Characters

ALLEGIANCE: DECEPTICON
SUB-GROUP: PREDACON
FUNCTION: AERIAL ASSAULT
FIRST APPEARANCE: TRANSFORMERS # 25

“Conquer the skies and all below you will fall.”

Profile: Divebomb is like a kid at a candy shop – as he flies high overhead looking down at the ground below, he’s so delighted with all the targets he has to choose from that he doesn’t know where to begin. But it usually doesn’t take long before he’s gleefully shooting up the countryside. He’s almost always in good spirits. The only thing that consistently ruffles his carbon-steel feathers is when he must surrender his own independence to combine with his fellow Predacons. He doesn’t care for his fellow Predacons and detests sharing his components with them. When not engaged in combat, Divebomb usually busies himself in the building of his latest mechanest. Perched atop tall buildings or mountain peaks, these fanciful, fortified constructions are commonly composed of late model sports cars, wings of low flying jets and theater marquees. “I like to live comfortably,” says Divebomb.

Abilities: Rocket thrusters mounted on his back allow Divebomb to achieve speeds of 300 mph when in eagle mode. He has a 2000 mile range and can reach an altitude of 18 miles. High resolution telescopic lenses within his optical modules enable him to spot a dime from 10,000 feet. He can lift a tank and tear through its armored skin with his beak. In robot mode he uses a particle beam
rifle with infrared sight and a laser-guided sword, which is guided to its target after Divebomb first pinpoints the target with a laser beam that shoots from the sword’s tip. Divebomb combines with his fellow Predacons to form the giant robot, Predaking.

Weaknesses: Divebomb’s internal guidance system is easily thrown off by magnetism. Such interference causes him to lose control while he’s flying and makes him prone to crashing.

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ALLEGIANCE: AUTOBOT
FUNCTION: RECONNAISSANCE & COMMUNICATIONS
FIRST APPEARANCE: TRANSFORMERS # 17

“Reach for the stars, but never leave your friends.”

Profile: Rocketing around the vast gulfs of outer space might seem like fun, but Cosmos knows the truth: it gets lonely up there. Sure, he understands that every Autobot has a job to do in the battle against the Decepticons, and he accepts his without argument. But he’s not always happy about it. Sometimes, to relieve the boredom of a long vigil orbiting the Earth, he’ll zip down at night and scare a few humans by hovering over their back yards. He also delights in showing off his maneuverability by zig-zagging through an occasional meteor shower. But mostly he maintains his solitary orbit. At least he’s comforted by one thought: he never gets stuck in any traffic jams like his auto-like brethren below.

Abilities: As a spacecraft, Cosmos can achieve Earth orbit and, with enough fuel, can reach escape velocity and go for relatively short jaunts – the Moon and back, for example. He can reach speeds of 40,000 mph. He can use himself as a communications satellite by bouncing signals from one Earth location to another. His optical sensors can see and record objects as small as a bicycle from 600 miles high. He has a high-powered particle beam capability that he can use with pinpoint accuracy in either spacecraft or robot mode.

Weaknesses: Cosmos is not well-suited to function as a robot on the ground – he’s slow, awkward and not too strong. Sometimes in his search for some pleasant diversions to relieve his boredom, he neglects his job. This unreliability can occasionally result in problems for any Autobot depending on him.

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ALLEGIANCE: DECEPTICON
SUB-GROUP: TRIGGERCON
FUNCTION: COMBAT ASSAULT
FIRST APPEARANCE: TRANSFORMERS # 48

“I take a licking and keep on kicking.”

Profile: Ruckus is a deadly, devastating warrior whose usual state is a state of disrepair. This rolling bucket of loose bolts and peeling boiler-plate always looks like he just lost a demolition derby. It’s not surprising that he’s always willing to take the biggest risks on the battlefield, since he doesn’t care what sort of shape he’s in after the battle is over. All he cares about is winning. He is one of the bravest, nastiest and most daring of the Decepticons. He can be among 100 fighting Transformers and still stand out from the crowd.
With his bullhorn voice, his high-amplification, stereophonic, constantly revving motor and his plunge-forward-never-retreat style of combat, he makes his presence known to all those around him, particularly those enemy Autobots who suffer the savageries of his onslaughts. Millions of years ago, on Cybertron, Decepticon Commander Megatron employed Ruckus primarily as an errand droid. At that time, Ruckus was considerably smaller: He had been designed to perform only a non-combat messenger’s role. But at the battle of Valvolux, Ruckus proved his true worth when, after having been caught by surprise behind enemy lines and smashed to pieces by an Autobot-launched proton missile, he was still able to warn an approaching squad of Decepticons of the impending Autobot ambush with the part of him that still functioned: his voice module. Megatron rewarded him by rebuilding him into the stronger, larger form that he still has to this day and by granting him status as a full-fledged Decepticon warrior. And Ruckus has returned his commander’s faith in him with unflagging loyalty and unyielding effort.

Abilities: In vehicle mode, Ruckus is particularly adept at ramming and running over opponents. He’s been known to send the wheels of enemy vehicles flying in four separate directions with one of his charges. With his titanium nail-studded tires, he can grip and roll over virtually anything. He can achieve a maximum speed of 190 miles per hour and has a cruising range of 570 miles. He can expel a viscous, noxious-smelling oil-slick from his tail pipe that can send any vehicle in pursuit of him into an uncontrollable tailspin. In both vehicle and robot modes he is armed with heavy-duty rocket launchers that fire mercury-tipped exploding missiles. The detonation of a single missile can create a crater 50 feet deep and 500 yards wide.

Weaknesses: Although not known to have any specific weaknesses, Ruckus’s penchant for charging into battle without concern for his own well-being creates a constant need for spare parts to patch him up. Although he is usually suffering from several ailments at any given time, he rarely allows any of them to keep him off of the battlefield. He doesn’t let pain stop him from doing his job.

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ALLEGIANCE: AUTOBOT
FUNCTION: ESPIONAGE
FIRST APPEARANCE: TRANSFORMERS # 1

“The least likely can be the most dangerous.”

Profile: Bumblebee is the Autobots’ little brother. He’s small, eager and at times can be a bit of a smart-mouth. Yet for all his wisecracks, he obviously idolizes the bigger robots, especially Optimus and Prowl. He is useful as a messenger and a spy; he can go where other vehicles would not dare because he does not look threatening. And his relatively small size occasionally enables him to use routes not available to the others. More than anything, Bumblebee wants to be accepted, and this sometimes causes him to take chances he shouldn’t.

Abilities: As he can get up to 1.8 times more use out of a unit of fuel than the next most efficient Autobot, Bumblebee is often called upon at times of low energy resources. His visual acuity rates tops of all Autobots: he can spot a 10″ � 10″ object at a distance of 48 miles on a clear day. His adaptability to water environments makes him particularly important in undersea reconnaissance and salvage operations.

Weaknesses: Bumblebee is physically the weakest of the Autobots, and the most easily damaged. His stealth more than compensates for this liability.

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ALLEGIANCE: AUTOBOT
SUB-GROUP: POWERMASTER
HUMAN COMPONENT: REV
FUNCTION: WARRIOR
FIRST APPEARANCE: TRANSFORMERS # 41 (Getaway), TRANSFORMERS # 42 (Rev)

“Run hot, but always keep your cool.”

Profile: Getaway is an escape artist without equal. He uses a combination of finesse and logic to get himself out of the stickiest situations. His ability to keep his cool even under the most extreme conditions is legendary. This reputation was born on the battlefield, long before he became a Powermaster, in what has come to be known as the Armornecking Incident: Getaway was leading a routine patrol on the Titanium Turnpike on Cybertron when he and his fellow Autobots momentarily paused to witness a spectacular traffic accident on the other side of the highway. While the Autobots were armornecking (the Cybertronic term for slowing down to see an accident), a troop of Decepticons that had secretly staged the accident swooped down upon them and attacked. The ambush left the Autobots in tatters, leaking fuel and leaving body parts all over the road. Getaway had all four tires blown out, lost vision in his right headlights and most of his left, and lost the use of his plasma-shell shotgun. Despite his condition and the Decepticon barrage, he cooly and cleverly led a tactical retreat to the nearby Polyhex Toll Plaza. The Autobots paid their energon tolls and went through. But, as Getaway suspected, the Decepticons weren’t carrying the proper change
and tried to pass without paying. This activated the toll gate security system, which snared the Decepticons before they could leave, giving the Autobots the advantage they needed to defeat the Decepticons and Getaway his well-deserved reputation.

Rev was a telecommunications scientist on the planet Nebulos at the Hi Q Industrial Research Complex, which was dedicated to inventing new technologies that could be used to prevent Transformers from invading the planet. Rev’s belief that the Transformers were more than machines, that they were living, feeling creatures, was instrumental in Hi Q’s decision to help a quartet of Autobots survive their visit to Nebulos. This help took the form of the Powermaster Process, in which Rev allowed his body to be bio-mechanically engineered so that he could be binary-bonded to Getaway and have the ability to transform and function as his engine. As a result, Rev and Getaway are completely interdependent and require connecting with each other on a semi-regular basis to insure their survival.

Abilities: Getaway is a master military strategist. In vehicle mode his 600 horsepower racing engine (Rev in engine mode) allows him to reach speeds of 540 miles per hour. He is equipped with bullet-proof windows and shell-resistant battle armor. His range is 1200 miles. An on-board computerized navigational system allows him to plot a long-range course in advance, so that he can give his attention to other matters as he travels. He is armed with a double-barrelled plasma-shell shotgun.

Weaknesses: Getaway is one of the toughest Autobots on the road today. He has no known weaknesses. Unless he is using the highest grade energon fuel, Rev has a tendency to knock and stall in engine mode.

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ALLEGIANCE: AUTOBOT
FUNCTION: SURVIVALIST

FIRST APPEARANCE: THE TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE # 3

“Only the fierce shall live.”

Profile: Wheelie is the “wild boy” of Quintesson – an Autobot-like
youth lost when his ship went down, the only survivor of his party, staying
alive by cunning and stealth and fearlessness. He speaks in odd, rhyming sentences
and despises the Sharkticons and Quintessons, who are his mortal enemies. He
is a staunch friend to the Dinobots, who take to him immediately, and a reliable
ally in difficulties for Hot Rod and Kup when they take on the Sharkticons.

Abilities: He fights only when he’s under attack and has to defend himself.
He uses a three-bladed knife and a sling which hurls fire stones when he must
attack his enemies or defend himself.

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ALLEGIANCE: DECEPTICON
FUNCTION: SABOTEUR
FIRST APPEARANCE: THE TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE # 1

“Compassion is the Autobots’ downfall.”

Profile: Cyclonus is a huge and emotionless air-warrior metamorphosized from parts of dead Decepticons and remnants by Unicron. Like Galvatron, he derives vast resources of power and energy through Unicron and so can draw on strength in direct proportion to its need – always being able to become stronger than his opponents because of his access to the infinite reservoir of power that Unicron represents. A dedicated destructor, Cyclonus transforms into a gigantic multi-engine (and perhaps multi-wing) jet fighter. His firepower remains intact and is augmented by an incendiary bomb rack. Cyclonus is capable of an additional transformation, trimming his wings and tail back to assume a space-worthy rocket mode for interstellar pursuit and warfare. He has no personality, no interests other than conquests for the sake of Unicron, and no weakness.

Abilities: In jet fighter mode, Cyclonus is equipped with nuclear-powered turbine engines which enable him to reach speeds greater than Mach 2. In robot mode, he carries an oxidating laser that fuses an enemy robot’s internal mechanisms.

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ALLEGIANCE: DECEPTICON
SUB-GROUP: INSECTICON
FUNCTION: ELECTRONIC WARFARE
FIRST APPEARANCE: TRANSFORMERS # 21

“Control electricity and you control the world.”

Profile: The crackling sound of fused body parts short-circuiting is
a sure sign of Shrapnel’s work… and is music to his audio modules. In fact,
whether he’s scrambling microchips or shattering an armored torso, it is the
noise of war, the scream of his victim that Shrapnel considers the true rewards
of his work. He relishes these sounds much the same way an actor relishes applause.
And he’s not shy about showing his own evil glee – the piercing battle cry of
this loathsome Insecticon can be heard up to 8 miles away.

Abilities: In insect mode, Shrapnel can use his twin antennae to generate
an electric burst of up to 40,000 volts. He can also use his antennae with enough
precision to control virtually any electrically run device – from a pocket calculator
to a small factory. He can fly up to 50 miles. In robot mode, his antennae can,
in the proper weather conditions, attract massive bolts of lightning from the
sky to augment his own electrical generating capacity, and then release that
power through his hands. He also carries a grenade launcher that shoots a 30
pound steel ball that splinters into thousands of razor-sharp spikes in mid-air.
Needless to say, anything caught in their path would be sliced to ribbons.

Weaknesses: Insulating materials, such as rubber and glass, can be used
to thwart Shrapnel’s electronic assaults. Also, his habit of making his presence
known audibly makes him an obvious target.

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ALLEGIANCE: AUTOBOT
SUB-GROUP: HEADMASTER
HUMAN COMPONENT: QUIG
FUNCTION: INCENDIARY DAMAGE CONTROL
FIRST APPEARANCE: TRANSFORMERS # 62

“Act first, ask questions later.”

Profile: Siren comes from the Sonic Canyons of southern Cybertron, a region where the deafening sound of underground machinery wells up from below and loudly echoes among the canyon walls, causing a constant deluge of scrap metal to come tumbling down. Given this deafening, dangerous environment he learned to be both loud of mouth and nimble of feet. He has the reputation of being overbearing, but much of that comes from his tendency to scream rather than talk, particularly to his Autobot subordinates who help him in emergency situations. He likes to think that he’s at his best in these situations: a no-nonsense, take-charge Transformer whose decisiveness under pressure has saved the lives of many Autobots and humans. Actually, he often makes a problem worse by refusing to put aside his own narrow point of view and confronting the problem from a fresh prospective. He’s very stubborn. He’s also forthright and opinionated, and dominates any conversation if for no other reason than he’s louder than everyone else.

Quig was Librarian Master of Nebulos before he became a Headmaster. He oversaw the Optical Storage Archives, a repository of knowledge that is famous across half the galaxy. Realizing that the act of quiet study would become a thing of the past if the Decepticons were allowed to ravage his world, he volunteered to help the Autobots in their efforts to stop their age-old enemies. Unfortunately for him, after he was bio-engineered to have the ability to convert to a robotic head, he was paired with the bellowing Siren, whose every utterance makes the soft-spoken Nebulan jump. Acting as Siren’s head module, Quig is influenced by Siren’s latent thought patterns to talk much more loudly than he is comfortable with.

Abilities: Siren wields a sawed-off CO2 shotgun, which shoots high-powered bursts of freezing carbon dioxide gas that can turn an opponent into a frosted statue on impact. He also is armed with two sonic scream pistols, which can shatter steel with their high-decibel output. These are mounted on his hood in car mode, in which he can achieve speeds of up to 480 miles per hour and
has a range of 1000 miles.

Weaknesses: Siren has no notable weaknesses. Quig, however, must take frequent rests from acting as Siren’s head module in order to give his sensitive ears a rest. Not surprisingly, he suffers from frequent headaches.

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