Axer (G1)
| This article is about the Action Master from Generation 1. For the guy who homages him from the 2010 Transformers toyline, see Axor. |
- Axer is a Decepticon from the Generation 1 continuity family who has also visited the Robots in Disguise universe.
A bounty hunter, Axer gained experience by stalking in the slag swamps of Cybertron for microchip smugglers. He custom-built his Turbo Cycle, a heavily-armed motorcycle that converts to a small battle station.
He is renowned across Cybertron for his intuitive prowess as a tracker and detective. He eschews equipment and devices, preferring instead to rely on knowledge and instinct. This personal involvement in his craft extends right to the end, when he gets to unleash his sadistic pleasures on his terrified victims. The joy he feels at the sight of helpless targets' faces when he blows them away is worth more to him than the money he gladly collects for doing so.
Axer has also traveled to a different dimension, where he doesn't ride a "turbo cycle," but rather he transforms into one instead. While this alternate mode doesn't look like its namesake, it does bear much of the same weaponry.[1]
Fiction
Robots in Disguise toy bio
Axer went through a black hole on a rescue mission, and he ended up joining Galvatron in order to monitor his "operation." Galvatron placed him under Scourge, whose leadership Axer resented.[1]
Dreamwave comics continuity
Before joining the Decepticon army, Axer was a "freelance peacekeeping agent" both on Cybertron and across the galaxy. But he was willing to take a pay cut to work for the Decepticons exclusively, since they gave him the freedom to indulge his murderous sadism without consequence. The Decepticon high command employed him not just as a bounty hunter but also as a full-on assassin.
Despite being classified as an Action Master, Axer was never known to lose his ability to transform. The Turbo Cycle made up not for a lack of an alt-mode, but for a particularly slow alt-mode. More Than Meets The Eye
IDW comics continuity
Four million years ago, Axer was a Decepticon agent who slightly modified his appearance to infiltrate the Autobots' ranks. It is unknown for how long he operated among them. After the Autobots successfully halted a major Decepticon energon convoy, however, Axer made his move. He attended a celebration in honor of the Autobot's victory and, as the majority of soldiers present relaxed and let their guard down, he pulled a hidden blaster from his side and made an assassination attempt on Optimus Prime. Only the keen battle instincts of Prime's bodyguard Ironhide kept the Autobot leader alive, as Ironhide threw himself in the path of Axer's blast. The Iron Age
In the modern era, Axer was a part of Banzai-Tron's Decepticon Secret Service team, serving aboard the flagship while they raided the Garrus-9 penitentiary for the Monstructor-Six gestalt team. Spotlight: Arcee Some time later, Banzai-Tron's own base was leveled by Nemesis Prime's Dead Universe minions, who were searching for Monstructor themselves, and Axer was one of the few survivors. Spotlight: Hardhead He later assisted the Autobot Arcee in fighting Monstructor after the gestalt had been turned into one of Nemesis Prime's Nega-Core guardians. Spotlight: Sideswipe
Three years later, Axer was one of the Decepticons left stranded on Earth after Megatron's top lieutenants fled the planet. He was captured by Bumblebee and the Autobots for Skywatch. The Hanging Sword
Toys
Generation 1
- Axer (Action Blaster Vehicle, 1990)
- A non-transforming robot action figure, Axer does have hints of an alternate mode to his design, possibly some form of off-road car. He came with the Off-Road Cycle, an off-road motorbike with sidecar that can transform into a gun emplacement. The sidecar has a flip-down panel so another Action Master figure can stand on it.
- Axer's figure mold was used to make Circuit.
Robots in Disguise
- Sideways vs Axer (Mega-level 2-pack, 2002)
- Part of a Wal-Mart exclusive 2-pack with Sideways, Robots in Disguise Axer is a redeco of the Generation 2 Laser Cycle Road Pig, transforming into a Harley-Davidson Electra Glide motorcycle. His tailpipe has an LED that lights it up, becoming an arm-mounted weapon in robot mode. This mold is slightly different from the original, using the new-mold handlebars that were made for the Laser Cycles' Japanese Microman release.
- This mold was also used to make Robot Masters Sideways. It was going to be used for Generation 2 Soundwave, but that release was canceled.
Notes
- Axer was the first Transformers character to cross over physically from one continuity family to another. His toy package-mate Sideways was technically also a dimension-hopper, but only retroactively.
- The Axer figure shown in the 1990 catalog has different coloring from the final version, but then again, so do most of the Action Masters shown there.
- Axer's vehicle has two names. In all forms of fiction (bios, comics) it's called a "Turbo Cycle," but in descriptions of the toy (packaging, instructions, catalog) it's called an "Off-Road Cycle." Note that Action Master Prowl's vehicle was also called a "Turbo Cycle."
