Jackpot (G1)
| This article is about the Generation 1 Action Master. For the Transformers artist, see Matt Kuphaldt. |
- Jackpot is an Autobot Action Master from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Jackpot seems to have "lucky" built into his core programming. He really gets a kick out of placing bets on dangerous predicaments and coming out on top. The higher the stakes, the happier he is. He once bet a Decepticon guard he could escape from the cell he was being held in... and now that Decepticon is in the cell Jackpot formerly inhabited.
To tilt things even further in his favor, Jackpot relies on his avian partner Sights to scout out information beforehand. Of course, some are just waiting for the day Jackpot's luck runs out... which might have disastrous results for the Autobot.
"We got lucky."
"Of course we did, I'm here."Jackpot & Hubcap, "Gone Too Far"
- French-Canadian name: Gros Lot
- Italian name: Inspector
Fiction
IDW comics continuity
Jackpot was one of the Autobots working on the Garrus-9 penal colony when Banzai-Tron raided it. He was apparently blown up in the first salvo. In the long run, maybe this was lucky... but probably not. Spotlight: Arcee
TransTech
When Jackpot and Hubcap arrived on Axiom Nexus via a space bridge accident, they both were processed, given identification cards and bolts, and sent out with their guide Scattorshot. After listening to Scattorshot explain the city—an explanation involving quantum mechanics much to Jackpot's irritation—Jackpot merrily dragged the reluctant Hubcap deeper into the city.
Jackpot wanted to go to the most lawless part of the city, while Hubcap wanted to stay somewhere slightly safer, so they compromised and eventually ended up at the The Blue Deployer in the middle. Hubcap wandered off to gamble, while Jackpot was greeted by Cryotek while ordering a drink at the bar. Later he made his way to the gambling area himself, though more interested in gambling on the roulette wheel croupier than at any of the tables.
Eventually he caught up with Hubcap, who was in a high-stakes quantum physics card game with Gutcruncher. Jackpot's luck aura clashed with the quantum probabilities, causing Hubcap to lose all of their money. But Gutcruncher was impressed with Hubcap's skills, offering him (and Jackpot as Hubcap's "business consultant") a job if they met him at a certain time and location the next day. Though both Autobots were skeptical, Cryotek urged them to go, and their curiosity and need for money won out.
When the two arrived, they realized they had been invited to Gutcruncher leading the "lowtech" gang members of Axiom Nexus in a revolution. Before they could start panicking, an energy shot went past their heads and killed Gutcruncher... and everyone else immediately thought they did it. The two realized they'd been set up and made a run for it, Jackpot hanging off the top of Hubcap's altmode. One of the gang members latched onto Hubcap and Jackpot kicked him in the face, causing the gang member's laser shot to go astray and strike a fluid main. As the fluid flushed out the gang members, the two Autobots narrowly outpaced the wave, the resulting geyser launching them to safety.
When they soon discovered the police wanted them now as well, Jackpot convinced Hubcap that they should return to The Blue Deployer, figuring that was the last place they would be expected to go. Cryotek was unwilling to protect them, however, so Jackpot had a new plan—find the real killer themselves to clear their names. Hubcap thought that was insane, but Jackpot accidentally bumped into a policebot before he could convince Hubcap otherwise. He and Hubcap tried to escape again, but were caught.
The two were interrogated by Cheetor and Stungun, including Stungun mistakenly assuming Jackpot being an Action Master meant he had a drug problem. The officers knew the two couldn't have assassinated Gutcruncher, but still wanted them in protective custody, so Jackpot had Hubcap smoke Cheetor out by reminding him of "that one time on Antares 3". Jackpot then sent Stungun sprawling with a punch, and he and Hubcap ran off yet again.
They headed towards the Widow's Cafe Cybertronian, a potential hideout gateway recommended by Cryotek. But once there they got literally tripped up by more gang members, one of whom shot at Jackpot. The shot struck the middle of Jackpot's ID bolt and ricocheted into a police officer tailing them, sending the officer crashing to the ground. That started a chain reaction which downed a neon sign, electrocuting the gang members. The Autobots left the damaged officer behind as they made yet another run for it.
Jackpot was in bad need of a rest to recover his nucleon and energon stores by that point, but before they could hide in one of the abandoned buildings in the area, they were approached by Cryotek's flunky Black Shadow. Black Shadow revealed that he had killed Gutcruncher and set the two up, and now was going to kill them and throw their bodies to the gangs, so the two split up and ran for it. Jackpot ended up being pursued by Black Shadow's robotic shell, and got into a fistfight with it after it chased him into a dead end alleyway.
The fight ended up going badly for Jackpot, and he eventually found himself beaten and completely depleted. But just as the shell was about to execute him, it suddenly cracked apart and crumbled to the ground, due to Hubcap having been able to get the real Black Shadow found out and killed elsewhere. After learning the news from Hubcap, Jackpot strolled confidently out of the alleyway... and bumped right into Officer Airazor.
Their names finally cleared of Gutcruncher's assassination, the two were given expedited exit visas back to their home universe, having been classified as "undesirables" after all their antics. Though instead of Cybertron or Earth, the TransTechs sent the two Autobots to the backwater planet Zegris instead. They ended up landing on and taking out Killzone, a Decepticon who had been terrorizing the populace. After finding out why a Decepticon would be interested in a backwater planet, the two were all too happy to help the aliens deal with their millions of tons of horrible exploding pink rocks... Gone Too Far
Toys
Generation 1
- Jackpot w/ Sights (Action Master, 1990)
- Accessories: Sights partner, "Heat Induced Photon Rifle"
- As an Action Master, Jackpot is a non-transforming action figure, though his design shows parts of a sports-car alternate mode, likely a Ferrari Testarossa. He was sold on an individual card with his partner Sights, who can transform into a (very) large rifle. He is compatible with any other Action Master weapon or vehicle.
Trivia
- Jackpot has a big thing for fembots (especially ones with racing stripes), despite it being the one aspect of life where he isn't (getting) lucky.
- Greg Sepelak has mentioned that Jackpot's personality in "Gone Too Far" was inspired by "the goofy, gabby, pun-hurling Tony-Oliver-voiced version" of Lupin III. [1]
