Blowpipe (G1)
| The name or term "Blowpipe" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Blowpipe (disambiguation). |
- Blowpipe is a Nebulan Decepticon Targetmaster from the Generation 1 continuity family.
The conniving brother-in-law of Lord Zarak, Blowpipe managed the political campaign that brought him and kept him in power. While a smooth political operator with endless connections, Blowpipe lacks the physical presence and style of a leader, causing him to resent his brother-in-law for taking all the glory when he did all the "real" work.
Treating combat like he would a political campaign, Blowpipe plots and plans things in advance, leaving nothing to chance, which puts him at odds with his binary bonded partner Triggerhappy, whose idea of combat tactics is to wave his gun around randomly as fast as he can and shoot really, really fast.
Fiction
Marvel Comics continuity
Marvel The Transformers comics
Blowpipe was brother-in-law to Lord Zarak, presumably Llyra's maternal uncle. Always cast in Zarak's shadow, he spent his career as a political manager for Zarak. Although Blowpipe's machinations won Zarak the prominence he coveted in the Council of Peers, it was ultimately Zarak's own charisma which was given credit for his rise to fame, leaving Blowpipe envious and unheralded. He remained a part of Zarak's political machine and, when Zarak joined forces with Scorponok and the Decepticons, Blowpipe underwent the Targetmaster process and binary bonded to Triggerhappy. This did little to raise his personal profile on Nebulos, however, as Zarak ordered the Decepticons to abandon Nebulos mere hours later. Brothers in Armor!!
Blowpipe remained at Triggerhappy's side throughout the Decepticons' stay on Earth. He was remarkably silent when Triggerhappy and Mindwipe decided to desert Zarak and the Decepticons. The Gathering Darkness
Generation 1 cartoon continuity
The Transformers cartoon
- Voice actor: John Moschitta (English), Akimitsu Takase (Japanese), Gerd Wiedenhofen (German)
One of the Nebulan Hive, Blowpipe was bio-engineered into a weapon by the Targetmaster process. When he transformed and jumped into Triggerhappy's hand, he punned on his name by stating he wanted to BLOW the rebels away. Triggerhappy responded by cackling that the Autobots were as good as melted slag. This happy duo turned their glee on the Autobots, and successfully stole the key to the Plasma Energy Chamber. The Rebirth, Part 2
Despite their happy working arrangement, Blowpipe still turned on Triggerhappy when Zarak commanded it. He and the other Targetmaster partners demonstrated the ability to float, aim, and potentially shoot on their own when they got into an argument with their Decepticon partners. The Rebirth, Part 3
Toy pack-in material
When the Decepticons got wind of the fact that Optimus Prime had become amnesiac and was wandering lost around Cybertron's Hemisphere of Darkness, Triggerhappy and Blowpipe formed a team with Mindwipe and Vorath called Seek and Terminate Optimus Prime and set out to find Prime before the Autobots could. As the Autobot leader's memory was completely shot, there was the risk that he would accept the Decepticons as friends if they found him first. Optimus Prime Is Back
Dreamwave Generation One continuity
Blowpipe was Zarak's half-brother who organized his illegitimate election. Triggerhappy's More than Meets the Eye profile
Toys
Generation 1
- Triggerhappy (Targetmaster, 1987)
- Accessories: Cannon-pack
- Blowpipe transforms into a compression cannon with single large and smaller secondary barrel. Blowpipe's transformation, like Caliburst's, is slightly more involved than many Targetmasters weapons; his gun barrel is a separate piece that plugs into his back, and once his legs are folded up the barrel has to be snapped into place where the legs were, the resulting weapon longer than many of the other first year Targetmasters.
- Blowpipe could be placed in either Triggerhappy's hands or on top of his vehicle mode thanks to the use of 5mm posts and holes; as his backpack uses the same sized peg, it can also be used as a hand-held blaster on its own.
- This toy was also used in Japan as the Cybertronian Blowpipe.
Notes
- For reasons unknown, Triggerhappy's packaging art and Blowpipe's animation model have the Nebulan's colors reversed from the toy.
Foreign names
- Russian: Vzryvnoj (Взрывной, "Explosive")
