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Powerglide (Transformers)
Encyclopedia
Powerglide is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers
series. He first appeared in 1985, and was voiced by Michael Chain in the animated The Transformers series.
)'s original bio characterized him as somewhat of a show-off. He is one of the few Autobot
s able to fly, and takes full advantage of this, using massive bursts of acceleration to outpace his opponents. He also frequently shows off to both his friends and foes, outwitting them with his great maneuverability. He transforms into an A-10 Thunderbolt II Warthog
airplane, but on the ground he is relatively weak. Powerglide's personality and speech pattern is based on the fictional character of Ralph Kramden.
Powerglide was named the 18th top unfortunately named Transformer by Topless Robot.
was captured by Straxus
, Powerglide rescued him, although it was too late for Blaster's friend Scrounge. Later, he was part of the group that went to save the captive scientist Spanner. Accompanying the others to blow up the Decepticon base, they were horrified to discover that the Decepticons had built Spanner into the Space Bridge itself. Destroying the Bridge as a mercy-killing, Poweglide and his comrades (Beachcomber, Blaster, Cosmos
, Perceptor, Seaspray
and Warpath), with no chance of escaping to Cybertron, crossed the bridge to Earth.
After an attack by Megatron, they were then captured by Circuit Breaker
and her Rapid Anti-Robot Attack Team, taken to her lab and then dissected After capturing the Aerialbots
she encountered a new problem - the Decepticon Battlechargers Runabout
and Runamuck
were causing mayhem across America. Using the parts from all the captured Autobots she created a giant Autobot with herself in control, striking a deal with them that if they would co-operate she would let them go. Circuit Breaker then used them to battle the two Decepticons, who were attacking the Statue of Liberty
. After defeating the Decepticons with Circuit Breaker the Autobots were released.
After a side-adventure in the U.K. comics in which they encountered (and were almost killed by) the future Decepticon Galvatron
, Powerglide's group linked up with the main Autobots - only to learn of the death of Optimus Prime
.
In a subsequent attack, he was injured by the giant Decepticon Trypticon
.
When Grimlock
's regime became ever more tyrannical, Powerglide was one of those who welcomed Blaster back to the fold.
Although Powerglide was not seen to be deactivated during the Underbase powered Starscream
's rampage, he last appeared in issue 60, Yesterday's Heroes. (His appearance was on a viewscreen showing Autobots deactivated during an Underbase-powered Starscream's assault on the Earth.)
In the episode "A Prime Problem", Powerglide was seen saving Spike after Megatron threw him from his ship, with no explanation of his origin. He went on to make regular appearances, seemingly replacing Skyfire
as the Autobot aerial support. Powerglide seems to have a real superiority complex as he calls himself "Sophisticated", "Ace of the Air", and "Sultan of the Sky."
He had many adventures, including being shot down by a teleporting Skywarp
("The Master Builders"), acting as a "giant evil alien" in a Hollywood film ("Hoist Goes Hollywood"), delivering the miniaturized Perceptor
, Brawn
and Bumblebee
to knock out the Heart of Cybertron within Megatron ("Micro-bots"), and travelling to Cybertron to save Optimus Prime and battle the Decepticons alongside the female Autobots, where he was reunited with his long lost love Moonracer
("The Search for Alpha Trion").
Powerglide's largest role was in episode 54, "The Girl Who Loved Powerglide", where he thwarts an attempted Decepticon kidnapping of a young CEO named Astoria
Carlton Ritz
, who falls for Powerglide. Powerglide despised the spoilt rich girl, as she soon proved her talent for jinxing machinery. However, after she revealed that she was only chairman due to her father's death after he inadvertently touched her locket, he began to warm to the human - only to have her kidnapped by Dirge
, Thrust
and Ramjet
. Powerglide set off to rescue her, but ran into trouble with the Decepticons newest weapon, which could create energy storms. Seeing his plight, Astoria threw her locket (containing the formula Megatron was after) into the Decepticon beacon, causing their floating base to crash, although Powerglide managed to rescue Astoria and redirect the base onto the Decepticons' underwater headquarters. After the two parted ways following their adventure, Powerglide revealed in secrecy that the circuits inside his chest lit up in the shape of a heart.
He did not appear in The Transformers: The Movie
, but did appear in several episodes of the television series set after the movie. His last appearance was in " The Ghost In The Machine".
The animation model for Powerglide is shown alongside Skyfire
being destroyed in Dark Awakening. It's almost certain that those models were used as inspiration for generic Autobot aircraft, as the footage is accidentally used twice and given the fact that the size of the destroyed models is much bigger than Powerglide.
Interestingly, Powerglide is never seen in the any of the episodes that feature the Aerialbots.
was killed by Decepticon leader Megatron, a new Autobot leader, Optimus Prime, was chosen. Optimus ordered the evacuation of Cybertron by the Autobots, and Powerglide was among those who reluctantly prepared for the evacuation (Transformers: War Within #2). When Shockwave
led a force of Decepticons against the Autobot capitol of Iacon, Powerglide was among the Autobots who defended the capitol (Transformers: War Within #3).
After the Great Shutdown, Powerglide was reformatted in the form of an Earth jet.
When Optimus Prime returned to Cybertron accused of crimes, Powerglide was among the Autobots who joined Optimus in overthrowing the rule of Shockwave.
Following the liberation of Cybertron from Shockwave’s rule, Bumblebee was assigned to help reinforce Jazz’s team on Earth. Bumblebee was placed in command of the Autobot supply shuttle Orion, with Powerglide, Seaspray, Cosmos, Warpath, Cliffjumper, Bumper and the Powerdashers assigned to him. Their mission was to aid the Autobots on Earth. Upon arriving in the Earth system from transwarp space, they witnessed the arrival of Sunstorm
. (Transformers: Generation One III #1). They attempted to stop the rampaging Seeker clone, but Poweglide was among those deactivated by his power. He would not appear again before Dreamwave's bankruptcy.
Powerglide is afraid of heights and prefers to fly low to the ground.
.
Transformers
A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another by magnetic coupling.Transformer may also refer to:* ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, an Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablet computer manufacturer by Asus...
series. He first appeared in 1985, and was voiced by Michael Chain in the animated The Transformers series.
Transformers: Generation 1
Powerglide (Jumbo in ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
)'s original bio characterized him as somewhat of a show-off. He is one of the few Autobot
Autobot
Autobot, a faction of sentient robots from the planet Cybertron, are usually the main protagonists in the fictional universe of the Transformers, a collection of various toys, graphic novels, paperback books, cartoons and movies first introduced in 1984. In all but one Transformer story, the...
s able to fly, and takes full advantage of this, using massive bursts of acceleration to outpace his opponents. He also frequently shows off to both his friends and foes, outwitting them with his great maneuverability. He transforms into an A-10 Thunderbolt II Warthog
A-10 Thunderbolt II
The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat, twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic in the early 1970s. The A-10 was designed for a United States Air Force requirement to provide close air support for ground forces by attacking tanks,...
airplane, but on the ground he is relatively weak. Powerglide's personality and speech pattern is based on the fictional character of Ralph Kramden.
Powerglide was named the 18th top unfortunately named Transformer by Topless Robot.
Marvel Comics
Powerglide was originally part of an Autobot group in the "Dead End" region of Cybertron. When BlasterBlaster (Transformers)
Blaster is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers television and comic series based on the popular toy line produced by Takara Tomy and Hasbro. Due to trademark reasons, he is sometimes called Autobot Blaster...
was captured by Straxus
Straxus
Lord Straxus is a fictional character from the Transformers series. A toy based on his Marvel comic appearance was released in 2010 under the name Darkmount.-Marvel Comics:Straxus was the Decepticon governor of a province of Cybertron known as Polyhex...
, Powerglide rescued him, although it was too late for Blaster's friend Scrounge. Later, he was part of the group that went to save the captive scientist Spanner. Accompanying the others to blow up the Decepticon base, they were horrified to discover that the Decepticons had built Spanner into the Space Bridge itself. Destroying the Bridge as a mercy-killing, Poweglide and his comrades (Beachcomber, Blaster, Cosmos
Cosmos (Transformers)
Cosmos is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. He is sometimes referred to as "Autobot Cosmos" for trademark purposes.Wired Magazine once nominated him as one of the 12 most ridiculous Transformers of all time....
, Perceptor, Seaspray
Seaspray (Transformers)
Seaspray is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers series. They are all Autobot hovercrafts. In later toys he is called "Sea Spray."-Transformers: Generation 1:...
and Warpath), with no chance of escaping to Cybertron, crossed the bridge to Earth.
After an attack by Megatron, they were then captured by Circuit Breaker
Circuit Breaker (Transformers)
Circuit Breaker is a fictional comic book character in the 1980s Marvel Comics Transformers series.-Fictional character biography:After being severely injured in a raid for Earth oil by the Decepticon Shockwave, computer genius Josie Beller was left paralyzed in both legs and one arm...
and her Rapid Anti-Robot Attack Team, taken to her lab and then dissected After capturing the Aerialbots
Aerialbots
The Aerialbots are a group of Autobots that transform into aircraft and combine to form the giant robot Superion. They were introduced into the Transformers toyline in 1985 and sold as a Superion gift set, and then sold separately in 1986 in most department stores...
she encountered a new problem - the Decepticon Battlechargers Runabout
Runabout (Transformers)
-Transformers: Generation 1:The first Runabout formed one half of the Battlecharger duo with Runamuck. Runabout is not the brains of the Battlechargers, but he is much calmer and certainly more articulate than Runamuck, and his presence helps keep the latter's cross-wired mind on task...
and Runamuck
Runamuck (Transformers)
Runamuck is the name of three fictional characters in the various Transformers series. All three are violent Decepticons who turn into cars. In the original Transformers animated series Runabout was voiced by Roger Behr.- Transformers: Generation 1 :...
were causing mayhem across America. Using the parts from all the captured Autobots she created a giant Autobot with herself in control, striking a deal with them that if they would co-operate she would let them go. Circuit Breaker then used them to battle the two Decepticons, who were attacking the Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
. After defeating the Decepticons with Circuit Breaker the Autobots were released.
After a side-adventure in the U.K. comics in which they encountered (and were almost killed by) the future Decepticon Galvatron
Galvatron
Galvatron is the name of several fictional Transformers, most often the recreated version of Megatron, the Decepticon leader. He was voiced by Leonard Nimoy in the 1986 Transformers movie, and then by Frank Welker in season 3 and 4 of the animated television series. Since then, other Transformers...
, Powerglide's group linked up with the main Autobots - only to learn of the death of Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime is a fictional character from the Transformers franchise. Prime is the leader of the autobots, a faction of transforming robots from the planet Cybertron. The autobots are constantly waging war against a rival faction of transforming robots called Decepticons...
.
In a subsequent attack, he was injured by the giant Decepticon Trypticon
Trypticon
Trypticon is a fictional character in the Transformers toyline.-Transformers: Generation 1:Trypticon is the Decepticons' principal command base. He has three modes: a city, a mobile battle station, and a Tyrannosaurus rex. In each mode, he has a variety of weapons...
.
When Grimlock
Grimlock
Grimlock is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers universes. He is usually portrayed as a tough leader who turns into a mechanical dinosaur...
's regime became ever more tyrannical, Powerglide was one of those who welcomed Blaster back to the fold.
Although Powerglide was not seen to be deactivated during the Underbase powered Starscream
Starscream (Transformers)
Starscream is a fictional character in the Transformers franchise. He is one of the most prolific characters in the Transformers fictional work, appearing in almost all incarnations of the story. Starscream is usually portrayed with the same characterization...
's rampage, he last appeared in issue 60, Yesterday's Heroes. (His appearance was on a viewscreen showing Autobots deactivated during an Underbase-powered Starscream's assault on the Earth.)
Animated series
Powerglide first appeared in the episode "Dinobot Island, Part 1".In the episode "A Prime Problem", Powerglide was seen saving Spike after Megatron threw him from his ship, with no explanation of his origin. He went on to make regular appearances, seemingly replacing Skyfire
Jetfire
Jetfire is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers universes. He is nearly always depicted as an Autobot with jet or space shuttle alternate mode.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
as the Autobot aerial support. Powerglide seems to have a real superiority complex as he calls himself "Sophisticated", "Ace of the Air", and "Sultan of the Sky."
He had many adventures, including being shot down by a teleporting Skywarp
Skywarp
Skywarp is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers toy line. He is usually depicted as a black or purple Decepticon jet with teleportation powers.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
("The Master Builders"), acting as a "giant evil alien" in a Hollywood film ("Hoist Goes Hollywood"), delivering the miniaturized Perceptor
Perceptor
Perceptor is the name of several different fictional characters in the Transformers universes.-Transformers: Generation 1:Perceptor transforms into a microscope ....
, Brawn
Brawn (Transformers)
Brawn is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers universes. All are tough Autobots who turn into offroad vehicles.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
and Bumblebee
Bumblebee (Transformers)
Bumblebee is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers universes. In most incarnations, Bumblebee is a small, yellow Autobot with the altmode of a compact car.- Transformers: Generation 1 :...
to knock out the Heart of Cybertron within Megatron ("Micro-bots"), and travelling to Cybertron to save Optimus Prime and battle the Decepticons alongside the female Autobots, where he was reunited with his long lost love Moonracer
Moonracer
- Transformers: Generation 1 :Moonracer is one of Elita One's agents. It is old friends with the Autobot Powerglide.- Animated series :Moonracer is a female Transformer...
("The Search for Alpha Trion").
Powerglide's largest role was in episode 54, "The Girl Who Loved Powerglide", where he thwarts an attempted Decepticon kidnapping of a young CEO named Astoria
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
The Waldorf-Astoria is a luxury hotel in New York. It has been housed in two historic landmark buildings in New York City. The first, designed by architect Henry J. Hardenbergh, was on the Fifth Avenue site of the Empire State Building. The present building at 301 Park Avenue in Manhattan is a...
Carlton Ritz
Ritz-Carlton
The Ritz-Carlton is a brand of luxury hotels and resorts with 75 properties located in major cities and resorts in 24 countries worldwide...
, who falls for Powerglide. Powerglide despised the spoilt rich girl, as she soon proved her talent for jinxing machinery. However, after she revealed that she was only chairman due to her father's death after he inadvertently touched her locket, he began to warm to the human - only to have her kidnapped by Dirge
Dirge (Transformers)
Dirge is the name of several different fictional characters from the Transformers series. He was first introduced in 1985 as a villain in the Transformers series, appearing in the comic book by Marvel Comics and voiced by Bud Davis in the animated television series. Since then the name Dirge was...
, Thrust
Thrust (Transformers)
Thrust is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. The original character was an evil red Decepticon jet, with most of the following character using the name Thrust being a variation on that concept...
and Ramjet
Ramjet (Transformers)
Ramjet is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. All have been Decepticon aligned characters who turn into jets, usually white.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
. Powerglide set off to rescue her, but ran into trouble with the Decepticons newest weapon, which could create energy storms. Seeing his plight, Astoria threw her locket (containing the formula Megatron was after) into the Decepticon beacon, causing their floating base to crash, although Powerglide managed to rescue Astoria and redirect the base onto the Decepticons' underwater headquarters. After the two parted ways following their adventure, Powerglide revealed in secrecy that the circuits inside his chest lit up in the shape of a heart.
He did not appear in The Transformers: The Movie
The Transformers: The Movie
The Transformers: The Movie is a 1986 animated feature film based on the animated series of the same name. It was released in North America on August 8, 1986 and in the UK on December 5, 1986....
, but did appear in several episodes of the television series set after the movie. His last appearance was in " The Ghost In The Machine".
The animation model for Powerglide is shown alongside Skyfire
Jetfire
Jetfire is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers universes. He is nearly always depicted as an Autobot with jet or space shuttle alternate mode.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
being destroyed in Dark Awakening. It's almost certain that those models were used as inspiration for generic Autobot aircraft, as the footage is accidentally used twice and given the fact that the size of the destroyed models is much bigger than Powerglide.
Interestingly, Powerglide is never seen in the any of the episodes that feature the Aerialbots.
Books
Powerglide was featured in the 1985 Find Your Fate Junior book called Battle Drive by Barbara Siegel and Scott Siegel.Dreamwave Productions
When civil war broke out on the planet Cybertron between the Autobots and Decepticons, Powerglide joined the Autobot cause. When Autobot leader Sentinel PrimeSentinel Prime
Sentinel Prime is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers series. First mention of Sentinel Prime was in issue #65 of the US Marvel Comics Transformers series, where he was mentioned to hold the Autobot Matrix of Leadership before Optimus Prime. Sentinel Prime has since...
was killed by Decepticon leader Megatron, a new Autobot leader, Optimus Prime, was chosen. Optimus ordered the evacuation of Cybertron by the Autobots, and Powerglide was among those who reluctantly prepared for the evacuation (Transformers: War Within #2). When Shockwave
Shockwave (Transformers)
Shockwave is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers series. Throughout his incarnations, he is usually distinguished by a laser cannon in lieu of one of his hands and his distinctive face, which is featureless save a single robotic eye...
led a force of Decepticons against the Autobot capitol of Iacon, Powerglide was among the Autobots who defended the capitol (Transformers: War Within #3).
After the Great Shutdown, Powerglide was reformatted in the form of an Earth jet.
When Optimus Prime returned to Cybertron accused of crimes, Powerglide was among the Autobots who joined Optimus in overthrowing the rule of Shockwave.
Following the liberation of Cybertron from Shockwave’s rule, Bumblebee was assigned to help reinforce Jazz’s team on Earth. Bumblebee was placed in command of the Autobot supply shuttle Orion, with Powerglide, Seaspray, Cosmos, Warpath, Cliffjumper, Bumper and the Powerdashers assigned to him. Their mission was to aid the Autobots on Earth. Upon arriving in the Earth system from transwarp space, they witnessed the arrival of Sunstorm
Sunstorm (Transformers)
Sunstorm is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers universes. Sunstorm is always a Decepticon allied jet who is yellow or orange in color.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
. (Transformers: Generation One III #1). They attempted to stop the rampaging Seeker clone, but Poweglide was among those deactivated by his power. He would not appear again before Dreamwave's bankruptcy.
Toys
- Generation 1 Mini-Vehicle Powerglide (1985)
- The toy version of Powerglide was released by HasbroHasbroHasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
from 1985 through 1986 as a Mini-Vehicle, placing him in the same general size category as BumblebeeBumblebee (Transformers)Bumblebee is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers universes. In most incarnations, Bumblebee is a small, yellow Autobot with the altmode of a compact car.- Transformers: Generation 1 :...
, Beachcomber, and HufferHuffer (Transformers)Huffer is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. All are Autobots who turn into trucks. Huffer was first introduced in 1984, and was voiced by John Stephenson in the animated series The Transformers....
. - This Mini-Bot sized toy was later redecoed into the eHobby exclusive Decepticon Bad Boy.
- Classic Legends Fireflight (2007)
- The Micro series of Transformers contains a repaint of Micro Jetfire painted red and named FireflightFireflight (Transformers)Fireflight is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers franchise. They are all Autobots who turn into jets.-Transformers: Generation 1:Fireflight first appeared as a member of the Aerialbots...
. According to Hasbro sources at BotConBotConBotCon, briefly known as "The Official Transformers Collectors' Convention" , is an annual convention for Transformers fans and collectors. BotCon has been held annually since 1994...
2006 this toy was originally intended to be called Powerglide, but they couldn't clear the Powerglide name with the legal department in time for release of the toy.- Universe Classic Series Ultra Powerglide (2008)
- An Ultra Class figure. Though the head and body highly resemble Generation 1 Powerglide, his color scheme has been changed to be more white/grey dominate with red details. The wingspan of this figure is 23.5 centimeters while a real A-10 has a wingspan of 1753 centimeters, placing the figure at 1/76 scale. With the robot mode standing at 21.5 centimeters tall, Powerglide in real life would stand about 1634 centimeters (53 feet 7 inches) tall. In an homage to the G1 episode "The Girl Who Loved Powerglide", Powerglide's chest plate can be flipped up to reveal the raised image of a heart.
- The mold for this figure was also used for the Decepticon Stormcloud.
- Universe Classic Series Ultra Powerglide (Takara Tomy) (2008)
- The Japanese version of the Universe Ultra figure by Takara TomyTakara Tomyis a Japanese toy, children's merchandise and entertainment company created from the March 2006 merger of two companies: Tomy and long-time rival, Takara...
is repainted in the cartoon accurate red while retaining the Hasbro version's decals. Released in Japan as a "USA Edition", retaining the original Hasbro packaging. The fact that the original toy was red with grey arms has led to the fan practice of purchasing both the Hasbro and Takara Tomy versions of the toys and putting the Universe arms on the Takara Tomy body, making a toy more accurate to the original than either one by itself. The remaining parts - a white/grey body with red arms - are often used to represent the Autobot Micromaster Hot House.- Universe Generation 1 Series Ultra Powerglide (2009)
- A Walmart exclusive red redeco of the Universe Ultra figure, making him more cartoon-accurate. This figure differs from the Japanese version, wherein the red color is in a brighter shade, the cockpit frame is painted in white instead of black and the decals are different.
Transformers: Timelines
Powerglide is a mirror universe duplicate of the Generation 1 character. He is one of Optimus Prime's evil Autobots. He is a member of Remote Patrol Six, under the command of Kup.Powerglide is afraid of heights and prefers to fly low to the ground.
Fun Publications
Powerglide appears as a member of the Autobots in the story Do Over by Fun PublicationsFun Publications
Fun Publications is a publishing company that runs the Transformers Collectors Club and G.I. Joe Collectors Club under licensefrom Hasbro. Besides releasing comics, Fun Publications releases exclusive toys and runs conventions for their clubs....
.
Transformers Animated
In Transformers Animated, a character resembling Powerglide appeared in a crowd scene at the end of "Decepticon Air". He was later confirmed to be Powerglide by the show's creators, who said he turns into a treaded ground vehicle, as most Autobots in this series do not fly.Transformers: Dark of the Moon
This Powerglide is based on his Generation 1 character.Toys
- Dark of the Moon
- A new Commander mold of Powerglide that comes with gun that forms missiles in vehicle mode.