Windcharger (G1)
| This article is about the Generation 1 Autobot. For the Energon Mini-Con combiner robot, see Windcharger (Energon). |
- Windcharger is an Autobot from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Of all the Ark's crew that crash-landed on Earth, Windcharger is unquestionably the fastest on the ground, at least for short distances. Of all Autobots living or deactivated, he is among the quickest; he can go from zero to 60 MPH virtually instantly, limited only by the traction between his tires and their driving surface. Frequently, after tearing away with a neck-snapping jerk, he will just as rapidly squeal to a halt to investigate something that caught his eye, for Windcharger is impulsive as well as impatient, both in mind and in body.
Naturally, such quick starts require a huge burst of energy from Windcharger's power systems. He can also use this energy in another way. In robot mode, he can energize his arms and make them the poles of a precisely controllable electromagnet, powerful enough to levitate ten tons of steel 700 feet away. With care, he can draw objects gently toward him or hurl them violently away. Also, as the long-suffering laws of physics dictate, this field is extremely strong near Windcharger; at close range, he can tear magnetic objects to shreds.
Unfortunately for Windcharger, his power supply, biased as it is toward a brief, heavy overload, is prone to failure if the overload is too severe or too long-lasting. Even worse, his impulsive nature makes him hardly willing to exercise the mental control he needs to avoid overusing his power. As a result, Windcharger often finds himself stumbling home, reeking of ozone and burned insulation, and needing medical attention and a nice, tall, chilled glass of dielectric oil.
- Preliminary name: Sprint
- South American name: Camaro
- Japanese name: Charger
- Portuguese name (Brazil comics): Giro
- Italian name: Lampo
- French-Canadian name: Rapido
- Hungarian name: Széllovas ("Wind-rider")
- Portuguese name (Portugal): Ventania / Vendaval
Fiction
Marvel Comics continuity
Windcharger was among the elite few selected by Optimus Prime to join him in crashing the Ark into the Earth. The Transformers
During a Decepticon attack on the Ark, Optimus Prime attempted to activate the Ark’s computer, known as Auntie, to bring the defense systems back online. Unfortunately, Auntie had been damaged in the crash and become unstable. Unable to remember who was friend or foe, she used a magnetic field to subdue all the combatants aside from Windcharger and Ravage, whose magnetic powers enabled them to counter Auntie’s magnetic force. With Ravage's help, Windcharger was able to deactivate Auntie's Guardian battle droid. Once Ravage shut down Auntie, Windcharger used his powers to hurl Megatron from the Autobot base. Raiders of the Last Ark
Guardian was reactivated to guard the Ark, full of deactivated Autobots in need of repair. When the few active Autobots returned, they made Windcharger's reactivation a priority so that he could use his magnetic powers to thwart Guardian. Ultimately, however, Windcharger did not get the chance. The Wrath of Grimlock!
When the Autobots were dispatched to locate the missing Dinobots, all suffering from madness due to circuit damage, Windcharger was assigned to lead "A-Team", which included Cliffjumper and Gears. The three searched for Sludge in a northern California swamp, but were captured in a Decepticon ambush led by Soundwave. They were later rescued thanks to Bumblebee. Dinobot Hunt!
Cartoon continuity
- Voice actor: John Stephenson (English), Keiichi Nanba (Japanese)
Windcharger was part of the initial crew of the Ark, on a mission to seek out new energy sources to fuel their struggle with the Decepticons. More than Meets the Eye, Part 1 After awakening on Earth over four million years later, Windcharger participated in the unsuccessful Autobot counter-attack on the Decepticon siege of Sherman Dam, which was being run at dangerous capacities to fill the Decepticons' energon cubes. More than Meets the Eye, Part 2
He was also among the group of Autobots who attempted to stop the Decepticons raiding the Ruby Crystal Mines of Burma]]. He dressed up in a lab coat during an attempt to trick the Decepticons into attacking a fake rocket base, though it turned out the Decepticons they were fighting were decoys, and he and the other Autobots were forced to try and stop the Decepticons from taking off in their space cruiser. More than Meets the Eye, Part 3
When Optimus Prime was severely damaged, Windcharger, Brawn and Gears went to see how the repairs were going, unaware that Laserbeak had hitched a ride on Brawn's shoulder. He later helped defend headquarters long enough for a new cosmotron to be retrieved from Cybertron, so Prime could be repaired. Divide and Conquer Windcharger attended the unveiling of the Dinobots, and was knocked over by Sludge during the ensuing chaos. S.O.S. Dinobots
Of all the other Autobots, he seemed to be closest to Brawn, judging from their excellent teamwork and friendly banter while journeying with Skyfire to investigate a Decepticon super-weapon in Peru. When Windcharger was injured during the battle later in that mission, Brawn was quick to swear vengeance for the small 'bot. Fire on the Mountain
When Sparkplug Witwicky was kidnapped by the Decepticons, Windcharger was in the group which tunneled beneath the Decepticon base, using his magnetic field to detect when they'd reached their destination and carrying Sparkplug from the base. Along with the other Autobots, he was unsuccessful in preventing Megatron from bringing Cybertron into Earth's orbit. The Ultimate Doom, Part 1 After Bumblebee fell into a chasm during the Autobot retreat, Windcharger used his tractor beam to pull the little Autobot out. The eruption of the volcano at Autobot HQ blew Windcharger, Ratchet and Huffer into the air, necessitating a rescue by Skyfire. The Ultimate Doom, Part 2
After Insecticons were sighted in Bali, Windcharger, Brawn and Bumblebee headed there in Skyfire. They found the Insecticons feeding on a field of hay, but had trouble fighting them off. Windcharger had to set up a repulsor field to stop them from being cut to bits by the spikes from Shrapnel's grenade. The rest of the Autobots turned up in time to save their bacon, and they pursued the Decepticons to a nearby refinery. A Plague of Insecticons
Windcharger was in the group of Autobots who attempted to defend a new Air Force rocket base from the Decepticons. He and Ratchet were taken out by an attack from behind by Soundwave, who was promptly given the boot by Brawn. Windcharger was OK though, and later helped the other Autobots try to reason with Spike Witwicky when the boy was placed in a robot body and went a little nuts. Autobot Spike He was hanging around Autobot HQ when Teletraan I detected strange readings from the bottom of the Atlantic, but didn't bother volunteering to go check it out. Atlantis, Arise! At one point, he helped the other Autobots construct detection plates to increase Headquarter's security grid. Enter the Nightbird
Much like the other Autobots, Windcharger was bemused by Optimus Prime's odd behavior after one particular battle, and even more confused when a second Optimus drove into Headquarters. Their test to determine the real Prime proved inconclusive, however the Autobots were alerted by strange energy readings from the crevasse the earlier battle had taken place at. Returning to the scene, they battled the Decepticons again, however Windcharger and Spike spotted Starscream acting oddly, and found Megatron's control center, from which he was controlling the false Prime.
Before they could return to warn the other Autobots, the pair were spotted, and Windcharger was knocked into the crevasse, where he only escaped destruction by transforming — his vehicle mode tires insulated him from the korlonium crystals filling the crevasse. He was able to climb out and warn the other Autobots. A Prime Problem
Windcharger was around when Wheeljack attempted to demonstrate how he'd taught the Dinobots to better control their abilities. It didn't go well. Dinobot Island, Part 1 When Megatron supercharged himself with the Heart of Cybertron, Windcharger helped defend Headquarters against the Decepticon leader. Microbots All of the Autobots were banished from Earth after the Decepticons framed them with an elaborate plan. Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1 They almost crashed into the sun, but made it back to Earth safely. Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2
After a close call with Cybertonium depletion, Windcharger was around for a ceremony honoring Spike, Carly and the Dinobots for retrieving more of the valuable substance from Cybertron. Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2 He, Huffer and Ironhide blasted Decepticon drones in New York City. Make Tracks After Tracks and Bumblebee disappeared, Windcharger took part in the search. As the other Autobots were picked off by Lord Chumley and his servant Dinsmoore, Windcharger narrowly escaped one of their fiendish traps. He regrouped at HQ with the other Autobots in time for Chumley to deliver his challenge to Optimus. Prime Target
Windcharger was among the five Autobots who disguised themselves as Stunticons in order to halt one of Megatron's evil schemes; he camouflaged himself as Wildrider. When the group was forced to become a fake Menasor, Windcharger's magnetic powers were essential to pull the Autobots together for the illusion. Masquerade
Windcharger was among the Autobots killed at the Battle of Autobot City; Arcee pulled his corpse into the shelter of a bunker and laid it alongside that of Wheeljack. The Transformers: The Movie
Find Your Fate Junior
When Bombshell uses a cerebro-shell to control the Dinobots and send them on a violent rampage, it is up to Windcharger to use his magnetic powers to remove the shells from a distance. But how far away should he stand? If he stands too close, he may rip the Dinobots to shreds! If he stands too far away, his powers may have no effect and everyone will die. Choose, little boy, choose. Dinobots Strike Back
Dreamwave comics continuity
Windcharger was among the crew of the Ark when it crashed on Earth, and awoke in 1984 to battle the Decepticons. When the Autobots defeated the Decepticons and planned to return to Cybertron aboard the Ark II, Windcharger was one of many Transformers recovered by Lazarus after the starship exploded over the Arctic. In 2002, the Decepticons broke free of Lazarus' control before the Autobots, and tore through their captive enemies. Optimus Prime and a free group of Autobots did some spot-welding to repair as many comrades as they could in a hurry, but Windcharger was too badly damaged and remained off-line until after the resulting battle in San Francisco was over. Prime Directive
When Optimus Prime and Megatron joined forces against the U.S. military, Windcharger was on hand with the Autobots in confronting the President's forces. He was one of the first to fall before the assault of the deconstructionites. Fusion
When Shockwave arrived from Cybertron, proclaiming a new era of peace, Optimus Prime and a number of other Autobots were forced to surrender to his fantastically violent security force. Windcharger was left behind on Earth as part of a small unit led by Jazz. Brothers' Burden When a group of Decepticons returned to Earth under Starscream's command, Windcharger was deactivated battling the brutal Bruticus, and left to rust at the bottom of a lake. Night of the Combaticons He was eventually brought back on line with the help of Earth Defense Command. Lost and Found
IDW comics continuity
After Bumper and Fastback were killed in the line of duty, Windcharger attended their funeral along with the other Autobots working in Kaon Security Services with Sentinel Prime. Megatron Origin issue 3
Binaltech continuity (unused)
Honda S-2000 was planned to be the new body of Windcharger, but Unicron took it away for someone else.
Or not.
Toys
Generation 1
- Windcharger (Mini Vehicle, 1984/2003)
- Japanese ID number: 12
- Released in the first year of Transformers in the same color as its Microchange version, and later on in a darker shade of red (coinciding with the addition of the rub mark to the line in 1985), Windcharger transforms into a Pontiac Firebird Trans Am sports car. The Microchange toyline was meant to depict robots that turn into toy cars, which attests to the somewhat cartoonish proportions of Windcharger's Trans Am mode.
- In 2003, toy company Fun4All made four different keychains, based on four of the original Generation 1 Mini Vehicle molds, Windcharger among them. This version is almost identical to the original, only it has a ring on the front bumper to attach the chain portion (and no face paint). In Japan, all four keychains were released in blind-packed boxes and were also made as all-black "chase" versions.
- This mold was also used to make Camaro, and was retooled to make Tailgate. The keychain version of the toy was redecoed into the BotCon Europe exclusive Rook.
Alternators
- Windcharger (Alternator, 2004)
- Alternator ID number: 10
- Accessories: Engine-shield
- Originally designed to be an updated version of the Omnibot Overdrive, it ended up having its name changed to Windcharger by Hasbro after they were unable to obtain the trademark for Overdrive. (The toy was released as Overdrive as part of the Japanese Binaltech line, however.) He transforms into a 1:24-scale licensed Honda S2000 sports car with a removable "ragtop" roof.
- Aside from the lack of die-cast metal, the major difference between Windcharger and Overdrive is that Windcharger lacks the long drive-shaft/barrel for his engine/rifle accessory, which was even called a "shield" on the packaging. This was at the request of Honda's USA branch, who didn't like the idea of "their" toy toting a gun around. Since Honda's Japanese department had no such objections, however, Binaltech Overdrive did include an unchanged barrel. Other minor differences include slightly different visors, the paint applications on the front grille, and Overdrive being right-hand drive for Japan, while Windcharger is left-hand drive for the US.
- This mold was retooled into Decepticharge, which was planned to be released in Japan as Blackarachnia but ultimately scrapped. It was, however, later released as Arcee.
Trivia
- Poor ol' Windcharger is the only Autobot who doesn't get a name-check or a chance to use his special powers at any point during the show's three-part pilot, "More than Meets the Eye". In fact, he doesn't even get to speak until "Divide and Conquer". All he gets to do is get beat up by Reflector.
- Windcharger makes a post-mortem appearance in the third season episode "Call of the Primitives" as the energy creature Tornedron attacks Cybertron. Whether this appearance was accidental or if he "got better" (like Wheeljack) is unknown.
- The retool of Alternators Grimlock was originally planned to be Windcharger (presumably in red), with the vehicle mode being a convertible. Ultimately, however, the toy ended up as Wheeljack instead, with a new head sculpt. The head sculpt originally intended for Ford-Windcharger eventually ended up being used for the retool of the actual "Windcharger" toy (the Honda S2000 mold) instead, now named "Decepticharge".
