Skywarp (G1)


 * Skywarp is a Decepticon in the Generation 1 continuity family.



Teleportation is a dangerous tool in the hands of a capable adversary. Thankfully for the Autobots, it is Skywarp who possesses this ability. Skywarp's not so bright, so he's worthless as a warrior without supervision. Mostly, he uses his teleportation power for immature pranks on both friend and foe. He takes a charmingly puerile angle at thuggery, so his pranks are well-received amongst his Decepticon peers. (Excepting the victim, of course.)

Because, come on, a surprise push down a staircase is hilarious.

''French-Canadian name: Fraudeur ''Italian name: Corvo

Marvel Comics continuity
(Note: Events from the UK comics are marked in italics.) Skywarp was one of Megatron's troops who attacked the Ark during its mission to clear a path for Cybertron through an asteroid field. He was deactivated when it crashed on Earth, and he lay dormant for four million years. When he and his fellow Decepticons awoke, Skywarp was given a new altmode, that of an Earth jet. He aided the Decepticons in their building of their new base constructed of parts from Harrison Nuclear Power Plant and joined in their attack on Sparkplug Witwicky's auto repair shop. After the successful abduction of Sparkplug Witwicky, Skywarp, Thundercracker, and Starscream defended their base from Autobots, though Gears and Spider-Man were able to sneak through and rescue Sparkplug.

''When Starscream fired upon his teammate Ravage for eavesdropping on his plot to overthrow Megatron, Skywarp and the other Decepticons sought deadly revenge on the Decepticon Air Commander. Though Starscream escaped, the Decepticons soon regrouped to attack the Ark, but their battle was ended prematurely when Auntie, the Ark's computer systems, magnetized the walls, immobilizing both factions. Skywarp also travelled with the Decepticons to the United Kingdom, where he and his teammates attempted to learn about a mysterious Autobot rescue ship buried under a castle. An initial attack on the Autobots left Skywarp seriously wounded by a bomb from Bluestreak.

Though Sparkplug Witwicky was able to devise a way for the Decepticons to convert Earth fuel into a useable substance, he also poisoned the result, so Skywarp and his fellow Decepticons were immobilized at the climax of their would-be final battle with the Autobots. The Decepticon Shockwave took command of the Decepticons and the Ark shortly thereafter, and nursed Skywarp and his comrades back to full health. Skywarp may have helped Shockwave attempt to capture and brainwash Bumblebee into a Decepticon, or it may have been Thundercracker without red stripes. It's hard to tell.

He served the Decepticon cause up until he was deactivated while battling Omega Supreme and placed in prison stasis at Autobot headquarters.

''When Galvatron traveled back from the year 2006 to build a super weapon to destroy Unicron, Skywarp was a key player in the defeat of the mad Decepticon. Sorta.''

''The Autobots took Skywarp out of stasis, painted him to look like Starscream and sent him stumbling toward Galvatron with a tape-recorder of Starscream's voice on his back. Galvatron, still sore about Starscream tossing him out of Astrotrain during his Megatron days, shot and killed Skywarp. Galvatron then realized that if he killed Starscream in the past then there's no way he could have killed Starscream in the future. Believing he was in an alternate past and thus nothing he did there would effect his personal timeline, Galvatron hurried back to his proper time.''

Way to take one for the team, Skywarp.

Animated continuity

 * Voice Actor: Frank Welker (US), Masashi Ebara (Japan)

Skywarp was one of the elite Decepticons that accompanied Megatron in infiltrating the Ark four million years ago. Upon crash-landing on Earth, the Decepticons and Autobots were dormant for four million years, until volcanic activity stirred them into consciousness. Skywarp was the first of the Ark's Transformers to be reformatted and awakened by Teletraan-1. Now an F-15 fighter jet, Skywarp next dragged Megatron's body into the reformatting rays of the Ark's computer.

Since the Decepticons were so badly short-staffed during their early days on Earth, Skywarp was usually involved in whatever crazy plot for universal domination Megatron was hatching. This included attacks on an off-shore oil rig, Sherman Dam and the ruby crystal mines of Burma. When the Decepticons escaped the Burma operation with a cache of energon cubes, Skywarp requested permission from Megatron to teleport in order to scare off Autobot pursuers. Teleporting behind the strangely-airborne duo of Ironhide and Bluestreak, Skywarp pasted the ornery old Autobot with a heat-seeking missle, knocking him out of the sky that he probably shouldn't have been able to fly around in.

Skywarp continued to serve the Decepticons for many more years, never really doing anything notable. His teleportation power did come in use when he was needed to sneak up on the Autobots (who were all in vehicle mode) and zap them with the transfixatron.

In 2005, Skywarp was badly injured during the battle of Autobot City. Though he escaped with the rest of his comrades on board Astrotrain, he was tossed out so that the others would be able to make it back to Cybertron. Skywarp's body was gathered by Unicron and used to make the lone "Armada" warrior who was never seen again.

Universe: The Wreckers
After the Decepticons lost the Great War, and Maximals and Predacons claimed the planet, another Megatron subjugated nearly every Transformer alive with a transformation-lock virus and an army of Vehicons. Skywarp was one of the handful of Transformers which escaped through Megatron's fingers, and eventually he and Cyclonus joined up with the legendary strike team, the Wreckers. Given a mission by the Oracle, the Wreckers fought through an army of Vehicons to steal an Autobot shuttle in order to get off-planet.

(Note: Though no reason is stated in-story as to how or why or when Skywarp got this new body between the Great War and the Beast Era, Wreckers plotter Glen Hallit noted that Skywarp's body was based on a mass-production bodytype of its day, similar to Generation 1 ' s Seekers.)

IDW comics continuity
Skywarp is part of a Decepticon infiltration unit that has operated covertly on Earth for at least four years, working to destabilise Earth's governing organisations and create global anarchy. His alternate form is an F-22 Raptor fighter jet.

Starscream assigns him and Blitzwing to destroy all traces of the Nebraska operation, but, after demolishing the abandoned Nebraska command bunker, he is severely damaged by Megatron who, unfortunately for Skywarp had been inside at the time. This Megatron is apparently not one to hold grudges and he soon has Skywarp repaired and functioning again, under the understanding that there will be no further second chances.

Generation 1

 * Skywarp (Decepticon Jet, 1984/1985/2001)
 * Japanese ID number: 23


 * For some reason, the stats on Starscream and Skywarp's tech specs were switched, which explains Skywarp's high rank.
 * The only 1984 Seeker with a deco not used in the Diaclone line, Skywarp transforms into an F-15 Eagle fighter jet, sharing his mold with his teammates Starscream and Thundercracker. Many parts need to be removed completely from transformation from robot to jet and back, which nowadays is considered a major drawback of the toy.  It is rare to find it complete, as neither mode can hold all the pieces required. There are a few minor mold variations of this toy (common for the first two years of Transformers, really), the most immediately noticeable being that early versions did not have visible "clip-tabs" on the inner face of the gauntlets.


 * In 2001, Skywarp was given a short-run re-issue by Takara as a convention-exclusive item. The toy would later be more extensively released as part of the Hasbro Commemorative Series line, though due to US toy-safety regulations, his missiles were made extra-long.


 * This mold is also used by Dirge, Ramjet, Sunstorm and Thrust.

Machine Wars

 * Skywarp (Basic, 1997)


 * Sharing a mold once again with Thundercracker, Skywarp transforms into a white Dassault Rafale fighter jet with spring-loaded one-step transformation from jet to robot. The two halves of his rifle store in his lower legs. Like all Machine Wars toys, Thundercracker was an exclusive to Kay-Bee stores and related stores like Toy Liquidators.


 * This mold is also used by Beast Wars II Dirge, Robots in Disguise Skyfire, and Robot Masters Wing Stun''.

Universe

 * Skywarp (Deluxe, 2003)


 * Universe Skywarp is a redeco of Beast Machines Jetstorm in his G1 colours. He transforms into a Cybertronic fighter jet, armed with two projectile launchers that can fire orange energon bolts.


 * His Spark crystal has a Decepticon sigil tampographed on top of it.

Smallest Transformers

 * Skywarp (2003)
 * Japanese ID number: GTF X-1


 * Smallest Transformers Skywarp was a very small-scale simplication of the original Starscream toy, retaining most of its functionality and accessories, except for his long null-rays.


 * This mold was redecoed from Starscream, was repainted into Thundercracker and retooled into Thust.

Robot Masters

 * Skywarp & Thundercracker (Multi-pack, 2005)


 * Robot Masters Skywarp is a redeco of Starscream from the same series, a smaller yet more advanced version of the original toy, adding more articulation and reducing the amount of part-forming required. He was available only in a two-pack with Thundercracker, which also came with a Decepticon sigil pin. This set was the very last product released in the Robot Masters line, and wasn't even strictly sold in a box from that series; instead, it used a modified e-Hobby Generation 1 reissue box, with only a small corner tab noting its Robot Masters origin from the front.

Classics

 * Ultra Magnus vs Skywarp (Multi-pack, 2006)


 * Classics Skywarp transforms into an F-15 Eagle fighter jet, though with an F-14 Tomcat canopy. Like his original Generation 1 toy, he is a black and purple redeco of Starscream. As with most Classics toys, he features a heat-sensitive rubsign.

Trivia



 * A commercial for Transformers reflective iron-on patches advertised the "Prizes in Disguise" competition. When the iron-on patch was used, it was possible to instead find an instant win ticket for a Transformers voice changer (of the Enemy variety) - or to have a party with "life size" Transformers! Among the "life size" Transformers shown were Jazz and Skywarp. In all likelyness, you did not party with them.