Rumble (G1)
| This article is about the Generation 1 Mini-Cassette. For the Universe Decepticon, see Rumble (Universe). |
- Rumble is a Decepticon in the Generation 1 continuity family.
The label "brat punk" isn't completely inaccurate. Rumble is your basic street punk. Small, but always acting tough as a cover. Not exactly the most subtle of Soundwave's spies, but what he lacks in discretion, he makes up for by being the brawler of the group. He talks tough because he is tough. Quick-tempered and of a generally mean disposition, he follows Megatron eagerly, as the Decepticon leader lets him indulge in destruction. Rumble has a tendency to toss out a taunting rhyme at his enemies and is, according to Brawn, a "jerk" (or at other times, a "sawed-off nerd").
As the Decepticon demolitions expert, Rumble loves nothing more than to break things apart. His arms can transform into powerful piledrivers that, when pounded against the ground, can cause earthquakes, usually with fissures. He can be easily overpowered in a one-on-one match, though the real challenge is actually getting to him first. Even if you do, you usually need to get through his brother Frenzy either before or after you get Rumble.
Italian name: Tremor
Hungarian name: Görgető (Trundler)
Fiction
Marvel Comics continuity
(Events in italics occur in UK-only stories.)
Rumble's achievements in the comic amounted to being unable to see humans because they were too small, and getting his chassis handed to him by Omega Supreme. It took him a very long time to get better.
Animated continuity
- Voice Actor: Frank Welker (English), Keiichi Nanba (Japanese -- See note below.)
Rumble was one of the original Decepticon raiding party that crashed into Earth four million years ago aboard the Ark. Reawakened in 1984, he was reformatted into an audio cassette that fit snugly into Soundwave's chest compartment. Despite his small size (he was usually shown to be about the height of a tall human), he seemed to be on equal footing with most other Decepticons. No doubt this was due to his seismic power, which was used quite often (including once by Megatron when he had borrowed Rumble's power chip rectifier). Even without the use of his seismic attacks, Rumble would often go head-to-head with full-sized Autobots, even having a (short-lived, at least) rivalry with the Autobot Hound. A common Decepticon tactic was to get Rumble to use his earth-shaking abilities to agitate hydroelectric power sources, as the Decepticons did at Sherman Dam and Great Falls.
Assisted by his diminutive stature, Rumble was also responsible for stealing some of the cars that would later become the Stunticons and for inspiring Megatron to name the group. The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1
Rumble was effectively doubled by his bodytype-brother Frenzy. Both had identical voices, personalities and abilities, though Rumble appeared alone more often than not.
Devil's Due G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers comics continuity
Rumble was one of the many Transformers recovered from the crashed Ark by Cobra. He was repaired and retrofitted by Doctor Mindbender, who proudly displayed him, Soundwave, and his fellow Mini-Cassettes to Destro. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #2 Rumble was released by Soundwave, along with Laserbeak, Frenzy, Ratbat, and Ravage, during an attack on the SPS Center. Rumble evaded the first wave of G.I. Joe defenders and used his piledrivers to damage the target building. Scaling the building, he menaced Flash and Sci-Fi until Bumblebee punched his lights out. His body was taken into custody by G.I. Joe. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #3
Toys
Generation 1
- Rumble
- Japanese ID number: 17, D-102
- Rumble was part of the first wave of Transformers toys released in 1984. Using the same mold as a Microchange Microcassette Robo Micross, he was packaged by Hasbro with Ravage in 1984-1986, by Takara with Soundwave from 1985-1986, and by himself in 1987. This mold was also used for Frenzy and Enemy.
Generation 2 (unreleased)
- "Rumble"
- Part of the canceled 4th wave of Go-Bots, Rumble would have been either a pizza delivery car or a race car with a pizza-oriented sponsor. Although he was never officially named in any known documents, his name is on the front bumper.
- This mold was redecoed into Robots in Disguise Side Swipe and Universe Silverstreak.
Alternators
- Rumble (Alternator, 2006)
- Alternator ID number: 24 (misprint, should be 25)
- For Alternators, Rumble transforms into a 1:24-scale licensed 2006 Honda Civic Si, with opening doors, hood, etc. Additionally, instead of traditional hands, Rumble features spring-loaded piledrivers that release from his arms. Accessories include two back-mounted weapons, one of which doubles as his engine in car mode and the other which fits into his trunk.
- Originally intended for normal retail release in the US, he and wave-mate Ravage got relegated to being Wal-Mart exclusives, released in late March of 2007. Both were available at normal retail in various European markets. He and Ravage are notable for being the first Decepticon Alternators to be entirely new molds, rather than an Autobot mold reworked to be someone else. They are also notable for being the final Alternators toys to be sold at retail.
- Rumble's seats are mis-assembled, keeping them from reclining completely in car mode. To fix this, unscrew each seat from the bottom of the car, swap them, and then rescrew.
Attacktix
- Rumble
Merchandise
Robot Heroes
- Arcee vs. Rumble
Trivia
- On the G1 TV series, Rumble was represented with the colors of Frenzy's toy—that is, dark and medium blue, rather than red and black (and vice-versa). This led to some confusion (and later, controversy) amongst fans. (See RIBFIR.)
- In later years, toys sporting the name "Rumble" required an additional "Decepticon" prefix for trademark reasons, hence making the official name "Decepticon Rumble".
