Gunrunner (G1)
| This article is about the Pretender Vehicle. For the Japanese Micromaster, see Gunrunner (Zone). |
- Gunrunner is an Autobot from the Generation 1 continuity family.
If there was ever an Autobot suffering from untreated post-traumatic stress syndrome, Gunrunner is it. Acting as a squadron leader during a major firefight with the Decepticons, Gunrunner mistakenly assured his comrades and subordinates that he'd get them all out alive. Instead, none survived except him, and he only made it out due to his Pretender armor. Because of this, Gunrunner is a seriously changed bot—he experiences tremendous stress and insecurity if forced into combat outside of the safety of his shell, and refuses any long-term command position for fear of losing another group of close friends on the battlefield. Instead, he keeps squadrons assigned under him at arm's length, refusing to tell them "Everything'll be all right", because he can no longer be sure it will be.
Gunrunner has the unenviable alternate mode of a landing gear for his backpack, which itself turns into a fighter jet. Sucks to be him.
Fiction
IDW Generation 1 continuity
Gunrunner was working out of the Autobot Orbital Command Hub when Optimus Prime received the call that Thunderwing was being reactivated on Cybertron. Gunrunner was teamed with the Targetmasters and Triggerbots as crew of the Ark-27. Based on rank, either Gunrunner or Pointblank was likely the leader of this unit. Stormbringer #1
Gunrunner was also part of the crew sent in to contain the defeated Monstructor and repair the wounded Omega Supreme after their battle on an asteroid in the Muta-Gaath Nebula. Spotlight: Optimus Prime After getting back to the Orbital Command Hub, he was present when Captain Ku'arn of the Yar star trawler reported his rescue of the long-lost Blaster. Spotlight: Blaster
Regeneration One
Twenty-odd years after the end of hostilities between the Autobots and the Decepticons, Gunrunner fell victim to Scorponok's Gene Key. Natural Selection, Part Three
Commercials
Gunrunner is on the move inside his Pretender Vehicle shell, but Roadgrabber is on his tail! Quickly Gunrunner pops out of his vehicle, transforms into jet mode, and swoops around for an attack. Pretender Beasts and Pretender Vehicles commercial
Toys
Generation 1
- Gunrunner (Pretender Vehicle, 1988)
- Accessories: Rifle, 2 x Energy Plasma Missiles, Dual Electro-Static Cannons
- Gunrunner's inner robot transforms into a hypersonic jet (with help from his backpack, as noted — in fact the backpack actually forms his altmode, and he just sort of straddles underneath). There's not much more to say about that part of the toy.
- His Pretender Vehicle shell is a Cybertronic car which he can either hide inside or operate from the driver's compartment. The rear axle drives a gearing mechanism in the back portion; locking his jet-backpack to the top of the car links it to this mechanism. So combined, rolling the car forward or backward causes the twin cannons on the pack to pom-pom back and forth. The car also has mounting points for Gunrunner's pistol and arm-"bombs".
Notes
Foreign names
- French: Traficant (Canada)
