Reflector (Transformers)
Encyclopedia
Reflector is the name of three Decepticon
characters from the fictional Transformers
toy range and associated universe. Their names are Viewfinder, Spectro, and Spyglass. The can combine into one robot on several occasions. In the "Shattered Glass" storyline, Reflector is one character instead of three.
), Reflector was sized to fit the hands of children. It featured a working, if weak, magnifying lens, housed in the central of the three robots, Viewfinder. The names of the other two robots are Spectro and Spyglass.
The toy was only available by mail order in 1986, the recipient of the product having provided both monetary payment and a number of 'Robot Points' clipped from other Transformers packages, and coincided with the 1985 Transformers catalogue (see List of Decepticons).
cartoon, Reflector was depicted as a gestalt in robot mode, speaking with the same voice, and moving in unison. Reflector had very few significant action roles in Season 1 (1984–85), mostly serving as part of the overall Decepticon forces, and was rarely ever seen in Season 2 (1985–86), seemingly phased out as more Decepticon toys were introduced. In those few episodes in which Reflector did have a role, it was as a spy, and the character seemed to be at the bottom of the Decepticon pecking order
. Reflector is seen briefly in some The Transformers: The Movie
(1986) scenes, such as during the attack on Autobot City; and during Unicron's
attack on Cybertron, characters bearing resemblance to the Reflector robots are seen running to man the defenses of the planet. However the character is never seen in subsequent seasons, for that possible reason (this is the reason Shockwave was never seen after the movie). Three additional Reflector units were shown in the initial episodes, at least one displaying an individual personality distinct from the typical Reflector unit (when shuttling energon to Cybertron through the Space Bridge). Subsequent episodes periodically showed an individual Reflector unit, while the actual Reflector constituted three drones working in unison in episodes they had appeared in.
Despite the three components having different appearances as a toy in robot modes, the three Reflector robots had a near-identical appearance in the cartoon: their bodies were primarily based on Spectro's robot mode, but with Viewfinder's chest and color scheme (although only one of them, appropriately, had a lens assembly in his torso).
's second Generation One mini-series. Here, he was a soldier of Shockwave
, assigned to spy on Cybertron and all its inhabitants (Autobot or Decepticon) from a special computer network so that Shockwave could maintain absolute power without appearing to be actively spying on anyone. He was killed by Starscream
as a show of force to Soundwave.
Reflector also appeared in the iBooks trilogy written by David Cian, set somewhat in continuity with the Dreamwave G1 universe. In the first book, Hardwired, they are part of the Decepticons on Earth and, after Megatron's disappearance and Skywarp
's defeat by Starscream, joined Starscream's leadership to save their own necks. This seemingly marks a continuity error with the Dreamwave series, as it is established in the second miniseries that Reflector was on Cybertron during the time of the battles on Earth. However, the second book, Annihilation, resolved this by noting that the Cybertron-bound Reflector was a copy of the real one – the Earthen one. It is notable here that Reflector's three components all have separate personalities.
, being ordered by Megatron to assist Dr Mindbender in stockpiling Energon. They did not appear after this, so it is possible they were deactivated or killed on the island. Here the three drones resembled their cartoon appearance.
In the third series Reflector would appear again (this time in a toy accurate form) as part of the Decepticon army under Serpentor
. Delivered by Menasor, they delivered Serpentor's ultimatum to Optimus Prime
, although they were attacked by Jetfire
. With Serpentor's defeat their fate is unknown.
debut in the Spotlight issue on Wheelie
, once again in a cartoon accurate form. Having crashed their ship on a deserted planet , killing Viewfinder, Spectro and Spyglass captured a shapeshifting alien for the sheer pleasure of torturing it. After its escape was engineered by Wheelie in an effort to get to their ship, the Decepticons pursued it but appeared once again as Wheelie and the alien attempted to flee the planet in a rocket, wounding Varta. Wheelie let them take the rocket to save the alien's life. However, Wheelie had sabotaged the rocket and it exploded, taking the Decepticons with it.
n propaganda
film called Solar Adventure (로보트왕 썬샤크 Roboteuwang Sseonsyakeu) along with Whirl
as they fight Kim Il-sung
and the Korean People's Army
, which has teamed up with evil aliens. Reflector also appears in another Korean cartoon called Robot Sutachangar 7.
Decepticon
The Decepticons are usually depicted as the antagonists in the fictional universes of the Transformers stoyline and related comics and cartoons, and the enemies of the Autobots and the University of California Davis Aggies...
characters from the fictional Transformers
Transformers (toy line)
The is a line of toys produced by the American toy company Hasbro. The Transformers toyline was created from toy molds mostly produced by Japanese company Takara in the toylines Diaclone and Microman. Other toy molds from other companies such as Bandai were used as well...
toy range and associated universe. Their names are Viewfinder, Spectro, and Spyglass. The can combine into one robot on several occasions. In the "Shattered Glass" storyline, Reflector is one character instead of three.
Transformers: Generation 1
Reflector comprises three separate robots which together transform into one hand-held camera. Like other Transformers which converted into household (mock) electronic applicances (e.g. SoundwaveSoundwave (Transformers)
Soundwave is the name of several characters in the various series Transformers series. His most famous disguise is that of a microcassette recorder and has an iconic voice done by a vocoder.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
), Reflector was sized to fit the hands of children. It featured a working, if weak, magnifying lens, housed in the central of the three robots, Viewfinder. The names of the other two robots are Spectro and Spyglass.
The toy was only available by mail order in 1986, the recipient of the product having provided both monetary payment and a number of 'Robot Points' clipped from other Transformers packages, and coincided with the 1985 Transformers catalogue (see List of Decepticons).
Reception
He was picked as the 8th worst Transformer of all time by X-Entertainment.http://www.x-entertainment.com/messages/547.htmlAnimated series
In the Transformers Generation 1The Transformers (TV series)
The Transformers is an animated television series depicting a war among giant robots who could transform into vehicles, other objects and animal-like forms. Written and recorded in America, the series was animated in Japan and South Korea...
cartoon, Reflector was depicted as a gestalt in robot mode, speaking with the same voice, and moving in unison. Reflector had very few significant action roles in Season 1 (1984–85), mostly serving as part of the overall Decepticon forces, and was rarely ever seen in Season 2 (1985–86), seemingly phased out as more Decepticon toys were introduced. In those few episodes in which Reflector did have a role, it was as a spy, and the character seemed to be at the bottom of the Decepticon pecking order
Pecking order
Pecking order or just peck order is the colloquial term for a hierarchical system of social organization in chickens. It was first described from the behaviour of poultry by Thorleif Schjelderup-Ebbe in 1921 under the German terms Hackordnung or Hackliste' ...
. Reflector is seen briefly in some 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....
(1986) scenes, such as during the attack on Autobot City; and during Unicron's
Unicron
Unicron is a fictional character from the Transformers universe and toyline. Created by Floro Dery, he was introduced in the 1986 animated film The Transformers: The Movie as the film's main antagonist. Unicron is a prodigiously large robot whose scale reaches planetary proportions, and he is also...
attack on Cybertron, characters bearing resemblance to the Reflector robots are seen running to man the defenses of the planet. However the character is never seen in subsequent seasons, for that possible reason (this is the reason Shockwave was never seen after the movie). Three additional Reflector units were shown in the initial episodes, at least one displaying an individual personality distinct from the typical Reflector unit (when shuttling energon to Cybertron through the Space Bridge). Subsequent episodes periodically showed an individual Reflector unit, while the actual Reflector constituted three drones working in unison in episodes they had appeared in.
Despite the three components having different appearances as a toy in robot modes, the three Reflector robots had a near-identical appearance in the cartoon: their bodies were primarily based on Spectro's robot mode, but with Viewfinder's chest and color scheme (although only one of them, appropriately, had a lens assembly in his torso).
Dreamwave Productions
Reflector would make his first comics appearance in Dreamwave ProductionsDreamwave Productions
Dreamwave Productions was a Canadian art design studio and comic book publisher founded in 1996 and is best known for their multiple Transformers comic book series...
's second Generation One mini-series. Here, he was a soldier of 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...
, assigned to spy on Cybertron and all its inhabitants (Autobot or Decepticon) from a special computer network so that Shockwave could maintain absolute power without appearing to be actively spying on anyone. He was killed by 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...
as a show of force to Soundwave.
Reflector also appeared in the iBooks trilogy written by David Cian, set somewhat in continuity with the Dreamwave G1 universe. In the first book, Hardwired, they are part of the Decepticons on Earth and, after Megatron's disappearance and 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:...
's defeat by Starscream, joined Starscream's leadership to save their own necks. This seemingly marks a continuity error with the Dreamwave series, as it is established in the second miniseries that Reflector was on Cybertron during the time of the battles on Earth. However, the second book, Annihilation, resolved this by noting that the Cybertron-bound Reflector was a copy of the real one – the Earthen one. It is notable here that Reflector's three components all have separate personalities.
Devil's Due Publishing
Reflector appeared in the original G.I. Joe vs the Transformers miniseries from Devil's Due PublishingDevil's Due Publishing
Devil's Due Publishing is an independent comic book publishers in the United States. Based in Chicago, Illinois, DDP is best known for its wide selection of genres, including licensed and original creator-owned properties that populate its monthly comic book series and graphic novels.Though...
, being ordered by Megatron to assist Dr Mindbender in stockpiling Energon. They did not appear after this, so it is possible they were deactivated or killed on the island. Here the three drones resembled their cartoon appearance.
In the third series Reflector would appear again (this time in a toy accurate form) as part of the Decepticon army under Serpentor
Serpentor
Serpentor is a fictional character from G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, a line of military-themed toys created by Hasbro. The character was introduced in 1986 as a toy with an air chariot and included in the animated series that same year.-Toys:...
. Delivered by Menasor, they delivered Serpentor's ultimatum to 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...
, although they were attacked by Jetfire
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:...
. With Serpentor's defeat their fate is unknown.
IDW Publishing
Reflector made his IDW PublishingIDW Publishing
IDW Publishing, also known as Idea + Design Works, LLC and IDW, is an American publisher of comic books and comic strip collections. The company was founded in 1999 and has been awarded the title "Publisher of the Year Under 5% Market Share" for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 by Diamond Comic...
debut in the Spotlight issue on Wheelie
Wheelie (Transformers)
Wheelie is the name of two different fictional characters in the Transformers series.-Generation 1:The first Wheelie is a young Autobot who turns into a car. He has a distinctive style of speech, in which he rhymes his sentences while speaking in a high pitched voice, making him sound like a child....
, once again in a cartoon accurate form. Having crashed their ship on a deserted planet , killing Viewfinder, Spectro and Spyglass captured a shapeshifting alien for the sheer pleasure of torturing it. After its escape was engineered by Wheelie in an effort to get to their ship, the Decepticons pursued it but appeared once again as Wheelie and the alien attempted to flee the planet in a rocket, wounding Varta. Wheelie let them take the rocket to save the alien's life. However, Wheelie had sabotaged the rocket and it exploded, taking the Decepticons with it.
Fun Publications
Reflector was among Megatron's troops when Megatron attacked Iacon with his new weapon, Devastator.Solar Adventure
An unlicensed version of Reflector appears in a bizarre South KoreaSouth Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
film called Solar Adventure (로보트왕 썬샤크 Roboteuwang Sseonsyakeu) along with Whirl
Whirl (Transformers)
Whirl is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers universes. All are blue Autobot helicopters.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
as they fight Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung was a Korean communist politician who led the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from its founding in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his death...
and the Korean People's Army
Korean People's Army
The Korean People's Army , also known as the Inmin Gun, are the military forces of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Kim Jong-il is the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army and Chairman of the National Defence Commission...
, which has teamed up with evil aliens. Reflector also appears in another Korean cartoon called Robot Sutachangar 7.
Toys
- Generation 1 Reflector (1985)
- Reflector was not sold in stores; instead, he was offered as a mail-in exclusive by Hasbro for money and Robot Points collected from packages of other Transformers toys.