. Only the four limbs are known to have made it to the sample packaging stage, having turned up in very limited numbers over the years (with the exception of Generation 2 Breakdown, who was available at BotCon 1994 in somewhat larger quantities). All the Generation 2 Stunticons are known to catch high prices on the secondary market.[1][2]
 Proceed on your way to oblivion. |
Gentei! Gentei!
- Stuntron Wildrider (Deluxe, 2008)
- Accessories: Rocket engine/missile launcher, flame missile
- An exclusive item from the "Chara Hobby 2008" show in Japan on August 30th, 2008, Wildrider is a redeco of Classics Rodimus with a very vaguely Wildrider-inspired color scheme (but retaining all of Henkei Rodimus' paint applications, including the flames), transforming into a Dome Zero concept car. His rear "thruster" fires a spring-loaded missile, and the back section can be flipped up to turn it into a roof-mounted weapon. The thruster becomes a hand-held blaster in robot mode, and can also be mounted on his back as a "jetpack". His left arm hides a flip-out (non-spinning) buzzsaw.
- This mold was also used to make the evil Shattered Glass Rodimus.
Trivia
- In 2005, the mold used for Alternators Decepticharge was presented as an upcoming release for the Japanese Binaltech line. Originally, Takara intended to name for their version of the toy "Wildrider", possibly because the Hasbro version's deco resembled the unreleased G2 Wildrider toy's color scheme. However, Takara ultimately had to abandon that idea because they couldn't get the trademark. Instead, they decided to give the toy an entirely new deco, as the Hasbro toy's deco didn't appear to their ideal of "real-life accuracy". In robot mode, the toy was given a color scheme based on the Transmetal 2 incarnation of Beast Wars Blackarachnia, with the toy's name being changed to "Black Widow", Takara's name for the character. Ultimately, however, Takara decided to cancel the toy altogether, as they were fearing that another redeco (in addition to the upcoming Binaltech Asterisk toys) would be too repetitive. Plans to release the toy as part of a different line were never picked up again.[3] Then they apparently changed their minds again.
