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

“You break it, I’ll remake it.”

Profile: Ratchet was known as the best tool-and-die man on Cybertron.
In his work-area bay, he can fashion anything from a pin to a cruise missile
and repair most of the Autobots and their specific parts, given the right materials.
His rough language and manners belie his gentle touch on the operating-assembly
table. He knows how to have a good time despite his involvement in a combat
group. “When does the party begin?” is his usual query after he’s
completed patching up his latest fallen comrade. He’s more prone to giving his
leader, Optimus Prime, a lot more backtalk than the other Autobots, but does
his job as well as anyone.

Abilities: Ratchet has an assortment of laser scalpels, arc-welders,
electron microscopes, electrical circuit sensors and fluid dispensers (both
lubricating and super-cooled) at his disposal.

Weaknesses: His preference for partying to anything else sometimes interferes
with getting his job done. Otherwise he’s only limited in doing his work by
time and materials available.

ALLEGIANCE: DECEPTICON
SUB-GROUP: CONSTRUCTICON

FUNCTION: TRANSPORT
FIRST APPEARANCE: TRANSFORMERS # 10

“A battle front is only as good as its supply line.”

Profile: Long Haul isn’t too thrilled with his unglamorous role in the
Decepticon cause, but he understands its importance. Along with his fellow Constructicons,
his function is to help build the massive energy-recovery installations that
fuel the Decepticon onslaught. But he’d much prefer the excitement and glory
that come with being a full-time warrior. And he knows better than to tell anyone
of his secret desire – Megatron allows no dissent among the Decepticons ranks.

Abilities: In vehicular mode, Long Haul can carry up to 90 tons for
1200 miles. He can also add on a dual heat-seeking missile launcher. In robot
mode he carries a laser pistol. When combined with his fellow Constructicons,
he serves as the torso module in the giant robot known as Devastator.

Weaknesses: Long Haul is slow and sometimes his unhappiness reduces
his effectiveness. He’s sensitive to teasing about the mundane nature of his
job and can often be goaded into fights in which he may be clearly overmatched.

ALLEGIANCE: DECEPTICON
SUB-GROUP: TERRORCON
FUNCTION: SHOCK TROOPER
FIRST APPEARANCE: HEADMASTERS # 3

“Compassion is the currency of losers.”

Profile: With not a trace of mercy to be found among his microchips, Cutthroat, not surprisingly, enjoys a reputation for mindless savagery and excessive destruction. His antics even shock some of his fellow Decepticons in their extremeness; his preferred fighting style is lashing out with wings, beaks and claws until he’s reduced his adversary to metal ribbons. Though many of his allies privately bemoan the energy wasted in Cutthroat’s lethal zeal, none has had the courage to attempt to talk to him about it. They know that if they antagonize Cutthroat, he might just as soon turn his insatiable lust for destruction on them as on the Autobots.

Abilities: In creature mode, Cutthroat can leap up to four miles and, if he catches the right breeze, has been known to glide for short distances. He can shoot a stream of 800 degrees Fahrenheit flame from his mouth. His beak, wings and claws can slice through all but diamond and a few rare iron alloys. In robot mode, he carries a double-barreled magnetizer, which charges any metal target it hits with powerful, opposite magnetic fields so that the target literally tears itself apart. He combines with his fellow Terrorcons to form the giant robot known as Abominus. He prefers not to do this since he considers Abominus too “tame” for his tastes.

Weaknesses: Cutthroat often recklessly uses his difficult-to-control leaping and gliding abilities, and consequently, often ends up in situations where he does not have the advantage. His excessive use of force often leaves him depleted of energy and vulnerable to attack.

ALLEGIANCE: AUTOBOT
SUB-GROUP: HEADMASTER

HUMAN COMPONENT: MUZZLE
FUNCTION: DETECTIVE
FIRST APPEARANCE: TRANSFORMERS # 62

“Truth is revealed in the smallest detail.”

Profile: Nightbeat is a tough, no-nonsense type who is not afraid to
break the rules to get what he wants. And usually what he wants is the solution
to some complicated mystery… and he’ll go anywhere to get it. He feels as
comfortable driving down a dark alley as he does cruising along a six-lane super-highway.
He has an intuition for finding the truth that defies all known theories of
programming. In trying to account for Nightbeat’s remarkable talent, Optimus
Prime suspects that the circuitry in the digital detective’s logic center may
accidentally have been wired in a way contrary to accepted robotic engineering
procedures. But the Autobot Leader is still at a loss to explain why Nightbeat
thinks the way he does. Nightbeat prefers to work alone. Most partners don’t
understand his methods and his reasoning, and often wind up hindering his investigations
more than helping them. But being a good soldier, he doesn’t complain about
his fellow Autobots… instead he tries to compensate for their investigatory
deficiencies by working even harder.

He is binary-bonded to Muzzle, a human who worked as a detective on Nebulos
until he was framed in a scandal that put him out of business. When he found
out that an Autobot with training in detective work was looking for a Nebulan
partner, Muzzle immediately volunteered. He considered this an opportunity to
continue doing what he loved to do the most. After undergoing the bio-engineering
procedure that allows him to convert to an Autobot head module, Muzzle quickly
discovered that he and Nightbeat have one of the smoothest-working binary bonds
among all the Headmasters. Muzzle’s eye for detail makes Nightbeat an even better
detective than he was without him.

Abilities: Nightbeat carries two photon pistols and a high-powered plasma
blaster with infra-red sight. He also has enhanced audio and video sensors that
aid in his investigatory work. From five miles away, he can hear a screw fall
and count the threads on it. In car mode he can travel at speeds of up to 620
miles per hour and has a range of 1500 miles.

Weaknesses: Nightbeat’s overconfidence in his abilities typically persuades
him that he can handle almost any situation by himself. Given his preference
for working alone, he often suffers damage that a more team-oriented Autobot
might avoid.

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

“Observe everything, remember even more.”

Profile: Hound would just as soon be sniffing around the Grand Canyon
or Big Sur as he would a secret Decepticon base. Perhaps more than any other
Autobot, Hound takes pleasure in being on Earth. Unlike his home planet, which
is entirely composed of metal and machinery, he finds the natural wonders of
Earth endlessly fascinating, and uses his topographical skills to store every
sight he sees within his memory circuits. Hound’s bravery, fearlessness, and
loyalty are unwavering, like any good advance scout. But his secret desire is
to be human.

Abilities: While in his jeep mode, Hound uses his turret gun to sweep
over the landscape from horizon to horizon, like a radar scope, and, with the
help of internal 3-dimensional simulation circuitry, stores this information
as a topographical map. Error distortion is no more than one inch per 150 feet
distance from point of data collection. In robot mode, Hound’s turret gun becomes
an infrared radiation collector. It can detect heat differentials as small as
.02 degrees Centigrade, and he uses this ability in tracking machines as well
as humans. Hound’s shoulder-mounted hologram gun can project 3-dimensional grid
laser light images of terrain maps stored in his memory. He sometimes also can
use it to cast simple illusions.

Weaknesses: Hound’s infrared tracking ability can be countered by thermal
interference. High frequency electromagnetic waves can distort or completely
destroy his map-making ability. Sophisticated manipulation of such waves can
even result in the recording of false images within his memory circuits.

ALLEGIANCE: DECEPTICON
SUB-GROUP: STUNTICON
FUNCTION: WARRIOR
FIRST APPEARANCE: TRANSFORMERS # 22

“We are all just food for rust.”

Profile: Sullen and fatalistic, Dead End sees little reason to continue the Autobot-Decepticon War since all Transformers eventually become inoperative anyway, even though it might take tens of thousands of years. Yet he spends more time keeping himself unmarred and shiny than any of his fellow Stunticons, an irony not lost upon Motormaster, who speculates that Dead End wants to at least make sure he leaves a pretty wreck when he dies. This vanity leads to a lot of teasing and derision directed toward Dead End, which just makes him feel worse. The only thing that can lift his spirits is blasting Autobots in battle, despite what he says about the pointlessness of it all. It seems he’s too busy trying to save his own life to get depressed about the possibility of losing it.

Abilities: In car mode, Dead End can reach speeds of up to 220 mph. He emanates a radar signal that allows him to detect the movements of any vehicle or robot within a 200-mile radius, and he can use it to mentally map the surrounding terrain as well. He’s adept at using this ability to lead enemy Autobots into
traps – such as dead ends! In robot mode, he carries a compressor-air gun, which can let out a blast of air that packs a 40,000 psi punch, enough to splinter a grove of oak trees. He combines with his fellow Stunticons to form the giant robot, Menasor.

Weaknesses: Dead End is a fearless fighter in battle, but getting him motivated to begin fighting is always a problem. Sometimes he can be so listless and depressed that it takes a direct hit with a cluster bomb to spur him to fight. When that happens, he’s usually no longer in any condition for battle.

ALLEGIANCE: AUTOBOT
FUNCTION: MILITARY STRATEGIST AND ANALYST
FIRST APPEARANCE: TRANSFORMERS # 1

“Logic is the ultimate weapon.”

Profile: He is quiet, competent, and very loyal, but perhaps his most
valuable trait is his almost endless patience. Once Prowl is assigned a task,
he will keep at it until it is accomplished. He works with proven facts, not
imagination or guesses. If he has any doubts, he will radio Optimus Prime, his
commander, before proceeding. He hates doubts in any form, and he strives to
make everything he encounters reasonable and logical. He believes it only when
he can explain it. On a personal level he is friendly, but not too sociable.
He’s a listener, not a talker, unless someone says something unreasonable. Then
he will demand an explanation.

Abilities: Prowl has the most sophisticated logic center of all the
Autobots, giving him the ability to analyze any combat situation almost instantaneously
and then advise on the optimal course of action. For example, Prowl can observe
800 moving objects, compute their probable paths of movement, and determine
the proper countermove in .05 seconds. From his shoulder cannons he can shoot
wire-guided incendiary missiles that reach temperatures of 12,000 degrees Centigrade
upon explosion. He also carries a semi-automatic rifle that shoots pellets filled
with a highly corrosive acid. Its range is 300 yards.

Weaknesses: His dedication to logic and reason makes Prowl particularly
vulnerable to the unexpected. Irrational and inexplicable situations can really
scramble his circuits, sometimes to the point of total shutdown of his mechano-cortex
center, leaving him temporarily dysfunctional.