Huffer (G1)
Huffer is an Autobot character in the Generation 1 continuity.
To say that Huffer is cranky is an understatement. Huffer's the poster boy for whiney pessimism. He complains and grumbles his way through every day, especially since he's been shipwrecked on Earth. If he thought his existence was unbearable before, it's intolerable now, and he'll certainly let you know.
Despite what a joy he is to be around, he's very effective at his job. A construction engineer, he can whip up anything of any complexity. Unfortunately, he'll be kicking and screaming the whole way.
French-Canadian name: Grognon
Japanese name: Drag (do-ra-ggu, ドラッグ)
Fiction
Marvel Comics
Like many Transformers, Huffer gets limited exposure in the Marvel Comic. Perhaps Huffer's most character defining moment is in The Next Best Thing to Being There. In this story, Huffer complains of being homesick for his homeworld of Cybertron. Yet he still fights to destroy the Decepticons' transdimensional radiowave scrambler, which would have allowed him to contact home, knowing that if he allowed the Decepticons to use the scrambler, it could mean disaster for the Earth-bound Autobots.
Animated continuity
Voice actor: John Stephenson (US), Yutaka Shimaka (Japan)
Huffer was part of the original crew of Ark-based Autobots who crashed on Earth four million years ago. In 1984, he awoke and was reformatted into a mini semi truck cab. An engineer and not a warrior, Huffer loathed combat and hated being stationed on Earth as he longed to return to Cybertron. Optimus Prime would often have to motivate Huffer, reminding him to remain courageous in the long fight. During one of the first engagements on Earth, where the Autobots attempted to stop the Decepticons from attacking an off-shore oil rig, Huffer was trapped in the debris. Brawn came to his rescue, cutting Huffer loose from the wreckage.
When Optimus Prime authorizes Wheeljack and Ratchet to build robot dinosaurs, Huffer insists that this is a waste of time. When the Dinobots are completed and unveiled, Huffer says, "Dinobots? I thought you were supposed to make Dinosaurs!" and laughs. There is an awkward silence. Though his death is never shown on-screen, Huffer's grave is later shown amongst those of the other Autobots who died during the attack on Autobot City.
Dreamwave Comics
Toys
Generation 1
- Huffer was part of the original 1984 assortment of Autobot mini-cars. His mold was originally used for the Microchange series of toys as a "American" truck. The Microchange toyline was meant to depict robots that transformed into toy cars, which accounts for the somewhat cartoonish proportions of Huffer's vehicle modes. The Huffer mold was retooled for the 1986 toyline as Pipes.
- Japanese ID number: 14
- Transformer Collection Drag
- Japanese ID number: TFC-12
External Links
