Trailbreaker

The Last Autobot · Post by **The Last Autobot** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 7:28 pm

Reading that crap that was Dw G1 vol1 and seeing Trailbreaker "face" Grimlock, I wondered. How important was Trailbreaker in Marvel US and Uk in g1? Was he tough? Did he matter at all?

I remember him being scrapped by Starscream in Underbase and by Scourge in Target:2006. Did he do anything that worth other than being one of the original 18 autobots?

BB Shockwave · Post by **BB Shockwave** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 7:54 pm

He kept on dying, poor sod... first he was gunned down by the 'fake head' Prime, along with Windcharger. Then during Target 2006, he was shot on the head by Scourge and was deactivated, almost permanently... Later he was reactivated, only to die at the hands of SS...

Lots of wasted potential, I say. His character profile is interesting, and I always liked the way he looked when I was a kid (plus, he was black... that's always cool!). In the cartoon he was generally used as a walking force-field generator. I remember one episode (desertion of the dinobots) where Wheeljack asks Prime to his lab and tells him to take TRailbreaker too. Poor guy, must have felt being used...

Only time he ever had some good lines was in Dinobot hunt, and that wasn't much either. Therefore I was happy that Simon used him quite a lot in War Within, both Vol. 1. and 2. He's a defensive strategist, heck one would assume that he's a higher ranking guy, somewhere below Prowl's status. I'd like to see more of him...

Then again, since in the new Movie, Ironhide will transform into a black pickup truck (or what the heck that is), I guess Trailbreaker is 'sort of' making a comeback.

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 8:33 pm

Trailbreaker is so awesome that, after the Alternators version got hijacked to be Swindle, when they eventually went through with releasing him, he'd been superceded by Rollbar.

A Throttlebot, dammit. A Throttlebot!

That's how important Trailbreaker is to the grand scheme of the universe.

Post by **Best First** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 9:59 pm

He also got the crap blown out of him in Man of Iron.

which was very nicely rendered.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 11:24 pm

Yeah, his lot in Marvel Comics life seemed to have been to be taken out of the equation long before he could put his least fuel efficiency award to good use.

BB Shockwave · Post by **BB Shockwave** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 9:10 am

Brendocon wrote:Trailbreaker is so awesome that, after the Alternators version got hijacked to be Swindle, when they eventually went through with releasing him, he'd been superceded by Rollbar.

A Throttlebot, dammit. A Throttlebot!

That's how important Trailbreaker is to the grand scheme of the universe.

Nope... actually, Swindle was supposed to be Trailbreaker - just look at that head design- but Hasbro lost the rights to the name. Same reason why the RID X-brawn spychanger repaint was cancelled.-...

Post by **Best First** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 9:29 am

THinking about it didn't he also get injured in that annual story with Jazz and the constructicons?

bloody hell, eh?

edit - or was that in fact Hoist?

Legion · Post by **Legion** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 9:32 am

yes unfortunately, poor old trailbreaker was the autobot's in house 'redshirt' in the marvel universe... no sooner had he been patched up when he bought it, badly, in the next battle.

memory fails me, but was he in the (short) line up of nucleon powered 'bots onboard the Ark during EoE? I'm doubting it, but secrely wishing he was.

I think TB deserves a Spotlight issue!

Post by **Best First** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 9:36 am

i'd actually like to see pretty much all of the origial g1 lineup get a spotlight - back then teh tech specs were so well developed there's good stuff that can be done with pretty much all of them.

Be especially ken to se Mirage and Thundercracker ones.

Legion · Post by **Legion** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 9:39 am

Best First wrote:Be especially ken to se Mirage and Thundercracker ones.

ooh yes! two of the most intrueging chars, neither sold absolutely on the cause of their respective side... brave characterisation for kids toys.

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 10:05 am

BB Shockwave wrote:Nope... actually, Swindle was supposed to be Trailbreaker - just look at that head design

This I know - hence me saying "the Alternators version got hijacked to be Swindle".

but Hasbro lost the rights to the name.

And yet it didn't stop Jazz being released. Okay, they called him Meister, but it's still blatantly Jazz. Trailbreaker wasn't even important enough to get a new name to dodge copyright - he was superceded by a Throttlebot.

But then I'm sure I already said that.

In future, if you're going to nitpick what I say, at least read it.

BB Shockwave · Post by **BB Shockwave** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 11:09 am

Brendocon wrote: In future, if you're going to nitpick what I say, at least read it.

I did read it, I just thought you meant Swindle stole his body - as in the Alt./Binaltech story, which is true. I was talking about the company descisons--- they really intended to make Swindle TB, just like they wanted Dead end to be Sunstreaker.

Too bad about Rollbar. Then again, he's about as much of a redshirt as TB...

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 11:22 am

Yeah, I was talking about the company decision too.

His toy got hijacked to be Swindle when they decided to release some Decepticons. Then when they finally got back round to releasing him, he wasn't even important enough to be allowed the toy that was originally intended to be him.

inflatable dalek · Post by **inflatable dalek** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 4:27 pm

And to add insult to injury they go and replace him with Getaway as the resident whiping boy in the latter days of the comic. Trailey wasn't even good enough to die anymore...

BB Shockwave · Post by **BB Shockwave** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 5:56 pm

Come on, Getaway? He's the only Bot Powermaster who was alive after G2...

Guy's a born survivor.

Chainclaw, on the other hand.... Guy appeared 3 times and was deactivated every time! His motto should be "Please don't hurt me!".

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 8:22 pm

Whereas TB's motto should be "I 'almost died' more times than Optimus Prime"

BB Shockwave wrote:Come on, Getaway? He's the only Bot Powermaster who was alive after G2... Guy's a born survivor.

Only because the Last Autobot ressurected him following his obliteration at the hands (in the sights?) of the original Darkwing on Klo.

The Last Autobot · Post by **The Last Autobot** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 11:56 pm

Legion wrote: memory fails me, but was he in the (short) line up of nucleon powered 'bots onboard the Ark during EoE? I'm doubting it, but secrely wishing he was.

Nope

Come on, Getaway? He's the only Bot Powermaster who was alive after G2... Guy's a born survivor.

Chainclaw, on the other hand.... Guy appeared 3 times and was deactivated every time! His motto should be "Please don't hurt me!".

Well Getaway was scrapped a lot of times, in Rhythms of Darkness, by the micromasters in the Ark, in Klo.

inflatable dalek · Post by **inflatable dalek** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 1:28 pm

And by Starscream in Fallenstar (where Chainclaw gets it as well). SO that's at least four times to Chainclaws three.

Legion · Post by **Legion** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 3:17 pm

at least getaway got an introduction... chainclaw just appeared in the bot ranks one day.

inflatable dalek · Post by **inflatable dalek** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 7:21 pm

Chainclaw was actually Trailbreaker in a new body.

BB Shockwave · Post by **BB Shockwave** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 8:09 pm

Poor guy's tech spec mentions he's constantly afraid something will happen to him, like getting stuck in his pretender shell... I guess he has a reason to worry.

inflatable dalek · Post by **inflatable dalek** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 8:22 pm

Surely he'd be safer in his pretender shell anyway?

BB Shockwave · Post by **BB Shockwave** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 9:12 pm

But then he'd be locked in there forever... and would probably end up in a national park, stealing food with Yogi Bear. Hmm, now that's a good crossover idea! I hope Devil's Due's writers are not reading this...