Trailbreaker (G1)
Generation One (1984)
Trailbreaker is the name of a character from the Transformers fictional series. He is an Autobot who turns into a black Toyota 4WD Hilux, and is one of the first year Transformers toys, based on one of the Diaclone line of toys, where he was blue.
Tech Spec
Function: Defensive Strategist
Motto: "An Autobot is as good as the fuel in his tank."
Bio: Trailbreaker makes light of any situation, no matter how serious. Practical joker and cheerleader, but considers himself a liability to Autobots since he consumes the most fuel. Lacks self-esteem and often asks to be left behind. Projects nearly impenetrable invisible force-field. Can jam radio transmissions. Very slow. Often mopes about his handicaps, but his bravery and defensive prowess is unquestioned.
Dreamwave Comics
When civil war broke out between the Autobots and Decepticon factions, Trailbreaker joined the Autobot cause.
Trailbreaker was present under the command of Grimlock at the battle of Altihex where the Autobot Overhaul was killed and Decepticon Seekers Thundercracker and Skywarp destroyed a a transport full of neutral Cybertonians. Unable to save the city, the Autobot helped evacuate civilians (Transformers: The War Within #1).
When Decepticon Military Operations Commander Shockwave lead a force of Decepticons against the Autobot capitol of Iacon, Trailbreaker was among the Autobots who defended the capitol (Transformers: War Within #5-6).
When Decepticon leader Megatron and Autobot leader Optimus Prime disappeared in an accident with a space bridge, the Autobot and Decepticon forces splintered into smaller factions. Trailbreaker stayed with the Autobots under the leadership of Prowl.
When Prowl and his team of Autobots confronted Trypticon, Hound, Tracks, Trailbreaker and other Autobots showed up as reinforcements (Transformers: The War Within - The Dark Ages #4).
Trailbreaker was among the Autobots who followed Optimus Prime on his mission on board the Ark. They were attacked by Megatron's ship, the Nemesis. After being boarded the Ark crash landed on Earth, where all on board were preserved in emergency stasis.
In 1984 a volcanic eruption awakened the Ark's computer, Teletran-I, and it repaired all on board. It reformatted Trailbreaker in the form of an Earth truck (specifically, a Toyota Hi-Lux camper pickup).
Eventually the combined forces of the Autobots on Earth, and their human allies were able to capture the Decepticons. A ship called the Ark II was built to take the Cybertonians back to Cybertron, along with some human companions, but the ship exploded shortly after takeoff. The human allies were killed, but the Cybertonians were lost in the ocean, again in stasis lock.
After Spike Witwicky used a piece of the Matrix to revive Optimus Prime, Optimus traveled to the remote shoreline where he was recovered and used the Matrix to revive Jazz, Mirage, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Superion, Trailbreaker and Wheeljack (Transformers: Generation One #2).
Trailbreaker returned to Cybertron with Optimus Prime and most of the Autobots to face charges after Ultra Magnus informs them the war on Cybertron had ended.
Generation One Trailbreaker was among the Autobots who appeared in the Transformers: Universe comics, although he was not (technically) produced as a toy in that line.
The toy called Ironhide in Transformers: Universe was painted in the colors of Generation One's Trailbreaker as an homage. It is suspected that this toy (along with a version of Transformers: Robots in Disguise's Prowl 2 repainted in G1 Red Alert's colors) were intended to be a part of an earlier line of 8 Spychangers produced as homages to classic Generation One Autobots. Because those 8 carry the name of their homages, this toy would have been called Trailbreaker.
According to Habro they first considered the name Trailbreaker for the toy they eventually called Overhaul (Jackshot in Japan), which is why when Overhaul was reformatted into a lion/liger he was renamed Leobreaker.
