Rapido
From MediaWiki
- Rapido is an Autobot from the Generation 2 portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.
Rapido is a tactical genius. He believes a sharp mind is the most powerful weapon and proves it by masterminding horribly complex battle plans that come off flawlessly down to the last detail. Probably the most respected platoon commander the Autobots have, Rapido holds the highest rank possible in the Autobot Army; at one point he even out-ranked Optimus Prime!
Rapido's platoon is sometimes known as the Axelerators.
- Japanese name: Rapid Engine
- Italian name: Sirius
Fiction
Dreamwave comics continuity
Rapido, standing beside Aero Raid and Windbreaker, was among a crowd of unhappy Autobots who made Prowl look really stupid when the latter tried to make a speech. Skyfire
Timelines Wings of Honor continuity
Toys
Generation 1 & 2
- Rapido (Axelerator, 1993/1994)
- Accessories: Engine-block rifle
- Rapido transforms into a sports car of undetermined model. (It's possible he is an unproduced concept car.) His chrome-silver, rear-mounted engine block becomes his robot-mode blaster weapon.
- He was initially released in the European market in 1993, during the transitional time when the Transformers toys took on the new Generation 2 sigils, but the packaging lacked the "Generation 2" line-name. He was slightly recolored for American release the same year, with the transparent pink plastic of his windows and lightpipe being replaced with a smokey grey plastic that was much harder to see through. He was released again in the UK in 1994 in Generation 2 packaging, but the toy was identical to the original European-market release.
- Rapido's toy is primarily distinguished by his head being too recessed actually to see over his robot mode chest. It is also gang-molded with Turbofire.
Block Town
- Gasoline Station Set (Block Town, 1996)
- Rapido's mold was one of several intended to be used in the post-Generation 2 Takara Block Town line. To be redecoed in black with blue robot parts, he was to come with the "Gasoline Station Set", a building-block gas pump that could be rebuilt into a battle station of some form. This set ultimately never came to release.
Dammit!!!
- In 2005, a supposed Takara "release" schedule listed the Block Town sets among several other future items coming out. Only the Galaxy Force items on that list saw release, however (and some only as store exclusives to boot).
- Since very little information exists on the line's more fictional aspects (including the robot's name), it is unknown if this toy was to be the same general character Rapido, or a new character altogether.
 Proceed on your way to oblivion. |
Timelines
- Rapido and Cindersaur (Souvenir set, 2010)
- Accessories: Rifle
- Exclusive to BotCon 2010, Rapido is a new-head retool of the 2008 Universe series Silverstreak toy, transforming into a modified Nissan 350Z. He features twin non-removable and non-firing "rocket launchers" that can swing over his robot-mode shoulders. His fold-out rifle stores in the car mode's undersides. He was available only in an at-show souvenir set with Cindersaur, limited to 1500 pieces.
- This mold was also used to make Universe Prowl and Smokescreen, as well as fellow BotCon 2010 exclusive Timelines Streetwise.
Notes
- Rapido is a Spanish word meaning "rapid" or "fast".
- Regarding him outranking "everybody"... that's a slight exaggeration, but not by much. In the 1993 US line, only Rapido and Grimlock had a "10" Rank in their Tech Specs; the Optimus Prime toy released that year had a mere "9". Speedstream also had a 10, but as he was never released in the US, few fans knew about it back then and he got to miss out on the joke.
- Though Rapido was never released in Japan, he did gain a Japanese name via a BotCon Japan 1997 exclusive poster, which featured bios for all of the new Generation 2 characters released in the US who weren't part of the Japanese line: the Axelerators, the Skyscorchers, Rotor Force, four of the Go-Bots and the Color Changers.
