Red Alert (G1)
| The name or term "Red Alert" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Red Alert (disambiguation). |
- Red Alert is an Autobot in the Generation 1 continuity family.
Red Alert is paranoid, which is not a bad trait in a security officer if it's kept in check by reason, logic, and common sense. Red Alert is...not always so good with those other traits. The other Autobots appreciate his good intentions and eye for detail, but his ratio of false alarms to real emergencies is not always the greatest, and it makes them less likely to take him seriously when a threat is real. Inferno does his best to keep his good buddy Red out of trouble.
- French-Canadian name: Feu D'alerte
- Hungarian name: Riadó (meaning Alert)
- Italian name: Giaguaro, Alert (1987 on)
- Japanese name: Alert
Fiction
Marvel Comics continuity
Generation 1
Aside from a possible cameo on the cover of US #41, and his profile appearing in the Transformers Universe series, Red Alert didn't appear in the American Marvel series.
He did manage a small, disjointed run of appearances in the British comic, however, emerging out of nowhere in The Enemy Within! to thump the rampaging Brawn. He then disappeared for 180 issues, before appearing with Rodimus Prime's future Autobots in Time Wars. The character then showed up intermittently for the 'future' UK stories, but never really did much.
Generation 2
Grimlock planned a raid on Jhiaxus' ship Twilight against Optimus Prime's orders. Unfortunately, Jhiaxus was expecting this move and had Grimlock's troops surrounded. Against type, Red Alert attacked Jhiaxus anyhow, and was blown to pieces. Red Alert's death hinted to Grimlock that this may have been a bad idea.
Animated continuity
- Voice actor: Michael Chain (US), Yoku Shioya (Japan)
The Autobots were testing the powerful Negavator superweapon they had built in cooperation with the United States Military when the Decepticons attacked, intent on stealing the weapon. Optimus Prime ordered Red Alert and Inferno to stay inside and guard the bunker as the rest of the Autobots took the fight to the Decepticons. Inferno chafed to fight the Decepticons and Red on his own despite the latter's pleas for him to stay. During the battle, Decepticon attacks caused the bunker to catch fire and become damaged (much to Grapple's dismay), knocking Red Alert on the head and burying him under rubble. Realizing what happened, Inferno and the other Autobots returned to rescue Red. Unfortunately, the blow to his head damaged Red's logic circuits, making him more paranoid than usual, and caused him to flee the other Autobots in fear that they would take him apart and use him for spare parts. He also became thoroughly convinced that his pal Inferno was after his job and he so he escaped the Autobots. Red Alert's damage was such that if he was left untreated, his circuits would eventually explode, and so the Autobots immediately left to find him.
Meanwhile, Starscream (who had once again fallen out of favour with Megatron) used Red's paranoia to his own advantage by pretending to form a partnership with the Autobot, feeding to his paranoid state, encouraging him to steal the Negavator and use it to destroy both the Autobots and Decepticons. With Red Alert's knowledge, the pair infiltrate the bunker and steal the Negavator, just in time for Megatron to seize the weapon and for Starscream to reveal his true cowardly ways. Fortunately, Inferno saved Red Alert from himself and his Decepticon 'allies'. Auto Berserk
Transformers: The Headmasters
Red Alert did make one appearance in the first episode of the Japanese exclusive Headmasters series.
The character also featured in the Transformers 2010 title sequence, despite not appearing in any of the episodes themselves.
Dreamwave comics continuity
Red Alert's presence in the Dreamwave comics was a twisted one. When civil war broke out on the planet Cybertron between the Autobots and Decepticons, Red Alert joined the Autobot cause, acting as an advisor to Optimus Prime when he became the new Autobot leader.
In the comic arc "Prime Directive", Red Alert was shown as one of the Autobots peiced back together after Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp had a dandy of a time pulling the minibots apart. Shortly afterwards, in "War And Peace", he was shown retroactively as one of Cybertron's High Council, and had evidently worked there for some time, as evidenced in flashback images in the series.
Red Alert was one of the tutors training the Mini-Bots after Shockwave was defeated. He was last seen amongst those Autobots who worked on the construction of the new Autobot City.
Toys
Generation 1
- Red Alert (Autobot Car, 1985, 2001/2002/2003)
- Japanese ID number: 05
- Transforming into a Lamborghini Countach Fire Chief's car, Red Alert's toy is a redeco of the Diaclone "New Countach LP500S Police Car", which was a retool that added roof lights to the original Diaclone "New Countach LP500S", which was the mold used to make Sideswipe. Red Alert's alt mode is a perfect disguise, since many Fire Departments have Lamborghinis as auxiliary vehicles.
- Red Alert saw the first of many reissues in early 2001. As part of Takara's "Collector's Edition" series of reissues that saw several pairs of "mold-mates" released together in limited numbers, Alert and Lambor were available as "Set A" at World Character Convention 12[1] For 2002, Alert was again released with Lambor, this time as "New Year Special" editions available through Takara's e-Hobby online shop. Hasbro reissued Red by himself as part of Commemorative Series IV, available at US Toys "R" Us stores in 2003.
- Red Alert's mold was also used to make Clamp Down, who was an homage to the mold's original police deco. Sans roof lights, the Lamborghini mold was also used for Deep Cover, Tigertrack, and Generation 2 Sideswipe.
Smallest Transforming Transformers
- Alert (2004)
- Japanese ID number: GTF 10
- Once again a remold of a Sideswipe, Smallest Transformers Alert was part of the second wave of the line. Like all of the Smallest Transformers, Alert was a tiny, simplified version of his original appearance, with limited articulation and non-rolling wheels.
Binaltech Asterisk
- Alert Meets Ai (Autobot, 2005)
- Japanese ID number: BTA-01
- The first release in the Asterisk sub-line of Binaltech, Alert is a retool of the Binaltech Streak mold as a Subaru WRX STi Japanese Police vehicle, a scheme that many fans expected for a Binaltech/Alternators Prowl. Although not a Fire Department vehicle this time, the toy's robot mode did feature many red highlights, including a red head, but as the headsculpt was unchanged, he still looked like Streak. BTA Alert was packaged with the PVC human figurine Ai Kuruma, a poilcewoman based on Robots in Disguise T-AI.
- It should be noted that Alert's release had problems with parts-fitting in vehicle mode, possibly a sign that the Subaru WRX tooling was showing its age. The later release of this mold as Ricochet in the Alternators line, though, does not have these problems.
Trivia
- The original storyboards for The Transformers: The Movie depict a death scene for Red Alert which was not included in the finished film. Red meets his end as he is shot in the back by Skywarp after helping Ultra Magnus, Tracks and Sideswipe attack Devastator. Once again, a conspiracy tries to cover up his death.
- Voice actor Michael Chain has stated that he based his characterization of Red Alert on former U.S. President Richard Nixon, a man so incredibly paranoid that he kept secret audio recordings of himself.
- Red Alert appeared in one of five original Generation 1 public service announcements. After nearly mowing down a pair of kids on bikes, Red Alert scolded them and told them to never ride at night without reflectors. However, Red Alert was shown driving at night without his headlights on, so that probably didn't help.
- In the Dreamwave Generation 1 comics, when showing the panel through the eyes of many Cybertronians, Autobot and Decepticon alike, twisted text along the side of the shot, oftentimes reversed or flipped around, would read "The More Than Meets The Eye Transformer Red Alert". While other messages were often used, sometimes as Easter Eggs, this was the most popular.
- The Acura RSX Alternators Prowl toy was original supposed to be Red Alert, as backed up by a placeholder listing found at Hasbro's website and a Takara color guide for the toy that used a control drawing which sports a head sculpt based on G1 Red Alert (but colored as Prowl).[2] Eventually, however, it was decided to release the toy as Prowl instead.
Footnotes
References
External links
