Thundercracker (Armada)
| The name or term "Thundercracker" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Thundercracker (disambiguation). |
- Thundercracker is a Decepticon from the Armada and Cybertron portions of the Unicron Trilogy continuity family.
Thundercracker suffered from low self-esteem and longed for approval from authority figures to validate his existence. He was willing to work as hard as necessary to gain attention and praise from Megatron, but when all his efforts were ignored or taken for granted, he grew frustrated. Thundercracker felt the need to engage in ever more risky and reckless behavior in an attempt to gain Megatron's notice. Many predicted this would lead to his destruction.
When next we see Thundercracker it is over ten years later, loyally serving under Starscream during the search for the Cyber Planet Keys. In the intervening years he became something of a jokester and goofball. This has often gained him the attention that he craves. Though frequently, especially when Megatron is the brunt of the joke, it is far from positive attention. Thundercracker doesn't seem mature enough to tell the difference, but he does know when to get the smelt out of Decepticon HQ before Megatron looks for someone to pummel.
Fiction
Cartoon continuity
Armada
When both the Autobots and Decepticons encountered the powerful Nemesis Prime on a strange world, they were thoroughly thrashed by the evil Optimus Prime look-a-like. The Mini-Cons accompanying the Autobots joined together to repair the Transformers and give them extra power. When Starscream gained his new coloration, he stated with distaste that he looked just like Thundercracker. Puppet
Cybertron
- Voice actor: Mark Oliver (English) Kazunari Tanaka (Japanese)
Thundercracker was next seen ten years after the end of the Energon War. Issued with orders from Megatron to look for and attack whatever Autobots he could find, Thundercracker opened a warp gate to Earth. Before emerging, he scanned a nearby Sukhoi Su-35 jet for disguise. He apparently liked it, saying, "Now this is a shape that can do some damage!"
Thundercracker soon spotted Landmine walking through a Colorado forest with three human children. He attempted to blitz the group with missiles, only to miss completely. He then found himself tangling with an airborne Optimus Prime, whose Super Mode proved impervious to missile fire. When Prime detonated Thundercracker's next missile volley in the Decepticon's own face, 'Cracker beat a hasty retreat via warp gate. Fallen
Later, Jetfire caught Thundercracker harassing two human-piloted fighter planes. Jetfire took several hits Thundercracker's missiles to keep the planes safe long enough for Vector Prime to teleport them to safety, robbing the Decepticon of his fun. Thundercracker got some digs in by easily dodging fire from Jetfire's robot mode, but was stopped in shock as Jetfire summoned his Cyber Key for the first time. He was promptly blasted by the Autobot's newly activated shoulder guns.
The next time Thundercracker clashed with the Autobots was outside a museum where they were investigating a lead on the Omega Lock. Thundercracker revealed that he was now able to summon a Cyber Key, resulting in stronger shots. Starscream called for his own Cyber Key, and the battle was going in the Decepticons' favor until Landmine arrived. After a false start, Landmine knocked Starscream down, and then activated his Cyber Key, creating a gust of wind that not only knocked Thundercracker backwards but crashed one of his own missiles into him. Poor Thundercracker. Landmine
Back outside the boundaries of the Unicron Singularity, Thundercracker and the few remaining Decepticons still loyal to Galvatron were given a boost of Omega Lock power, super-sizing them so they could take on the massed armies that had gathered from all of the colony worlds to oppose them. Thundercracker took on Optimus Prime himself to give Galvatron time to achieve his goal. However, Thundercracker was then gang-attacked by Leobreaker, Hot Shot, Jetfire, and Landmine, giving Prime the opportunity to chase Galvatron into the black hole.
Thundercracker continued to fight and very nearly came directly into the path of the singularity-collapsing cannon-blast from the massive Ark starship.
After the defeat of Galvatron and the closing of the Unicron Singularity, Thundercracker realized that Galvatron was going to let him die in the cataclysm that his plan would have caused, so he ran off along with the other now-de-powered Decepticons. When the rocket boosters that were built on the Jungle Planet to push the world back to its normal place in the cosmos began to fail, the four Decepticons arrived, cackling...and helped with the efforts to keep the thrusters upright and functional, deciding to try being on the winning team for once.
Thundercracker then spent most of his time on Earth under the supervision of Mudflap, helping rebuild cities damaged by the Singularity's effects. When the Autobots were ready to begin their Space Bridge initiative, Thundercracker went to see off his new "best friend", Optimus Prime. Unfortunately, he ran across his former Decepticon allies, who were sick of trying to fit in and so had built a ramshackle rocket and taken off to form the New Decepticon Army. The trio shanghaied Thundercracker, who really didn't want to join them, and took off for parts unknown.
They made it as far as Mars before the rocket crashed. Poor Thundercracker wound up with his head buried in the ground, although presumably he wasn't stranded.Beginning
Toys
Armada
- Thundercracker with Zapmaster (Max-Con, 2003)
- Accessories: Wing-sword, 2 "blast" missiles
- Thundercracker is a redeco of Armada Starscream, transforming into a Cybertronic fighter jet. In both modes, pressing down on his cockpit canopy activates electronic sound effects; in jet mode, it also deploys his Mini-Con partner Zapmaster if he is stored under the cockpit. Plugging a Mini-Con onto his rearmost Powerlinx plug releases two spring-activated over-shoulder spring-loaded missile launchers, as well as more electronic sound effects. His left wing detaches and unfolds to form a large sword for use in robot mode. He is something of a rarity in the Armada line, in that he is a redeco that is a new, separate character rather than a "Powerlinx" upgrade of an existing character.
- In Japan, Thundercracker's toy is simply a "powered up" version of Starscream.
- Thundercracker (Built to Rule, 2003)
- For the Built to Rule line, Thundercracker was once again a redeco, a new-color version of the Starscream set. He can be assembled into a Cybertronic fighter jet or a robot, or to whatever else you feel like making out of the blocks provided (or any blocks you feel like adding). He came with a building-brick version of Zapmaster. The set features two missile launchers that use a unique "twist-block" pressure-launch mechanism. He was one of the last of the Transformers Built To Rule toys released at wide retail.
Cybertron
- Thundercracker (Deluxe, 2005)
- Japanese ID number: GD-02
- Accessories: Missile, Earth Cyber Key
- Part of the first wave of the Cybertron series, Thundercracker transforms into a Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jet. Inserting a Cyber Planet Key into his rear fuselage pops up the back panel, revealing a spring-loaded missile launcher. This assembly becomes his left forearm in robot mode, despite being almost as long as he is tall. He came with a silver-bordered Earth-style Cyber Planet Key; the Hasbro release has the Key Code "d98d" tampographed on the back of it.
- The Takara Galaxy Force release of the toy is slightly different from the later Hasbro Cybertron release, mainly the Hasbro version added a Decepticon insignia to the missile-launcher cover.
- This mold was also used to make Cybertron Skywarp and live-action movie continuity Divebomb.
- Thundercracker's instructions show him with his wings sitting somewhat high and his left arm relying on the stiffness of its swivel to stay up. On the Hasbro version of the mold, a defect makes this swivel loose, and as a result his heavy left arm tends to fall down. This was finally remedied with the addition of a pin for Divebomb. However, a closer look at Thundercracker reveals his instructions screwed up. His wing assembly is supposed to sit lower on his body, and the left arm is supposed swivel in farther, locking in place between the chest and the wings.
- Ground To Air Blast Pack: Crosswise vs Thundercracker (Multi-pack, 2006)
- In 2006, Target got multiple exclusive toys and reduced-price multi-packs, among them a set with unaltered versions of Thundercracker and Crosswise for about 75% of the cost of two Deluxes normally.
- Thundercracker with Downshift (Tiny Tins multi-pack, 2006)
- Part of a run of Wal-Mart exclusive sets, Thundercracker was also sold in a larger box that came with a special redeco of the Race Mini-Con Team member Downshift, plus a special Tiny Tins carrying tin for the Mini-Con.
- Thundercracker (Legends of Cybertron, 2006)
- A smaller, simplified version of the deluxe toy was released in the fourth wave of the Legends of Cybertron line. Unlike the large toy, this version has two robot-mode fists, and the blaster-weapon is now an arm-mounted double-barreled weapon.
- This mold was used to make Classics Jetfire, and the 2008 Universe Legends-class Starscream and Silverbolt.
Universe
- Excellion vs. Thundercracker (Multipack, 2007)
- During Christmastime 2007, Wal-Mart got several exclusive double-packs of Cybertron Deluxes sold under the Universe banner. For this series, Thundercracker came packaged with Excellion.
Notes
- According to Joe Kyde, the reason for Armada Thundercracker's red face was because the gray plastic used to make the eyes is unpaintable plastic, so he changed the original plan from gray face and red eyes to red face and gray eyes.
- In Cybertron, Thundercracker, like Waspinator before him and Tutor Bot after him, is regularly injured for comedic purposes. Something in which Ransack and Crumplezone later join him.
- One of Thundercracker's lines in the episode "Inferno", as well as several other episodes, is "git 'r' done". Seriously.
- Between his "Rain of Ultimate DEEE-struction" in Darkness and his "Super 'Lectric Lightnin' Thundercrackin' Punch" in Ambush, Thundercracker seems particularly fond of making up ridiculously dramatic attack names. Strangely enough, the attacks themselves proved to be effective, but whether this says more about Thundercracker or his target (Jetfire, both cases) is hard to say.
- In the last episode of Cybertron, Thundercracker showed no signs of hard feelings towards the Autobots, and was even shown working hard on the Space Bridge for them. Even later when he is shanghaied by his former allies, he is shown wearing a rather badly drawn Autobot symbol on his chest. This stands in some contrast to his Generation 1 namesake, who hated anything that couldn't fly but felt doubts when innocent human lives were in danger.
- Of all the Decepticons in the Cybertron cartoon, Thundercracker is the only one who stayed loyal to Megatron/Galvatron from start to finish (well, at least till Galvatron betrayed him).
