Payload (Movie)

The name or term "Payload" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Payload (disambiguation).

Payload is a Decepticon and a type of mass-produced drone from the 2007 movie franchise in the live-action film continuity family.

SWAT? Maybe more like SMITE.

Transforming into an exceptionally fast and powerful armored truck, Payload is the one the Decepticons rely on to procure the money and energy they need to function on Earth. Whatever they need, wherever they need it, in their quest for the All Spark it's Payload's job to get it to them, even if he has to smash right through Autobot lines to do it. Many of his allies would find his job boring and tedious compared to open fighting. But Payload not only understands how crucial his role is, but thoroughly enjoys it since it earns him praise for being a reliable soldier.

Both the Autobot and Decepticon armies make use of Class Beta drone units, which are heavily-armored, brutal melee fighters.

Fiction

IDW Transformers movie comics

Payload was one of the Decepticons who took part in the Battle of Tyger Pax on Cybertron. He was also with Swindle during the interrogation of the surviving Autobot defenders. Movie Prequel #1

"Keg coming through!"

Payload himself was back on Cybertron, under the command of Dreadwing. When Starscream returned with the knowledge to build a new All Spark, Class Beta drones were among those assigned to guard the Autobot slaves who were being forced to build the new Cube. They brutally punished Warpath when he saw to the exhausted Grindcore. Later, after the new All Spark was completed, Payload arrived leading a team of drones carrying the massive generators required to drain the life force out of the Autobot prisoners and put it into the Cube. He dissed Dreadwing's drone army for not being much help to them. The Reign of Starscream #4

Unfortunately for Starscream, the Cube didn't work, and Dreadwing's forces betrayed him. During the battle between Starscream's loyalists, Arcee's Autobots and Dreadwing's traitors, Payload grappled with Stockade, who eventually got the better of him. His fate is unknown. The Reign of Starscream #5

Titan Magazines Transformers movie comics

The following events occur in a splinter timeline where Megatron won the battle of Mission City.

"We'll just stand here... you know, just if you need us..."

Payload units are used in the occupation of Earth. They have no personality or higher consciousness, their dialogue being things like "Classification: Autobot. Identifying...". Ironhide smashes them real good. Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 2

A team of snazzy red Payloads were used to guard the Savannah All Spark facility. Bonecrusher had them stand down so he could beat up the Autobots himself Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 3 and they got so bored they painted themselves blue again between issues. When they were allowed to battle, they almost overwhelmed the Autobot rebels but eventually failed to kill them or save the facility. Also, Bonecrusher smashed them real good simply cos they were in the way. Not the best boss on Earth... Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 5

Move bitch, get out the way
Get out the way...

An army of Payloads made an assault on oil pipelines in Alaska as part of a major campaign. Dark Spark

An even bigger army of them stood around going "GRRRR" as part of a Decepticon group shot when the Decepticon Heartland prepared for war. Revolution Part 1 And an even bigger army than that served as the bulk of the invasion force when Starscream announced the re-conquest of the USA.

Unfortunately for Starscream, the Payloads under Hardtop were intercepted by Stockade and his crew, and Fracture reprogrammed the entire platoon to work for them. They became the first defected drones in a Decepticon Civil War, including some with different colouring schemes, Revolution Part 2 and soon all of them were under Stockade's command, since every one that wasn't had been slagged.

Following the sudden Autobot strike that saw every Decepticon exiled from Earth, the Payloads remained. The Autobots have now got the task of decommissioning all of these drones. Revolution Part 3

The Veiled Threat

The events of The Veiled Threat take place during IDW Publishing's Alliance comic.

Payload came to Earth in response to Starscream's signal, sent out after Megatron's death. When Starscream recruited the Human Accessory Force, he joined in a battle to capture a dam construction site in Zambia. He was skeptical of Starscream's claim that Megatron was truly dead, but accepted Macerator's word that the recordings of the event clearly showed Megatron being killed. Once the Autobots had come to investigate the Decepticon activity, Payload, Macerator and Dropkick lured them into the Zambezi River to fight. Though Payload managed to keep Ironhide distracted as they neared Victoria Falls, two humans, Kaminari Ishihara and Petr Andronov interfered with the fight using strange hi-tech guns, and Payload was forced to retreat.

The three Decepticons proceeded to Kariba Dam, where Payload descended into the gorge and started blasting away at the bottom of the dam, with the intention of rupturing it. When the Autobots caught up with them, Ratchet started attempting to repair the dam, and Payload began firing at him instead. He inflicted heavy damage on Ratchet, however the humans released the floodgates on the dam. Unable to withstand the raging torrent, Payload was swept away. Optimus later spoke of tracking down and terminating the Decepticon, but it's unclear if this was done. The Veiled Threat

Transformers (2010) packaging bio

You can't tell from the picture, but he's having a giggle fit right now.

When the Decepticons need something delivered, they can turn to the Constructicon Warrior Payload. His heavily armored and powerful body allows him to simply smash obstacles. Ratchet is the latest Autobot to get in his way, and Payload is amused that Ratchet thinks he can stop him.

Toys

Transformers (2007)

MORE LIKE PEGLOAD AMIRITE?

• Payload (Deluxe, 2007)
  • Japanese ID number: MD-17

Payload transforms into a Bulldog II Armored Truck model based on the Decepticon-drone coloration and face type. In robot mode, his midsection has a large push-out grabber-claw that extends waaaaaaaaaaaaay far out. Of course, when the claw-shaft stores in robot mode, it sticks equally far out of his back.

Several pieces on Payload tend to pop off easily: his brush guard, midriff-plate/claw-center, and even his upper shoulder/head assembly. The mold was later retooled to include larger pegs for the shoulder/head assembly and an added tab on the brushguard, to connect to the new slot in the claw plunger. While this was intended to give the pieces a better fit, it actually puts more pressure on the parts and causes them to pop off even more easily. The chest piece, however, fits fairly well on either version but is still easy to remove.

Payload had a tendency to sit on shelves for weeks, with some examples of end displays filled completely with Payload figures. This has led to some fans affectionately renaming him as Pegload.

• More information on Payload at TFU.info

Transformers (2010)

Legends Class toys

• Payload (EZ Collection, 2010)

Autobot Alliance Payload is a redeco of the non-combining Legends class Long Haul released in Hasbro's 2010 Transformers toyline, transforming into a yellow dump truck.

Voyager class toys

File:TF2010Payload toy.jpg

An army builder's dream.

• Payload (Voyager Class, 2010)

A redeco of the Revenge of the Fallen Voyager-class Long Haul, Payload transforms from a genericized "earth mover" dump truck with a functional truck bed into a bulky robot mode. In robot mode, he has three "Mech Alive" gimmicks: Turning his head also turns a cog in his chest, bending his elbows moves some pistons, and finally, moving his feet also moves the "springs" connected to them inwards. Only the piston gimmick is advertised on the packaging. Meanwhile, each forearm houses a spring-loaded, flip-out axe. Furthermore, Payload has a mild variant, where the purple paint on his head and chest can be very dark and flat or extremely deep and shiny. The latter version seems to be the harder to find, although exact quantities of each are unknown.

• More information on Payload at TFU.info

Merchandise

3D Battle-Card Game

• Payload (3D Battle Card, 2007)
  • Card number:

In the 3D Battle-Card Game, the Payload is on the Decepticon side. Pieces punched out from two different cards can be assembled to form a SWAT truck or a robot, while a third double-sided card gives its stats and attacks for each mode. He uses the same piece layout as Ratchet, though his lens-head peeking up over the back end of his vehicle mode looks less doofy than Ratchet's does. This layout was later also used for Trailbreaker. Payload's card art was done by Lucio Parrillo.

Notes

• Artist Ken Christiansen designed Payload (and the subsequent Class Beta drone units), along with the other new characters in the Transformers - The Game and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - The Game video games. The security company logos on his design and the toy, "Armored Security Systems", spells out "ASS". Christiansen says this was not intentional.
• Payload's altmode as an Decepticon anti-aircraft tank in The Veiled Threat gives him a form similar to that of the unreleased Gunbarrel toy, who appeared unnamed in the Transformers: Alliance comic at the same time. Whether they were meant to be the same character is unknown.
• 2010 Payload's packaging bio describes him as an armored transport vehicle and has the same Tech Spec numbers as 2007 Payload. Sneaky Hasbro, making them the same guy!

• Hasbro has stated in the March 2010 Q&A session that 2010 Payload is one of the Constructicon Warriors appearing in the Revenge of the Fallen video games. Guess he moonlights as an armored truck.
• The stock photography for both EZ Collection Skipjack and Payload depict them in shades that hew closer to orange than the yellow they came out in. Whether this was an artifact of the photographic process or an intentional plastic color-change is uncertain.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Payload (ペイロード Peirōdo)

External links

• Payload concepts and final rendering on artist Ken Christiansen's blog.

• Battle For the Allspark online game

• 3D Battle Card Game at Wizards of the Coast