Exhaust
From MediaWiki
- Exhaust is a Decepticon from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Exhaust (エグゾースト Eguzōsuto) is a huge gladiatorial games fan.
Fiction
Dreamwave Generation One continuity
Exhaust was one of many Decepticons in the Kaon gladiator arena to witness Megatron's execution of the corrupt Emirate Xeon, signaling the beginning of their uprising. Exhaust stood right next to a jet-helicopter Decepticon. The War Within #2
Exhaust and the jet-helicopter Decepticon were in Iacon when Starscream's botched mechaforming attempt leveled the city. They were unprepared when Shockwave ordered troops to fall back to Kolkular rather than be destroyed. The War Within #6
Toys
Masterpiece
- Masterpiece Exhaust is a retool of MP-20 Wheeljack, transforming from an officially-licenced Lancia Stratos into a robot and back!
(And other things, but let's not go there...)
- Among other deco changes, initial prototype photos of Exhaust's car mode (see left) featured markings strikingly similar to the Marlboro logo itself (such as the hood), resulting in US retailers coming under fire from the parent company of Marlboro, Philip Morris USA. Now, if that wasn't enough, this issue also fell under the rules of the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement as well as the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which partly explains that specifically smoking-related markings such as Marlboro's could not be used on products that could be intended for children. For some time, it technically became illegal to sell Exhaust in the US, and Philip Morris eventually went a step further, demanding that sellers based out of Asia may not sell Exhaust to US residents. As a result of all this controversy, Exhaust's release was delayed from February 28 to March 21, and TakaraTomy elected to change the vehicle mode deco to ensure a worldwide release.
Notes
- Exhaust started out as a Diaclone variant of the toy that would become Wheeljack, featuring a retooled head and a different color scheme and endorsement decals based on Marlboro cigarettes—albeit misspelled as "Marlboor", so as not to infringe on any trademarks (similar to Mirage's toy misspelling "Gitanes", another cigarette brand, as "Citanes"). For lack of an official name, the character was for many years known as "Marlboor Wheeljack" until the Masterpiece toy was announced, finally bestowing the name Exhaust on the character, in the process paying homage to his, ah, smokey origins.
- The vehicle mode deco is specifically based on one of two Series 5 Stratos racing cars produced, the other being the car on which Wheeljack was based, though Exhaust's deco doesn't strive for the same level of accuracy. The original car on which the deco was based no longer exists as it was destroyed in a fire caused by its overheated engine.[1] Irony!
- Exhaust's deco was also homaged by Prime "Hyperspeed" Wheeljack.
- Exhaust is not the only Decepticon Wheeljack look-alike in the Transformers universe.
