Metroplex (G1)


 * Metroplex is an Autobot City-bot from the Generation 1 continuity family.



Metroplex is the Autobots' ultimate weapon, their greatest and final defense. He is a gigantic, towering warrior, capable of channeling awesome energies through his weapons. He's modest about his great power, and isn't very talkative (but then, most cities aren't.) His might is equaled only by the gargantuan Decepticon, Trypticon, his long-standing nemesis.

Metroplex has three "normal"-sized partners, Six-Gun, Slammer and Scamper, to help patrol and defend his territory. The extent of that territory is sometimes unclear; sometimes Metroplex is an independent Autobot base, and other times he's part of (or all of) Autobot City.

"Metroplex is my kind of town!"

- Blaster on Metroplex


 * Italian name: Guardian
 * Japanese name: Metroflex
 * French-Canadian name: Métroplex
 * Crackhead English-Malay dub name: Philip

Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformer manga
Metroplex was constructed as part of the Autobots' "Scramble City" initiative to develop a powerful battle station. During the early stages of the project, however, when the Autobots were conducting an outdoor test of the unfinished city's transformation to mobile fortress mode, Astrotrain and Reflector were able to monitor the process. The information they acquired allowed Megatron to decipher whether or not Metroplex could stand up to Trypticon, who was first activated on a small island, but was duped into falling into the ocean by a giant hologram of robot-mode Metroplex by Hound.

Scramble City OVA


To complete the Scramble City project, the Autobots moved their operation to a secret underground cavern, but the Decepticons' spy cassettes located the subterranean base, and an all-out Decepticon attack was initiated. The Decepticon combiners dominated the fight, but the completed Metroplex was then launched and defeated them with one blast. However, as the Autobots celebrated their victory, the ocean nearby parted and Trypticon emerged for his first battle with Metroplex.

(Note: This battle, uh, never happened, because the second part of Scramble City never got made.)

American animated series

 * Voice actor: Bud Davis (US), Osamu Saka (Japan)

By 2005, Metroplex had been installed as a sub-section of the larger Autobot City, now the main base of operations for the Autobots on Earth. During the Decepticons' attack on the city, the transforming cog which allowed Metroplex to transform to robot mode was destroyed, preventing him from participating in the battle, although he was manually converted to battle station mode by the Autobots inhabiting him.

Following the defeat of Unicron and the Autobots' reclamation of Cybertron, Perceptor built a new cog, and entrusted its delivery to Blurr and Wheelie. While they were busy suffering numerous setbacks (including nearly getting killed by Galvatron and being stranded on Jupiter's moon Io), the immobile Metroplex was attacked by Trypticon, and was again manually transformed to battle station by his inhabitants in hopes of mounting some form of a defence. In the midst of the battle, the cog was safely delivered and installed by Pipes within Metroplex, who promptly transformed to robot mode, thrashed Trypticon, and hurled him into the ocean.

Although the Autobots figured this to be the end of Trypticon, in actuality, the saurian city survived and started stealing national monuments to pay off Octane's debt to Abdul Fakkadi. When dinosaur transform static was found at the crime scene, Metroplex and his subordinates questioned all the Autobots with dinosaur electrons in their circuits, but when Trypticon was finally revealed to be the culrpit, Metroplex battled him in Russia over the Kremlin. Unfortunately, Metroplex was then left holding the building, and the Soviets blamed the Autobots for the thefts and expelled them from the country. Fakkadi, however, summoned the Autobots to his country of Carbombya to help oust the Decepticons that had taken over, and Metroplex delivered another sound defeat to Trypticon, tossing him into the ocean yet again and returning the stolen buildings to their rightful place.

As part of his deal with Unicron to ensure their mutual resurrection, the ghost of Starscream possessed Scourge and invaded Metroplex, stealing the giant robot's optical units. Metroplex transformed to robot mode in the midst of the attack, and, discovering that he was blind, went into a maddened rage, firing upon all the Transformers in the vicinity before a photon charge placed in his head by Scourge detonated, knocking him out. After the villains' plan was foiled, new eyes were constructed for Metroplex.

After coming under attack from a Eurhythman sonic weapon,, transforming cog troubles returned to plague Metroplex when Swindle stole the component right out from under First Aid's nose. With Metroplex trapped in city mode, the Autobots retaliated by stealing Trypticon's cog and using it as a replacement; the Decepticons proceeded to use Metroplex's cog in place of Trypticon's, but the incompatability of the cogs in each of the giant robots led to an unsteady battle with both combatants partially transforming back and forth constantly. First Aid proceeded to enter Metroplex's body during the fight and aligned the cog properly, allowing Metroplex to fully transform and, yet again, fling Trypticon into a body of water.

When the Hate Plague swept the universe, Rodimus Prime realized the danger that an infected Metroplex would pose, and reluctantly decided to deactivate him. Metroplex understood and agreed with his decision - it was not made clear is this action was temporary, or if it would permanently send Metroplex off-line.

Headmasters animated series
Metroplex' deactivation was not permanent as he appeared in the Japanese Headmasters animated series. His role in the series was much the same as in series 3 of the American cartoon, battling Trypticon on numerous occasions. Although it is a common belief that Metroplex is unable to fly, Metroplex was depicted as being able to fly in robot mode in the final episode of the Japanese exclusive Headmasters series. After the death of Ultra Magnus, Metroplex was appointed the new Autobot Earth Commander by Fortress Maximus.

Marvel UK future timelines
''Metroplex was built into the very fabric of Autobot City. He lay dormant underneath the city as a last line of defence. When the Quintessons successfully attacked and took control of Autobot city, Rodimus Prime, temporarily reverted back to Hot Rod managed to activate Metroplex. He was able to drive the Quintessons away but the city was largely gutted when he broke himself free making it something of a pyrrhic victory for the Autobots. ''

Dreamwave comics continuity
After deposing Shockwave on Cybertron, and leaving the planet in Ultra Magnus's command, Prowl and a large number of Autobots returned to Earth to begin construction on a vast complex known as Autobot City. Hound was seen projecting a hologram of Metroplex during construction, presumably as a blueprint.

IDW comics continuity
Metroplex is the solitary guardian of "It" with the capitol 'I'. What It is, is unclear, but keeping it safe, to judge from Metroplex himself, is more important than the lives of all the Autobots. he is the final defender. At some point after the Expanse incident, he hid among the abandoned city ruins of Salwatan VIII. He stayed until the Throttlebots fled there to escape Sixshot who sought scientific data the team possessed. He stayed hidden through most of their battle, but at the last moment rose to the aid of his fellow Autobots and easily defeated the Decepticon super soldier. It is unclear if he chose to act to save the Throttlebots or because his location had already been uncovered during the fight, for he refused to provide any further assistance beyond giving the Throttlebots energon before departing the planet to seek a new hiding place, though this pained him greatly to be forced to leave them suffering. Some duties are harder than others. Oh yeah, He can fly! He's the city in the clouds.

Generation 1

 * Metroplex (Autobot City, 1986/2008)
 * Japanese ID number: C-70




 * Metroplex transforms from a large robot to a multi-leveled "city" mainly for use with the smaller Generation 1 toys. This mode includes a service bay with launching mechanism, a helipad, and "parking" for six vehicles in whatever his legs fold out to be. He also has a third mobile battle station mode; a more compact wheeled form that incorporates his many weapons. Additionally, his weapons are all moulded with universal-sized pegs that allow them to attached in several different configurations and locations (for example, in the otherwise-pointless holes in his kneecaps in city mode). Metroplex came with Six-Gun, Slammer, and Scamper; the first two formed various parts of Metroplex's alternate modes.


 * Metroplex was apparently designed as part of the aborted Diaclone line, Jizai Gattai ("Free Combination"), given the high degree of interactivity he has with other toys confirmed as part of it—namely, the Aerialbots, Stunticons, Protectobots and Combaticons. Each of the smaller "limb" robot from these four groups (and those that came after using their basic design, like the Technobots, Terrorcons and Seacons) can plug into ports in Metroplex's shoulders and knees in robot mode, while the base modes of the four leaders—Silverbolt, Hot Spot, Motormaster, and Onslaught—can connect to him in city mode. While the former feature was included in the Hasbro instructions, the latter was omitted. The peg-size of Metroplex's weapons also allows them to be wielded by the leaders and super-robots these teams create.


 * As a third-year piece, Metroplex was one of several items to undergo "materials changing". Initial versions of Metroplex used rubber tires, and the fronts of his upper legs were fully-chromed silver. After a time, though, the tires were replaced with single-piece hard-plastic tires, and his legs changed to white plastic with a silver factory-applied sticker at the top. However, the plastic tire version also possessed a waist reinforced with two screw points instead of one, in an effort to prevent Metroplex literally snapping in half as so many of the original versions did due to a weak spot on the waist.


 * Metroplex suffers from an oddly large number of weak and breakable points for a toy containing no die-cast. Apart from the aforementioned waist, the launcher inside his chest, the peg on his back, his extendable shoulder antenna, Scamper's shoulder hinges and Scamper's arm pegs are all very fragile and break or fail in various ways.


 * On September, 2008, Metroplex was reissued as number 12 in Takara's Transformers Encore line. Noted differences from the original version is that included in the set was a biocard, fully chromed thighs, rubber tires and had an added peg on Slammer's turret that can form a part of the building "tower". Scamper too has a locking peg on his back unlike the original incarnation. As in the previous incarnation, the japanese version has fully functional spring firing missiles.


 * This mold was also used to make Metrotitan.


 * Metroplex (TF Jr., 1987)

Merchandise



 * Metroplex (2001)
 * Metroplex was a chase figure in wave 4 of the Super Collection Figure line of non-transformable figures. His parts were spread throughout several figures in the wave.  Both colored and pewter versions were available.  He was also released when the line was brought to the U.S. as Heroes of Cybertron.

Trivia

 * "Fortress Maximus" was likely a considered name for Metroplex. The Marvel Comics adaptation of the 1986 Movie even refers to Autobot City as "Fortress Maximus" in a caption.
 * In a special booklet included with issue #200 of the UK Marvel series, Time Wars, Metroplex is said to be 698 feet tall, nearly seven times the height of Devastator


 * In Transformers The Game, the video game tie-in for the 2007 movie, a suburban mall was called the Metroplex Mall as an homage to the this character.


 * In an interview given by IDW's Andy Schmidt and Chris Ryall at IDW's New York Comic Con toy-centric panel, they revealed that Metroplex will be one of the transformers that was chosen to be represented in the G1 spotlight comics.