Wheeljack

Wheeljack is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes.

Transformers: Generation 1

Transformers character
name =Wheeljack
japanname =


caption =Wheeljack by Dreamwave Productions
affiliation =Autobot
subgroup =Autobot Cars, Lightning Strike Coalition, Action Masters, Spy Changers
rank =
function =Mechanical Engineer
partner =
motto ="Never do what your enemy expects you to do."
alternatemodes =Cybertronian Car
1973 Lancia Stratos Turbo
1987 Porsche 962
2006 Ford Mustang
series =



voiceby =Chris Latta (English)
Osamu Saka (Japanese)

Wheeljack (Saetta in Italy, and Kerék (which simply means Wheel) in the Hungarian translation of the early comics) is the scientist (and warrior) of the Autobots in the Transformers television and comic series based on the popular toy line produced by Takara and Hasbro. His vehicle mode is a Lancia Stratos Turbo racing car.

Wheeljack is described as the mad scientist of the Autobot forces as he is always inventing new weapons and gadgets. These weapons and gadgets, while derived from the desire to benefit the Autobot cause, often bring great danger and introduce unpredictable elements into critical situations. He is the most accomplished driver (while in car mode) among the Autobots and enjoys displaying his skill level through various road stunts. Wheeljack possesses the ability to fly for relatively short distances (800 miles) using solid-fuel rockets in his arms. From his shoulder mounted cannons, Wheeljack can shoot magnetic inducer, shrapnel-needle, and gyro-inhibitor shells which can disrupt a target's sense of balance. He is often his own worst enemy due to the explosive and potentially damaging nature of his experiments.

Animated Series

Wheeljack, who was voiced by Chris Latta, was the first Transformer ever shown in the G1 cartoon series. Also, his is one of the few Cybertronian vehicle forms shown - in his case, a boxy vanlike vehicle. His robot form is distinguished by large bulbs on either side of his head that light up when he speaks. In most episodes, he was seldom seen at the front lines in battle - but he was often fundamental to the plot. He, and the Autobot medic Ratchet occasionally, in cooperation with the human Sparkplug Witwicky were often shown working together creating various devices, weaponry, and even additional Autobots. Often, these devices were sought and sometimes obtained by the Decepticons and used against the Autobots. In the episode "The Immobilizer", he created a device capable of "immobilizing" anything and Decepticon forces were able to capture and use the device against the Autobots.

Wheeljack was the primary architect of the Dinobots, although they rarely seemed to have any particular affinity for him. Along with Ratchet he also helped to create the Aerialbots out of old Cybertronian shuttles. As the series progressed, Wheeljack's responsibilities were increasingly taken on by the Autobot scientist Perceptor.

In "", set in the year 2005, Wheeljack was assigned to Autobot City on Earth. Wheeljack was killed in the invasion of Autobot City by Megatron’s forces, and his injured or possibly deceased body dragged to cover by Arcee. In the storyboards for the movie, it is Smokescreen, not Wheeljack, who lies dead, and Wheeljack himself can be seen alive amidst Devastator's attack. It is also worth noting that Wheeljack's (and Windcharger's) body does not change colour to a grey black colour associated with Transformers when they die. Wheeljack has an anomalous appearance in "Transformers: Victory".

In fact Wheeljack appeared among the Autobots in the U.S. animated toy commercials, for example, joining Optimus Prime in becoming an Action Master.

Wheeljack made a cameo in the pilot of the series on a historical video being viewed by Optimus Prime. This historical video was stock footage from the original animated series.

Transformers: Victory

Wheeljack made an appearance in 1989, in the later series "Transformers: Victory" in Japan. Wheeljack, along with Perceptor and Minerva were called upon to save God Ginrai, who they converted into Victory Leo. The general explanation for this errorFact|date=June 2008 (and similar ones perpetrated with other characters in the earlier series, "Transformers: Headmasters") is that the Japanese animators and writers were not fully aware of which characters were alive or dead at the time, as "The Transformers: The Movie" had not yet been released in Japan although the movie had been released the year previous to Victory's production.

Marvel Comics

Wheeljack was one of the original Autobot Transformers, making his first appearance in issue 1 of the original Marvel Comics "Transformers" series. In the initial four issue limited series produced by Marvel, Wheeljack was part of Prime’s elite crew that crash landed on Earth.ref|WheeljackFirstMarvel Wheeljack existed as more of a background character through much of the series, with an early co-starring role in issue #9 when he & Jazz went to negotiate with G. B. Blackrock and battled Starscream, Frenzy and Circuit Breaker.

In issue #32, titled "Used Autobots", Wheeljack completed work on his Geothermal Generator, which used the heat from the volcano the Ark had crashed in to generate energon cubes. Although Wheeljack thought this would impress Grimlock by reducing their dependence on human help, Grimlock seemed to think the Autobots should just take what they need from the humans.

In issue #36, Wheeljack called his old friend Sky Lynx for help in order to save a group of human kids from Grimlock. Grimlock attempted to use the children as blackmail against Blaster, who was defecting from the Autobots. Shortly after, Wheeljack was severely injured in a Decepticon attack in issue 41. He and many other Autobots were later revived by Grimlock using "Nucleon" in issue 75 and hesitant to advise battling against Unicron in their recently revived state. Wheeljack met another end at the hands of the Decepticons in issue 80, but was restored by the "Last Autobot". He appeared sporadically as part of the Autobot forces in the G2 comic.

In the Marvel U.K. comics he was one of five injured Autobots who were accidentally reactivated by Galvatron when he probed their dreams looking for possible troops; it was revealed that soon after Jetfire was given life by the Matrix, Wheeljack almost betrayed him to the Decepticons in return for technology and felt shame over this. He and Prowl were able to sucker-punch Galvatron, whom Wheeljack despised for his massacres during the Time Wars.

He later noted, along with Prowl, about how he missed the old days of non-gimmick based Transformer battles and that he was feeling outdated. Unfortunately he would soon get more than he bargained for as he and the other Earthforce members encountered Megatron, Shockwave and their "original" Decepticons as members of the Autobot Earthforce unit. Wheeljack worked as Earthforce's engineer, creating a powerful defensive system - unfortunately, it could only be turned off from the inside and he'd taken everyone outside to show it to them! Apart from that mistake, he worked well. He was responsible for thwarting Mindwipe's plot to brainwash humanity via nightlights, and repairing Tracks.

Wheeljack was severely damaged by the Quintessons in the six-part future arc "Space Pirates".

Dreamwave Productions

Wheeljack was a scientist turned soldier on Cybertron at the dawn of the Autobot and Decepticon civil war. He was under Grimlock's command during the disastrous battle of Altihex and once again in a mission to rescue Optimus Prime in Cybertron's depths. When Megatron and Optimus disappeared in an accident with a space bridge, the Autobot and Decepticon forces splintered into smaller factions, and Wheeljack joined Grimlock's command once more in the Lightning Strike Coalition.

Wheeljack was among the Autobots commanded by Optimus Prime in the Ark mission, crashing deactivated on Earth and reawakening in Earth forms in 1984. Following initial Decepticon defeat and the explosion of the Ark II, the Autobots were deactivated and lost in the ocean. Wheeljack was among those reactivated by Optimus in 2002 and was part of a small task force lead by Jazz assigned to stop the spread of Megatron’s deadly metal virus in the Canadian Northwest territories. Wheeljack was temporarily deactivated once more, using all his power to neutralise the virus.

When a Cybertronian task force came to arrest the Earth-bound Transformers in 2003, Wheeljack was once more placed under Jazz's command was one of the few Autobots left on Earth to guard the Ark. Later in the year, Starscream and the Combaticons launched a vicious assault that left Wheeljack deactivated. He was retrieved and repaired by the Earth Defense Command, and later rejoined the other Autobots to be shown the site of construction for the new Autobot City.

Devil's Due Publishing

In this crossover series with , the Ark, along with the Autobots and Decepticons within, is discovered by Cobra, who turn both factions into robotic drones to do their bidding. Wheeljack and Bumblebee managed to escape discovery, and are awakened when Cobra seals the ship. The two of them hide out in plain sight, until they managed to get in the middle of a battle between Transformer-augmented Cobra forces and G.I. Joe, the elite combat unit recently formed to battle Cobra. Throwing their lot in with the Joes, Wheeljack gained access to an emergency signal that had been released into the net by Optimus Prime, and was able to not only track down Cobra's hidden island base, but also awaken all the Transformers, both Autobot and Decepticon, and free them from Cobra's control.

With the situation on Cobra island quickly turning into a three-way battle, Wheeljack and Bumblebee planned to join the Joes to assault the island, rondevous with the other Autobots, and together take down both Cobra and the Decepticons. However, a group of US generals had other plans: the Joes were to disable Wheeljack and Bumblebee and take them to Area 51 for study, while the island would be destroyed by nuclear weapons. Commander Hawk reluctantly complied, hitting them with an EMP device, but Wheeljack was able to maintain consciousness long enough to warn the Joes that a nuclear explosion would have a cataclysmic reaction with the Energon Cobra sought to synthesize. With the fate of the world at stake, the Joes disobeyed their orders and went with their original plan. On the island, Wheeljack, with the help of Bumblebee and a large force of Joes, managed to take down the mighty Devastator, and helped Mainframe and Doctor Mindbender stop the nuclear missiles from destroying the island, and a good portion of the earth as well.

IDW Publishing

In IDW Publishing's new mini-series, Wheeljack is part of an infiltration unit consisting of Ratchet, Ironhide, Jazz, Bumblebee and Sunstreaker, led by Prowl. He has not played a major role thus far, other than to accompany the other Autobots to the Decepticon base to watch the duel between Megatron and a super-powered Starscream.

In , when Sunstreaker is presumed destroyed by the Machination, Wheeljack and Jazz tracked them to their base - only to be temporarily disabled by the Machination's advanced weaponry. After this he accompanied Prime to Brasnya to hunt down Megatron and his human facsimile - only to wind up in battle with Skywarp and Astrotrain. He and Jazz put Skywarp to flight, but the Decepticon promised to return with reinforcements. They then confronted Megatron (who had nearly killed Optimus Prime). On Prime's orders, they focused fire on Megatron long enough for Prime to recover and drive off the Decepticon leader, although they were prevented from dealing a killing blow by the appearance of Skywarp and Thundercracker.

In , both Wheeljack and Hot Rod were given the assignment of stopping a wounded Ironhide from being pneumatically compacted at a junkyard in Warsaw. While both Autobots were en route to save their comrade, they were intercepted by Headmaster versions of Sunstreaker created by the Mechination.

Toys

*Generation 1 Wheeljack (1984):The toy that was to become the Autobot Wheeljack was originally released as part of the Japanese Diaclone series by Takara. He was later released in 1984 by Hasbro in the U.S. According to a panel discussion at BotCon 2005, the original Wheeljack mold is "no longer available," and is most likely destroyed, limiting the likelihood of a future reissue of the toy.

*Generation 1 Action Master Wheeljack (1990):In 1990 Wheeljack was released as an Action Master toy, driving his own invention - the Turbo racer, a car that transforms into a jet. :Action Master Wheeljack was later repainted as the Decepticon Slicer.

*Universe Spy Changer Wheeljack (2004):Wheeljack would appear again in the Transformers: Universe toy line as a Spy Changer toy, a repaint of Robots In Disguise Daytonus (who was in turn based on an unused Generation 2 Go-Bot mold), in the colors of the original Generation One Wheeljack. He turns into a Porsche 962. Two packaging versions of this toy existed - a Kaybee version which did not attribute the toy to Universe (the packaging resembled latter-year "Armada" packaging, but with no subtitle under the "Transformers" name) and was packaged in vehicle form, and a version for discount stores which did and was packaged in robot mode. The Universe storyline has yet to feature Wheeljack in this form. :Wheeljack is a genius at combining throw-away objects into incredibly effective weapons. He is also a spectacular driver who never passes up a chance to show off his high-speed prowess. Arsenal includes a magnetic inducer sheel, gyro inhibitor and an ever-changing array of new gadgets.

*Alternators Wheeljack (2005):In an alternate Generation 1 timeline based on the Binaltech/Alternators toy line, the events of "Transformers: The Movie" did not occur due to temporal manipulation by the Decepticon Ravage. After an encounter with Ravage during which the Decepticon showed him a window into the future where Wheeljack and his comrades were destroyed. Using this knowledge, Wheeljack escaped his fate on Autobot City and converted his body using the Binaltech process into a white 'street tuned' Ford Mustang, a retooled version of Grimlock. In his new body, he possesses enhanced strength, defenses and he is also equipped with the "GT" system. Wheeljack is only the second Binaltech Autobot following Smokescreen GT to actually make use of the "GT" technology as part of the "Body Shop" project. The GT technology allows Wheeljack to control several doubles of himself. Currently, the storyline has Wheeljack faced with the dilemma of stopping Ravage - and therefore guaranteeing his own destruction - or saving himself and risking the future.

Transformers: Armada

Transformers character
name =Wheeljack
japanname =Rampage


caption =
affiliation =Decepticon
subgroup =Deluxe Vehicles
rank =6
function =Warrior
partner =Windsheer (Hawk)
motto ="Answers are only found in the fight."
alternatemodes =Car
series =
voiceby =The name Wheeljack was reused in "Transformers: Armada", this time for a Decepticon.

Animated series

Wheeljack (Rampage in Japan) was formerly an Autobot serving in the same company as Hot Shot on Cybertron. When they were both caught in a conflagration on the battle field, and Wheeljack was pinned beneath debris, Hot Shot was forced to leave him to get him help, but was prevented from returning to his friend's side by his commander. Wheeljack believed that Hot Shot had abandoned him, and when Megatron found and rescued him, he swore loyalty to the Decepticon commander. As a result of damage inflicted either on the battle field or by the debris, Wheeljack's Autobot insignia had been slashed through. In an act of symbolism, he kept that same insignia on his chest, even once he had switched to the Decepticon cause. However, he does have a small Decepticon insignia under his Autobot insignia. In the present day, Wheeljack arrived on Earth around the same time as the Autobot, Side Swipe, and baited Hot Shot into a fiery face-off, forcing them to relive the past and put their issues to rest so they could go on to battle as enemies. Hot Shot won the day, and something inside Wheeljack seemed to soften, as, when both factions returned to Cybertron, he granted Hot Shot an audience with Megatron (now Galvatron), and worked closely and faithfully with him during the Unicron Battles and survives. Wheeljack transforms into a sports car, and possesses the power of teleportation. Additionally, he can create illusionary duplicates of himself. His toy is partnered with the Mini-Con Wind Sheer (Hawk), who does not appear in this capacity in the animated series. The toy also includes two missiles, which Wheeljack can hold in his hands in robot mode. Though these are seemingly intended as batons, Wheeljack does not often use them for melee combat in the animated series, as they appear to be blasters as well.

It is worth nothing that the character Sideways has a similar appearance to Generation 1 Wheeljack in his robot form.

Dreamwave Productions

Wheeljack had a brief cameo in issue 12 of the "Armada" comic from Dreamwave Productions, being one of those guarding Megatron's rocket base in the desert.

Armada Wheeljack appeared in the "Transformers: Energon" comic series. Wheeljack would appear only once before Dreamwave folded, albeit in flashback, in Transformers: Energon #30. In this flashback we would see Scorponok leading Wheeljack Thundercracker, Predacon, Terrorsaur and Skywarp against the Autobots in an unspecified battle on Cybertron. In Megatron’s battle barge, Starscream warned Megatron to watch out for Scorponok as Thrust, Cyclonus and Demolishor piloted the barge.

Armada Wheeljack also was set to appear in the unreleased issue 31 of the "Transformers: Energon" comic series.

Toys

*Micron Densetsu Rampage with Hawk:The Japanese version of the figure which would become Armada Wheeljack came not only with his Mini-Con Windsheer (Hawk), but the Takara version of the Air Assault Team.

*Armada Wheeljack with Windsheer (2003):Wheeljack was represented as a grey, yellow and white sports car in his Armada incarnation. He came with a Mini-Con (Windsheer, based on an F-117 Nighthawk) which linked to him via his roof and enabled his gull-wing doors to open. The doors contained missiles which could be fired when the doors were opened. As in the cartoon, the Autobot insignia on the car bonnet is sliced through (revealing circuitry underneath) with a small Decepticon logo underneath. He also has a Decepticon logo on his arm. Wheeljack is regarded as one of the best toys in the Armada line. [cite web|url=http://www.transformertoys.co.uk/toyreview.php?review=621|title=Armada Wheeljack Testshot] :This toy was later redecoed into a figure, but this figure named Drench was never released. Prototypes were seen on web sites before it was canceled.

Transformers: Energon

Wheeljack is the Japanese name of the Autobot Downshift, who greatly resembles the Generation One Wheeljack. It is generally assumed Fact|date=January 2008 that Energon ("Transformers: Superlink" in Japan)'s Wheeljack/Downshift is neither the same character as the Autobot deserter Wheeljack, nor the Mini-Con Downshift from "Armada".

Energon's Downshift is carried over to "Transformers: Cybertron", as an early 1970s era muscle car based on either a 1970-74 Plymouth Barracuda, or 1970-71 Dodge Challenger who again turns into an homage of Wheeljack.

2007 Transformers film

According to an interview with producer Tom DeSanto published in issue #15 of the Transformers Collectors Club Magazine the original lineup pitched for the Autobots in the live action Transformers film was Optimus Prime, Arcee, Jazz, Ironhide, Prowl, Ratchet, Wheeljack and Bumblebee.

Transformers: Autobots

The player's main Autobot tells Bumblebee that Wheeljack gave him an upgrade to hold a large number of alternate forms.

Transformers: The Game PSP

Wheeljack is a playable character who transforms as a sports car similar to his G1 incarnation.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Wheeljack is rumored to appear in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, supposedly as an Saab Aero-X. [http://www.saabhistory.com/2008/04/01/saab-aero-x-debuts-in-transformers-sequel-2009/]

Transformers: Timelines

Transformers character
name =Wheeljack


caption =
affiliation =Autobot
subgroup =
function =
motto =
alternatemodes =
series =
engvoice =
japanvoice =An evil version of Wheeljack was mentioned in the Transformers Collectors Club fiction "Dungeons & Dinobots", printed in the Transformers Collectors Club magazine issue #22.

References

* Macchio, Ralph, Bill Mantlo (w), Springer, Frank (p) and DeMulder, Kim (i). "The Transformers." The Transformers v1 #1 (Sep. 1984), Marvel Comics.
* Sarracini, Chris (w), Lee, Pat (p) and Armstrong, Rob, Erik Sander (i). "Prime Directive." The Transformers: Generation One v1 #1-6 (Mar.-Sep. 2002), Dreamwave Productions.
* Mick, Brad (w), Lee, Pat (p) and Armstrong, Rob (i). "War and Peace." The Transformers: Generation One v2 #1-6 (Apr.-Sep. 2003), Dreamwave Productions.

External links

* [http://www.tfu.info/1984/Autobot/Wheeljack/wheeljack.htm tfu.info's page] on the original toy, which also contains links to other toy incarnations of Wheeljack.
* [http://www.seibertron.com/toys/gallery.php?id=115&size=0&start=0 Gallery] of Generation One Wheeljack
* [http://www.seibertron.com/toys/gallery.php?id=559&size=0&start=0 Gallery] of Alternators Wheeljack
* [http://transformers.wikia.com/wiki/Wheeljack Wheeljack at Teletraan 1]