Cliffjumper (G1)
| The name or term "Cliffjumper" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Cliffjumper (disambiguation). |
- Cliffjumper is an Autobot from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Within Cliffjumper burns the spark of a hero and a dedicated Autobot. On the outside is a paranoid, trigger-happy jerk with serious impulse-control problems. Cliffjumper utterly hates the Decepticons. He also hates traitors. And anybody could be a traitor. Therefore, Cliffjumper hates everybody. It's unclear if he hates traitors more than he hates Decepticons, but it's at least a neck-and-neck thing.
He makes a habit of pulling ridiculously huge guns out of nowhere and attacking impulsively despite orders or sanity. Somehow, this gets him neither killed nor demoted.
Cliffjumper's special weapon is his glass gas, which embrittles metals on contact so that they shatter like glass. He is not immune to its effects, so its use requires careful consideration of wind direction. Actually, this may explain why he prefers the big guns. He doesn't seem like the calculating type.
- Preliminary name: Blow-Out
- Japanese name: Cliff
- French-Canadian name: Matamore / Rapido
- Hungarian name: Sziklaugró (exact translation)
- Hungarian movie name, first dub only: Ugró (Jumper)
- Italian name: Grillo ("Cricket")
- Portuguese name (Portugal comics): Salta-Penhascos
- Portuguese name (Brazil comics): Saltador[1]
- South American name: Carrera
- Chinese name (Taiwan): Tìau Yái (跳崖, "Cliff Jumping")
- Chinese name (China): Fei Guo Shan (飛過山, "Flying across a Mountain")
Fiction
Marvel Comics continuity
Generation 1
Cliffjumper was a part of the crew on board the Ark when it crashed into Earth four million years ago while clearing an asteroid field in the path of Cybertron. Upon reviving in 1984, Cliffjumper was chosen as part of the first field expedition into the world under Prowl's command. Their simple recon mission to a drive-in movie theatre quickly turned into a battle when the Decepticons arrived. Cliffjumper acquitted himself well in combat, single-handedly driving off Starscream and Thundercracker with his glass gas. The Transformers
Later, he joined Optimus Prime on the mission to rescue their human friend Sparkplug Witwicky from the Decepticons. Unfortunately, the human military got in the way, distracting Cliffjumper and Huffer long enough for Rumble's earthquakes to throw them for a loop. Prisoner of War! Whether because of this or just a general lack of fuel, Cliffjumper was unable to stand up and fight against the Decepticons in the battle at the Ark. The Last Stand He was deactivated for a while during Shockwave's occupation of the Ark, but was repaired without incident when Ratchet reclaimed it for the crew. However, the head of Optimus Prime was still missing, and during an attempt to retrieve it, an impostor head took control of Prime's body, firing on Cliffjumper. Prime Time!
Presumably repaired, he later participated in the Dinobot Hunt, along with Gears and Windcharger. Although they found Sludge, immediately thereafter all three were captured by the Decepticons. They were rescued by Bumblebee. Dinobot Hunt!
He was one of the observers to Blaster and Grimlock's battle on the moon. How he fared in the following Decepticon attack is unknown, but he was never seen again. Totaled!
Marvel UK future timelines
After surviving the destruction of Moonbase One, Cliffjumper returned to the Autobot combat movement on Cybertron by 2007. He joined Ultra Magnus in a concerted effort to surprise a group of Decepticon skyraiders, using Rodimus Prime as bait to draw them in close for a crossfire. Wanted:Galvatron — Dead or Alive!
Classics/Shattered Glass
After being nearly killed by an Underbase-powered Starscream, the Autobots, lacking the resources on Earth to repair him, shipped his body to Cybertron, where he languished on life support for fifteen years. After the war, newly-freed resources allowed techs to revive him once again, though when he first woke up he immediately flatlined again when they told him the war was over. Consoled by the idea that some Decepticons were still left in the universe, Cliffjumper was sadly too late to join Grimlock's crew on the Graviton, so when reports of Megatron's return reached Cybertron, Cliffjumper was the first to join Optimus Prime in returning to Earth to vanquish him.[2]
Shattered Glass Dungeons & Dinobots Do Over
Cartoon continuity
Generation 1 cartoon
- Voice Actor: Casey Kasem (English), Takurō Kitagawa (Japanese)
Cliffjumper was a part of the crew onboard the Ark when it crashed into Earth four million years ago during a search for new energy sources. His alt mode was reformatted into an oddly proportioned Porsche 924 Turbo.
When the Autobots awakened from their four million-year slumber, Cliffjumper was eager for action. He volunteered to tag along on Hound's recon mission to scout out Decepticons because he was itching to "boot some Decepticon right in his turbocharger". Though Optimus Prime's orders were only to find the Decepticons, Cliffjumper brashly tried to engage the enemy once Hound sniffed them out.
"Shut the fuck up, Hound."
Cliffjumper missed his shot, and the Decepticons dispatched Laserbeak to chase off the Autobot eavesdroppers. Hound got pasted by Laserbeak's laser blasts and ended up requiring extensive repair from Autobot medic Ratchet after being pulled out of a ditch by Hauler. It worked out in the end, though, since Cliffjumper was remorseful for having acted without thinking, and Hound didn't hold a grudge anyway. More than Meets the Eye, Part 1
More than Meets the Eye, Part 2 More than Meets the Eye, Part 3 Transport to Oblivion Roll for It Divide and Conquer Fire in the Sky S.O.S. Dinobots Fire on the Mountain The Ultimate Doom, Part 1 The Ultimate Doom, Part 3 Countdown to Extinction Heavy Metal War Changing Gears
Soon afterwards, Cliffjumper made a very public display of his paranoia by accusing fellow Autobot and reluctant soldier Mirage of being a traitor on some very flimsy evidence, much to the (correct) disbelief of the other Autobots. He kept up his rhetoric even after Optimus Prime ordered him to can it. So determined was he to prove his theory true that he followed Mirage when the latter returned to the Decepticon power station to sow seeds of discontent within the Decepticon ranks. Fortunately, in the end it was proven that Mirage was a loyal Autobot all along, and Cliffjumper fell across Mirage's body, asking Ratchet to fix him for not trusting a comrade. This prompted a rather awkward laugh from the other Autobots present. Traitor
The Immobilizer The Autobot Run
While pursuing Nightbird, the female robot ninja built to benefit mankind, Cliffjumper was the only Autobot unable to jump up the cliff after her. Ironic. Enter the Nightbird
A Prime Problem Dinobot Island, Part 1 Dinobot Island, Part 2 The Master Builders Microbots Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1 Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2 Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2 Blaster Blues The Search for Alpha Trion Starscream's Brigade
In 2005, Cliffjumper was stationed at Moonbase One, and was left there with Jazz when Optimus Prime left with a few other Autobots to reinforce Autobot City. Cliffjumper was then eaten by Unicron along with the moon, but was saved from his internal acid pits by Daniel Witwicky. Rodimus Prime then helped Cliffjumper escape from Unicron, but for some reason, he was never seen again. The Transformers: The Movie
Japanese cartoon continuity
Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers comic
While the majority of the Autobots were occupied dealing with a Decepticon attack upon Autobot Headquarters, Cliffjumper was part of a small team searching Japan for Soundwave and his cassettes, who were conspicuous by their absence from the assault. Bumblebee and Kenji found the Decepticon communicator first, but Bumblebee was able to get the drop on him and shattered his chest door with a "Bumble Kick". Cliffjumper and Ironhide then arrived to take care of the cassettes, who cut their losses and tried to take refuge in Soundwave's chest compartment, only to find that they couldn't get in through the broken door. Cliffjumper snatched them up, and being the big jerk that he is, pulled out their tape spools and wrapped them around his fingers. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #2
Full Throttle Scramble Power! comic
After the Decepticons' latest plan, involving their Omega Whip cannon, was foiled, Cliffjumper was among the massive Autobot platoon that arrived at the villains base with Scramble City to give them a well-deserved pummelling. Full Throttle Scramble Power!
The Stargate Battles comic
Cliffjumper was part of the Autobot batallion who battled the Decepticons in space for control of the interstellar teleportation system known as the "Trigger". During the battle, Starscream fused with the Trigger, transforming into a massive, monstrous robot form determined to wipe out Autobots and Decepticons. A combination of Optimus Prime and Megatron's power defeated the treacherous Decepticon, but all the Transformers were caught in the backwash of the colossal explosion that resulted, and were left injured and inactive for many months. The Stargate Battles
Marvel Books Big Looker Storybook continuity
One day, a bunch of humans held a rally race for which first prize would be a year's supply of oil and gasoline. Rather than follow their usual tack, attempting to cheat their way to the fuel, the Decepticons decided to sneak into the race simply for the sake of giving the Autobots a thrashing. Cliffjumper was one of the Autobots driving in the rally, and he was unaware that the scary black Cadillac was actually being driven by Megatron until he tried to pass it. Megatron dogged the Minibot for quite a while, until a telephone pole-wielding Optimus Prime swatted the Decepticon leader out of the race. Cliffjumper won the race and everybody smiled, even Optimus Prime. The Great Car Rally
Dreamwave comics continuity
Cliffjumper was active during the Dark Ages on Cybertron, when Optimus Prime and Megatron were missing and the two armies had split up into multiple smaller factions. He was working primarily with Prowl's contingent of soldiers. War Within: The Dark Ages
Cliffjumper was a part of the crew on-board the Ark when it crashed into Earth four million years ago while clearing an asteroid in the path of Cybertron. He was one of many Transformers captured and reprogrammed by arms dealer Adam 'Lazarus' Rook for lease to terrorist organizations and shady governments requiring brutal military might. Fortunately, Autobots under the command of Optimus Prime repaired and re-reprogrammed Cliffjumper and the remaining captive Autobots. Immediately, they were put to work on fighting Megatron's metallic virus, which had spread deep into Canadian territory, using their own internal power as the anti-virus. Prime Directive issue 5
As Cliffjumper collapsed into the snow out of exhaustion, the Canadian military arrived. Unfortunately, due to the recent attacks by both enslaved Autobots and Decepticons under the command of Rook, the Canadians attempted to stop the Autobots doing what they perceived to be an attack on their soil. Knowing that the virus fed upon weapons fire, Cliffjumper tried to stop a tank crew from causing further harm by bending the tank's main gun. The commander panicked, thinking Cliffjumper was attacking, and fired, destroying himself and seriously damaging the Autobot. Prime Directive issue 6
When the U.S. military attacked the Autobots and Decepticons at a staged ambush in the Nevada desert, Cliffjumper was among the soldiers present. He took semi-critical damage from the deconstructionite attack, losing a great deal of available processing power to the weaponized nanites employed by the armed forces, and had to be carted away to safety inside Prime's trailer. Fusion
Sometime later, the unified Cybertronian army arrived on Earth and demanded the surrender of all active Autobots and Decepticons. After the initial encounter left several Autobots damaged, Optimus Prime brought most of his crew back to the Ark for repairs while Prowl organized a small detachment for reconnaissance purposes. Cliffjumper and Mirage were teamed together for the recon assignment, but were captured by Ultra Magnus and his contingent of soldiers. Mirage gave up without a fight, eager to return home to Cybertron, which led Cliffjumper to declare him a traitor to the Autobot cause (deja vu... rising...). Brothers' Burden
Still, they settled their differences once Mirage saved him from Dirge during the uprising on Cybertron. Revelation
Following the Autobot takeover of Cybertron, Cliffjumper was assigned to the shuttle Orion under Bumblebee's command, bringing supplies back to Jazz and his troops on Earth. Their routine mission was almost immediately interrupted by one of Shockwave's rogue creations, the super-clone known as Sunstorm who was engaging Autobot and Decepticon alike on Earth. Night of the Combaticons Cliffjumper worked loyally under Bumblebee's command during this endeavor, participating in Ratchet and Jetfire's plans to disable the solar-powered Decepticon, but missed out on the final battle because he was attending to the injured Omega Supreme. Atonement
Devil's Due G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers comics
Cliffjumper was part of an Autobot team led by Hot Rod, waiting for a chance to beat up Serpent O.R. and his Decepticon army. The Art of War issue 4 When that chance came, the team fought the Decepticons alongside G.I. Joe, eventually defeating them. The Art of War issue 5
IDW comics continuity
Cliffjumper was seen mourning Bumper and Fastback at the Security Services HQ in Kaon. Megatron Origin issue 3
An unspecified amount of time before the events of All Hail Megatron, Cliffjumper was with the other Autobots who were ambushed by the Decepticons. He was one of the bots to rally against the Decepticons and start to turn the tide—until Devastator turned up and slagged them all. All Hail Megatron issue 7 In the present, Cliffjumper was with the Autobots on Cybertron, watching over the critically wounded Optimus Prime. All Hail Megatron issue 1
Cliffjumper proved just how desperate he was for a good rumble when he spent hours staring at a screen on the off chance of an emergency, then got excited over a signal that lasted 1/100th of a second! Taking a ticked off Ironhide along for the ride, he found the suspected threat... which turned out to be Hot Rod. Neither Cliffjumper or Ironhide realized this before the big guy decked Roddy. All Hail Megatron issue 4 When fleeing from the Swarm, he helped hold them off while riding Hound, who was in his jeep mode. All Hail Megatron issue 8 When Mirage talked of giving up, Cliffjumper expressed his satisfaction at having weapons again. All Hail Megatron issue 9 Cliffjumper fought the raging swarm when they got over the other bridge (that had not been bombed by the late Sunstreaker), and was close to losing until the very timely intervention of Omega Supreme. He went with the other Autobots to Earth. All Hail Megatron issue 10 Then, on Earth, when the Autobots retreated from the Decepticon attack, he corrected a deluded Astrotrain by saying that they weren't running away, that they were making room—making room for Omega, who promptly slagged Devastator. All Hail Megatron issue 11 He survived the great battle. All Hail Megatron issue 12
At some unknown time after these events, he crash-landed on a peaceful planet after a successful assassination of several Decepticons. There he befriended a fleshling until the remaining Decepticons tracked him down. They killed the fleshling, a female called Kita, whom Cliffjumper seemed to have feelings for. He killed the entire unit of the Decepticon that had killed her, and nailed Kita's gravestone into the ground with his decapitated head. He then found a new family for her brother and left in the Decepticons' ship. Spotlight: Cliffjumper
Henkei! Henkei! pack-in comic
One day, the Minibot Attack Team (Cliffjumper, Brawn and Beachcomber) and the Minibot Spy Team (Warpath, Cosmos and Wheelie) found an offline Hot Rod buried underground. Cliffjumper suggested they report their discovery back to base, but before they had a chance to, Cosmos found Dinobot also laying unconscious in the area. Assuming his Predacon insignia to be a Decepticon one, the Minibots fought him until Hot Rod awoke and convinced the dinosaur to join the Autobots. Henkei! Henkei! volume 11
Toys
Generation 1
- Cliffjumper (Mini-Vehicle, 1984)
- Japanese ID number: 13
- Cliffjumper was part of the initial series of 1984 Autobots. His mold was originally used to make a Microchange "MC-04 #01 Porsche 924 Turbo", a cutesified, "Penny Racer"-style representation of the real car. In the original Japanese release, this figure was available in red, yellow, and blue. For the first series Transformers release, there were common instances of the yellow version of Cliffjumper and the red version of Bumblebee being sold at US retail. This led to some confusion about the two characters, especially if the toys were found without their packaging.
- Like the other first series Minibots, Cliffjumper was released in many different color schemes by the companies who licensed Transformers for South American countries.[3][4][5]
- A yellow version of the Microchange "MC-04 Mini CAR Robo 02 Familia 1500XG" mold was also available packaged on Cliffjumper cards. This toy was not regarded as a valid variant of Cliffjumper, but rather a separate character among fans, despite being packaged on Cliffjumper cards. See Bumper.
- Cliffjumper (Listen 'n Fun, 1985)
- A yellow version of Cliffjumper was packaged with an audio cassette featuring the story "Sun Raid" as part of Hasbro's multi-brand Listen 'n Fun subline. As the other known Listen 'n Fun releases—including Tripwire for G.I. Joe and "Ember" for My Little Pony—had intentional deco changes from their original releases, it is likely that Cliffjumper becoming yellow was intentional as well.
- Cliffjumper (Keychain Mini-Vehicle, 2001/2003/2007)
- Released in the US by Fun-4-All at the same time as a "keychain" Bumblebee, this was a slight retooling of the first Cliffjumper toy which added a loop to the back bumper for a keychain attachment. In 2003, Takara released all four of the keychain Minibots (Cliffjumper, Bumblebee, Windcharger, and Brawn) for the Japanese market in both their original decos and in exclusive all-black coloration. Early in 2007, Hasbro re-released the "keychain" Mini-Vehicles for the US under the "Heroes of Cybertron" sub-line, which popped up in stores like Wal-Mart as well as smaller chains like the original releases.
- Cliffjumper(McDonald's Happy Meal toy, 1984)
- One of the four toys given out during a 1984 McDonald's Happy Meal promotion, Cliffjumper came in four different colors: red, yellow, blue and green. The toy was a statue in robot mode, only given out for a short time in St. Louis as a test run.
Titanium
- Cliffjumper (Robot Master, 2006)
- Accessories: Gun, display stand
- Titanium Series Cliffjumper was to be a redeco of "Robot Masters" Bumblebee, a 3-inch mostly-die-cast-metal statue. He would have had joints at the waist, neck and shoulders, plus a removable pistol and an Autobot-sigil display stand. Due to the cancelation of the Titanium line, this product never saw release.
 Proceed on your way to oblivion. |
Classics
- Cliffjumper (Deluxe, 2006/2007)
- Accessories: "Wave Crusher" trailer
- Classics Cliffjumper is a red, silver, gray and black redeco of the Classics Bumblebee toy, transforming into a small sports coupe of made-up model and towing a small trailer with a non-removable jet-ski. This "Wave Crusher" trailer/jet-ski transforms into a flight-pack that clips onto Cliffjumper's back.
- This mold was also used to make Classics Bug Bite included in the BotCon exclusive "Games of Deception" figure set.
Henkei! Henkei!
- Minibot Attack Team (Multi-pack, 2009)
- Japanese ID number: C-18
- Henkei! Henkei! Cliffjumper is a redeco of Universe (2008) Legends class Bumblebee, transforming into a modern hatchback. He comes in a set with Brawn and the inappropriately-included Beachcomber.
Merchandise
Decoy
- Cliffjumper Decoy (1987)
- A tiny, unpainted, red rubber figurine of Cliffjumper was packed randomly among the other 51 Decoys in the packages of 1987 Transformers toys. It is notable for being the first Cliffjumper figure to be based on his character model.
Mini-Bust
- Cliffjumper Mini Bust (Diamond Select, 2008)
Released by Diamond Select Toys in 2008, Cliffjumper was sculpted by Mark Wong of Art Asylum and limited to 1,000 pieces. The sculpt features Cliffjumper holding the gun he was seen using in "More than Meets the Eye, Part 1". However, this version omits the stabilizing struts that were present in the episode. This bust is also notable for being the first new mold G1 Cliffjumper has received since his Decoy in 1987, a period of over twenty years!
Robot Heroes
- Decepticon Sneak Attack (Figure Multi-pack, 2007)
- Cliffjumper is a red, gray and black redeco of the Robot Heroes Bumblebee toy. He was only available in the Wal-Mart exclusive "Decepticon Sneak Attack" five-pack along with "Supermetal" versions of Optimus Prime and Megatron, a clear-plastic Mirage, and Skywarp.
Unreleased
- One of the earliest proposals in the Alternators/Binaltech line was for Bumblebee as a Volkswagen New Beetle, with Cliffjumper as the redeco. Unfortunately, VW had similar concerns as Porsche, what with not wanting to be associated with "war toys", therefore the design never made it past the control drawing stage. Control drawings for both Bumblebee and Cliffjumper have been published in the Japanese The Transformers: Binaltech & TF Collection Complete Guide book.
Trivia
- Cliffjumper's pre-production name Blow-Out was mentioned in a Marvel Age article announcing the Marvel comic series in 1984[5], and also appeared at one point in The Great Car Rally. The second instance is particularly peculiar considering he's referred to as Cliffjumper throughout the rest of the book.
- Cliffjumper is yellow like his toy variant in his only appearance in the Ladybird Books. Laserbeak's Fury
- Sideswipe once referred to Cliffjumper as CJ. Shattered Glass
References
- ↑ Coincidentally, this was also the name given to Springer
- ↑ Cliffjumper's Classics profile in the Transformers Collectors' Club magazine
- ↑ Brazilian Gold Carrera (Cliffjumper) at TF-1.com
- ↑ Brazilian Blue Carrera (Cliffjumper) at TF-1.com
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Article from Marvel Age #17.
