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TRANSFORMERS BEYOND
DOSSIER
Chapter 3
Autobots Part 3
Team Prime, Part 3: Blaster's Deployer Minicons
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The Autobot Communications Officer Blaster is often backed up by his own team of Deployer Minicons, partners back during his days as a reporter before the war, to match Soundwave's mini-minions on the battlefield. The Autobot Deployer Minicons (also known as the Recordabots) transform into analog audio devices and many of these small troops have communication or espionage roles. Recycling of body designs is common among them as well.
Ramhorn (Function: WARRIOR) - Don't touch Ramhorn if you value your life, 'cause he'll smash you. In his eyes, he breaks everyone around into two categories: those who respect his territory, and those who don't. Those who do are tolerated, while those who do not destroyed. For Ramhorn, only this simple outlook on life acceptable. He's so protective of his territory that even his fellow Autobots have to be careful around his things to keep from being roughed up by the easily enraged Minicon. Most have learned to deal with Ramhorn from a long distance. His charge is virtually unstoppable - despite his small size, he's strong enough to knock a train off its tracks or upend an 18-wheeler with one blow. Ramhorn has two batteries of three laser-guided, heat-seeking missiles mounted on his back that can lock in and hit a target up to twelve miles away. In data disc mode, he can vibrate and destroy any equipment into which he is inserted. Ramhorn's poor attitude makes him a poor warrior when it comes to follow orders. As a Triple Changer, Ramhorn either transform into a Cybertronian Data Disc or a Cybertronian Mini-Tank.
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Eject (Function: ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE) - Eject could be best described, in Earth terms, as an "armchair quarterback". He always has some kind of comment about what maneuvers should be performed, both before and after the fact. Now that he's become an Earthern sports fanatic, Eject tends to define everything in those terms as sports clichés clutter his speech patterns; a surprise attack is a "fast break", a victory is a "touchdown", a successful hit is a "goal", etc. Few Autobots understand what he says, but they like the enthusiasm with which he says it. Eject could be a play-and-play announcer, if given the chance. If the fact the reason why Eject's a sport aficionado is because he loves the passion and camaraderie of Earth sports teams and their fans, since those feelings don't exist outside of warfare back on Cybertron, with all but the violent gladiatorial "sports" rendered obsolete by the Decepticons. When the war's over, Eject hopes to bring the positive aspects of sports back to the Transformers' homeworld. In robot mode, he's equipped with electrical overload guns. In memory stick mode, he can monitor and record radio and TV, decode scrambled signals, and tap telephones. Sometimes his internal systems snap when's he overexcited as he unintentionally ignores important transmissions in favor of sports broadcasts on occasion. Eject transforms into a Cybertronian Memory Stick.
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Rewind (Function: ARCHIVIST) - As the Autobots' greatest trivia expert, Rewind's memory banks have amazing capacity to store data that is virtually of no use of anyone. He has such an unquenchable desire for knowledge that he's always seeking it out voraciously, with the camara on the side of his head always turned on. Unfortunately, he's not much help when asked about something important as he can be easily distracted by tidbits of trivial information, like the number of support arches in a regulation gladiatorial arena in the era of Nominus Prime. Although he's somewhat more reserved than his rambunctious comrade Eject, Rewind is a friendly mech who's popular among the members of Team Prime. Rewind has an internal light-matrix data store system has nearly infinite data storage capacity. He can turn into a blinding beacon by releasing some of this light energy. He uses adhesion rifles that shoot unbreakable metal-bonding glue. Rewind is prone to severe cerebro-circuit overloads, what Earthlings call "headaches", whenever he absorbs too much information too quickly. He's the conjunx endura to the Autobot Headmaster Chromedome, and aches to reunite with his long-distance lover and hopes to live a peaceful life together once the war's over. Rewind transforms into a Cybertronian Memory Stick.
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Steeljaw (Function: TRACKER) - When Steeljaw is on the hunt, his prey is as good as caught. Steeljaw is a determined, tenacious cooly professional; his behavior when on a tracking mission is so single-minded that he often comes off as cold or blatantly rude to his comrades when brushing past them. This attitude gets him lumped with the anti-social Ramhorn, but Blaster knows that it's just a sign of Steeljaw's professionalism. On the inside, Steeljaw is as concerned about his allies as anyone. Equipped with a built-in complex scanner system within his nose and eyes, he's likely to trace any type of scent from a range of 800 miles and can see the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Steeljaw's super-strong jaws can snap a foot thick steel cable with just one bite. He carries two solar-powered pellet guns that fire 1200 rounds per minute, however, a lack of sunlight hampers their performance. In his tablet mode, Steeljaw can electro-magnetize himself. In humid environments, he has a tendency to rust at the most inopportune times. Steeljaw transforms into a Cybertronian Spy Tablet.
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Stripes (Function: BATTLE STRATEGIST) - Stripes is little more than animal. A nitrotiger native to Cybertron, Stripes was taken in, trained, and given the ability to transform by the Autobots, with her then given to Blaster as a new member among his Deployer partners. As part of her "evolution", she was outfitted with a battle harness that contains an artificial intelligence based on a early combat-oriented model of the Teletraan series of highly-intelligent supercomputers; this AI carries out offensive and defensive maneuvers, whether Stripes desires it or not. Enemies who know of Stripes' ferocity and merciless attacks will turn and run in horror. Though a strategist first, Stripes is incredibly skilled in engineering, often seen around the Ark, helping Ratchet maintaining its vital mechanics. She's equipped with twin laser pulse cannons on her back to blast his enemies' weak stops while approaching them from behind. Very diligent with her work, she's not very sociable, preferring the solace of her own room than camaraderie with her fellow bots. Stripes transforms into a Cybertronian Spy Tablet.
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Nightstalker (Function: GUARD TEAM) - Before the war, Nightstalker once served as a security guard for Senators, Nobles, and other members of the upper castes. His devotion to his superiors, however, exceeds even the Decepticon's - Nightstalker will unhesitatingly sacrifice his own well-being to save those he has sworn to protect. He's an Outlier who can coat his body surface in a non-penetrative barrier allowing covert performance. He's also equipped with spear missile launchers mounted on his sides. He also has sharp senses. If worst comes to worst, Nightstalker can always activate his self-destruction protocol in order to protect whoever or whatever he's guarding. Due to the hard conditioning his former masters instilled in him, Nightstalker sees no value in his own life aside of completing the mission, though his comrades want him to live his life to the fullest instead of callously throwing it away. Nightstalker transforms into a Cybertronian Spy Tablet.
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Sundor (Function: SPY) - Youngest of the Autobot Deployers, Sundor is very arrogant and narcissistic, never shows any respect for his more experienced seniors. Due to his extreme confidence in his blindingly shiny body, the only thing that Sundor respects is the beauty of the Sun as he looks up at it from Earth. Sundor's twin automatic-targeting blasters can fire 10000 degree Celsius Corona rays that can melt even Trithyllium steel. His beautiful shining skin not only repels null rays and laser rifles, but is also impermeable to physical missiles and ammunition. He's an Outlier whose strength and endurance is enhanced by directly absorbing the energies of the Sun. However, in nightfall, his confidence extremely dwindles as his powers begin to fade away. In order to prevent others from realizing this, Sundor flees the battlefield, claiming that staying out late is terrible for the skin. Sundor is criticized by his comrades for his self-centered attitude and tendency to look down on others. He refuses to change his behavior, however, for he knows deep inside that he will never be able to surpass the Sun. Sundor transforms into a Dean Razorback V Electric Guitar.
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Rosanna (Function: IDOL) - A former singer from the pre-war era of Cybertron, Rosanna is one of the few Transformers who can sing and dance, and the sole bot who understands Blaster's love for music. Rosanna does not possess a powerful singing voice, but her songs have an indescribable charm, soothing and giving courage to her wounded comrades. Besides being constantly cheerful and high-energy, Rosanna has a strong sense of responsibility. However, she can be very annoying sometimes as she butts into other people's conversations. Her fully-automatic microphone responds to her voice and can automatically switch between single direction, multi direction, and super direction, allowing it to support her voice in all situations. Her vocoder mode recording module is almost completely unused, apart from records of her cherished memories with her comrades. Rosanna transforms into a Cybertronian Vocoder.
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Playback (Function: AUDIO SURVEILLANCE) - Playback has among the best aural receptors of the unit, certainly among those Minicons with the bipedal forms. He can hear and record a single sound in amongst a cacophony of other noises. His cannon inhibit vibrations in their target, creating pockets of silence. Originating from the pacifistic Cybertronian colony of Paradron, which was then destroyed during a battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons when it was shortly rediscovered during the Great Exodus, Playback's not really one into fighting, so he prefers to stay behind helping Blaster with communications. Despite he mostly never goes to the battlefield, Playback is equipped with two ion pistols to protect his friends from any danger. As a Triple Changer, Playback transforms into either a Cybertronian Amplifier or a Cybertronian Mini-Jet.
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Slamdance (Function: JOURNALIST) - Slamdance is not a great warrior, but he is a brilliant journalist. The combined form of Grand Slam and Raindance, he combines the former's gravitas and vanity with the latter's mastery in data gathering. He takes great pride in his work, but his self-importance makes him want to announce everything personally in order to make sure that his message is relayed "correctly", meaning by him. He can be a bit stuffy, but his dedication to presenting an accurate and unbiased account of current events is welcomed in his war-tossed times. He keeps the Autobots honest. He possesses all of his components' armaments, including Grand Slam's entirely defensive arsenal and Raindance's proton missile launchers.
- Grand Slam (Function: AUDIO CORRESPONDENT) - Grand Slam is a war-weary veteran of ten thousand battles on a hundred worlds who now dedicates his life to recording the sounds of the Autobot-Decepticon Great War: the nervous laughter, the cries of pain, the blistering explosions, the chilling quiets. He hopes that his work will one day serve as a grim reminder of the awful price of war. Grand Slam can audio-record up to 20 years of sound. Armament is purely defensive: smoke discharger combines with dual repulsors. Grand Slam transforms into a Cybertronian Data Disc. Grand Slam forms the upper half of Slamdance.
- Raindance (Function: VIDEO CORRESPONDENT) - The death-defying daredevil of the skies, Raindance is willing to any risk to record the best picture. With his partner Grand Slam, they have recorded thousands of battles. He entertains everyone with stories about each one of them. Raindance is very witty and well-liked. He can also video-record up to 20 years of pictures. He carries two self-defense air-to-air proton missiles. Raindance transforms into a Cybertronian Data Disc. Raindance forms the lower half of Slamdance.
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Legout (Function: INFORMATION GESTALT WARRIOR) - Legout is the combination of Dile and Zaur, and contains a supercomputer that records information for the Autobots. Unlike his older brother, Decibel, Legout is carefree and easily enthused. His shoulder-mounted Wave Blasters can overload Decepticon audio receptors and deafen them, which makes them not so enthused.
- Dile (Function: ENERGY RESOURCE SCOUT) - Fleet of foot, Dile can run at up to 200 km/h in dinosaur mode. Both of his thumbs contain sensors that can rapidly detect energy. Very cheerful and brimming over with curiosity, Dile sometimes gets too carried away in his duties, leading to major system failures when investigating new sources of energy for the Autobots. He also carries Wave Blasters mounted on his back. Dile transforms into a Cybertronian Data Disc. Dile forms the upper half of Legout.
- Zaur (Function: WATER SOURCE DEVELOPMENT) - Strong in deep ocean waters, Zaur can dive to depths of 1,500 m. His powerful tail can shatter tall buildings in a single blow. Normally docile, despite having the greatest physical strength of the Autobot Minicon dinosaurs. Some say that his strength can rival that of Optimus Prime. He has an unexpected affection for squirrels and little birds. Zaur usually makes use of standard cannons. Zaur transforms into a Cybertronian Data Disc. Zaur forms the lower half of Legout.
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Decibel (Function: INFORMATION GESTALT WARRIOR) - The combined form of Noise and Graphy, Decibel possesses Graphy's speed and Noise's power. He is incredibly loyal and obedient to Blaster, but comes off as overly prim and proper to the other Autobot Deployers. His shoulder-mounted Fire Blasters can generate heat up to 9000 °C. Decibel is also the older brother of Legout.
- Graphy (Function: AERIAL INTELLIGENCE) - Graphy flies at up to 250 km/h, and his beak can open up large holes in anything. The calmest among all the Autobot Deployers, a stark contrast to his hyper-violent partner Noise. His eyesight while aloft is incredible, allowing him to spot a baseball from 300 m up. He also carries a laser gun. Graphy transforms into a Cybertronian Data Disc. Graphy forms the lower half of Decibel.
- Noise (Function: FOREST INVESTIGATION) - Noise takes it easy when moving, but his claws and fangs are what makes him the strongest of all the Autobot Deployers, rivaling that of the antisocial and extremely territorial Ramhorn. He's also unfortunately the most violent of all of them. While not as strong as Zaur, he has the best kicking power. Noise strongly idolizes the Dynobots, especially their leader Grimlock, who he greatly respects for his strength and no-nonsense attitude. He carries a Fire Blaster. Noise transforms into a Cybertronian Data Disc. Noise forms the upper half of Decibel.
Here's Part 3 of the Autobots, which focuses on Blaster's team of Autobot Mini-Cassettes. In the Beyondverse, all of the Mini-Cassettes are depicted as Deployer Minicons, like in the Aligned continuity.
Ramhorn's design resembles his Titan Returns toy with him able to transform into a tank.
Eject and Rewind transform into memory sticks like in the IDW continuity.
In the Beyondverse, Rewind and Chromedome are a couple like their IDW counterparts. Think of them as a long-distance couple.
Steeljaw's Beyondverse design is a combination of his G1 and Fall of Cybertron toys.
For those who don't know whose Stripes, he was an original character who was suppose to appear in The Transformers: The Movie, but in the final draft, he was replaced by Ramhorn. He wouldn't get his own toy until 2012 for the Encore toyline, along with briefly appearing in Japanese G1 manga and even in Recordicons. Here, Stripes is reimagined to be genderbent female.
Nightstalker was a character for the Marvel G1 UK-exclusive story "State Games". Like Stripes, he wouldn't get his own toy until Encore 2012. He also appears in the Earth Wars mobile game.
Sundor and Rosanna are extremely obscure characters who first appeared in an aforementioned piece of Japanese G1 media whose name we shall not speak of. Some of you hardcore TF fans out there may better know Rosanna with her appearing as an background character in Transformers Animated.
Playback was the unnamed red and white Mini-Cassette who briefly appeared in the G1 Season 3 episode "Fight or Flee".
Grand Slam and Raindance's design resemble their WFC: Siege toys, but their combined form of Slamdance is more like his original G1 design.
Legout (Dile and Zaur) and Decibel (Graphy and Noise) are redecos of Slamdance (Grand Slam and Raindance) who are first introduced as exclusive toys from the Transformers: The Headmasters toyline in Japan back in 1987.