Sideswipe (G1)


 * Sideswipe is an Autobot from the Generation 1 continuity family. His name is also sometimes parsed Side Swipe.



Sideswipe is not nearly as much of a sociopath as his brother Sunstreaker, but he is every bit as skillful. He's more into battle for the sport of it. A bit of a jock, Sideswipe most craves a glorious fight to the finish as a test of his mettle.

There is a reckless edge to Sideswipe's tactics. He makes rash decisions that may endanger him, all in the name of possible victory. Cheating is also not out of the question. When everything is on the line, for Sideswipe, nothing is out of the question. However, Sideswipe is not without his humor. It's long accepted that Sideswipe is the resident prankster of the Ark, along with the occasional prank from Jazz.


 * Hungarian name: Csatár ("Striker")
 * Portuguese name (Portugal comic): Esgalhador
 * Italian name: Freccia
 * French-Canadian name: Frérot (Bro)
 * Japanese name: Lambor (ra-n-bo-ru, ランボル)''
 * Portuguese name (Brazil comic): Surrupio

Cartoon continuity

 * Voice Actor: Michael Bell (US), Kōki Kataoka (Japan)

Sideswipe was part of the initial crew of Autobots aboard the Ark when it crash-landed on Earth four million years ago. He awoke along with his fellow Transformers in 1984, with both he and brother being reformatted into Lamborghini sports cars. Sideswipe loaned Optimus Prime the use of his rocket pack when the Decepticons nearly escaped from Earth with a starship full of Energon.



Sideswipe and Sunstreaker often operated together. When antimatter-fueled Decepticons attacked the Ark on one occasion, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker took to the air to battle with the incoming Seeker jets, in a rambunctious, if ultimately ineffective, display of "jet judo."

When investigating tremors that were shaking the Autobot base, Ironhide's scanner found some interesting objects inside a rock wall. Sideswipe, using his piston-like arms, helped Brawn remove the rock wall and found a cave full of dinosaur bones, the discovery of which would lead to the development of the Dinobots.

Sideswipe once disguised himself as Breakdown in order to stop Megatron's evil plan, along with four other Autobots.

Generation 1
Sideswipe, along with his brother Sunstreaker, was part of the original crew of Optimus Prime's Ark. When the Decepticons attacked the ship it crashed on Earth and Sideswipe, along with the rest of the combatants, lay dormant for 4 million years. When the volcano that housed the Ark erupted, the Ark ' s internal mechanisms revived all Transformers, making no distinction between Autobot and Decepticon. Sideswipe was alive again.

When the Autobots went to retrieve their fallen comrade Bumblebee from Sparkplug Witwicky's garage, they were attacked by Decepticons. Against his brother's better judgment, Sideswipe employed his energon-gobbling rocket pack to take the fight right to the Decepticon jets. The 'Cons were driven off, but without a source of fuel to recharge on, several Autobots, including Sideswipe, were left virtually empty after the battle, and were sidelined. Though he could not go on missions, Sideswipe was still able to defend the Ark'' from invasion when the Decepticons came right to his doorstep. He was confronted by that junk-punk Rumble's earthquake-making ability and turned the tables on him, overpowering Rumble with his pile-driver punches. ''

Sideswipe's inactivity continued even longer after Shockwave took over the Ark and deactivated all the Autobots in the ship. After Ratchet regained control of the Ark for the Autobots, he was able to revive Sideswipe to full functionality in short order, and their new deal for fuel with G.B. Blackrock kept them energized. ''During the Dinobot Hunt, Sideswipe traveled to Doonstown with Huffer and Bluestreak on a mission to capture the feral Grimlock. It... didn't go so well, and the various gnawed-upon pieces of Sideswipe were not seen again for some time. ''

Sideswipe would eventually be seen again at the feud fight between Blaster and Grimlock on Earth's Moon.

Generation 2
Sideswipe was part of Grimlock's firestormers, acting as a raiding party against territories controlled by Jhiaxus' Cybertronians. He had a more prominent role in subsequent events than he had had in the past. Sideswipe was present for the last battle against the Swarm, but his final fate is uncertain.

Generation 2 (UK)
Sideswipe was part of Jazz's Special Commando Unit, summoned to Earth along with Optimus Prime by Grimlock when Bludgeon began open war on the humans.

3H Universe comics
Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Trailbreaker, Roulette and Shadow Striker returned to the technorganic Cybertron after a prolonged journey and were welcomed by the Maximals. Unicron abducted these newly-returned Transformers, in addition to many others from different times and universes, to start a final confrontation against Primus. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were rebuilt into new forms, corrupted by Unicron's influence, and set against one another in the Cauldron. Before either brother could land a killing blow, however, the fight was broken up by Optimus Primal. Sideswipe then fought his way out of Unicron alongside many other Transformers rescued by Primal and returned to Cybertron.

Dreamwave comics continuity
Sideswipe was one of the few Autobots to continue operating under that title during the Dark Ages of Cybertron. Sideswipe was one of the elite warriors serving under Prowl and as such was chosen for the mission that sent him against the newly constructed Decepticon battle station, Trypticon. Of course the mission was a failure, but that isn't likely to have discouraged Sideswipe.



Sideswipe was part of Operation Liberation in 1998, a joint human-Autobot effort to defeat the Earth-bounded Decepticons. At the end it was a success, and the captured Decepticons along with the Autobots and a human crew departed Earth en route to Cybertron in the Ark II. The ship, however, was sabotaged and exploded upon liftoff.

A few years later, Megatron and other Transformers, including Autobots, were seen causing havoc. It was discovered that Lazarus, a scientist who participated in the Ark II project, was responsible for the sabotage of the ship and the resurrection of several Transformers under his control via technological tampering.

General Hallo of the US Military contacted Spike Witwicky to ask him if he could do something to help them reactivate Optimus Prime, whom they had recovered locked in a state of stasis. Spike managed to reactivate Optimus with a portion of the Matrix that Optimus had given him prior the ill-fated journey of the Ark II. Optimus subsequently went to the Arctic and used the Matrix to reactivate several Transformers, including Sideswipe.



Sideswipe accepted the new task at hand and fought alongside his brother when the Autobots faced the Decepticons at Lazarus' ruined base (punching Starscream in the face for attacking Wheeljack) before Hallo betrayed the Autobots by attempting to destroy both factions with a nuclear weapon. The Autobots survived when Megatron's technovirus absorbed the blast, and Sideswipe helped his comrades recover the captive Autobots imprisoned inside the base.

As Jazz's unit worked on Megatron's virus, Sideswipe followed Optimus Prime to San Francisco for the last battle against Megatron and his Decepticons. When Superion was taken down, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker heroically (though foolishly) charged at Devastator, and they were smashed between the giant Constructicon's palms for their trouble. After Optimus Prime brought Devastator down with a blast to the head, Sideswipe was restrained by the surviving Decepticons. However, through human intervention, Optimus Prime freed his Autobots and the battle was rejoined. Sideswipe tag-teamed with his brother to pummel Soundwave, though the Decepticons eventually escaped when Superion sacrificed his life to save the city from General Hallo's unauthorized nuclear missile launch.



Sideswipe remained on Earth as part of Jazz's unit, while Optimus Prime returned to Shockwave's united Cybertron. He was deactivated in battle with Bruticus when Starscream and his followers returned to Earth, and was left to rust at the bottom of a lake. Warpath and Bumper later dredged him and the others up, only to be taken into custody by Earth Defense Command. Jazz, Sideswipe, and Sunstreaker were reactivated to help Marissa Faireborn and her team in investigating an outbreak of Insecticons in small-town America. After routing and capturing the Decepticons, Sideswipe and the other Autobots joined up with the returning team from Cybertron under Prowl's command, and began construction of Autobot City.

IDW comics continuity


Before the war, Sideswipe appears to have attended illegal underground arena deathmatches alongside his brother Sunstreaker, witnessing Megatron's 54th victory. When Sunstreaker wanted to join Megatron's underground fighting team, Sideswipe went along to try and talk him out of it. Whether they stuck around and were caught up in the Autobot security raid is unknown.

Later, as war engulfed Cybertron, Sideswipe was one of the many Autobots trained by Kup.



Much to his dismay, Sideswipe was stationed at Thunderhead Pass on Cybertron to guard Thunderwing's remains. Sideswipe wanted action, something he wasn't going to get standing guard over comatose Decepticons. His desire to "bust some heads" became even stronger after Sunstreaker was apparently kidnapped during his duties on Earth, and Sideswipe began actively disregarding his squadron leader, Hound, to routinely contact High Command and demand a transfer. His need for action was alleviated, however, when a mysterious and powerful Transformer attacked Cybertron. Sideswipe blew off part of the being's head, but he recovered almost immediately and knocked Sideswipe and the rest of the Autobots offline, then stole Thunderwing away.

Soon after, Optimus Prime apparently caved in to Sideswipe's pleading and put Jetfire in charge of Thunderhead Pass, transferring Hound's entire team, including Sideswipe, to Earth once Megatron began breaking Infiltration protocol. However, once word of the break-in at Garrus-9 reached his audio sensors, Prime directed his team and Hound's to head there instead of Earth.

Sideswipe took the reassignment pretty harshly, and had pushed Hound well to the edge of his tolerance. He got a minor diversion from worrying about Sunstreaker when another mysterious and powerful Transformer, Cyclonus attacked their ship. Surprisingly, he wanted to find out who Cyclonus was, but Hound felt that time was a factor and hit Cyclonus with a full volley. It was enough to slow him down, but not enough to stop him. Ultra Magnus' arrival forced a retreat, and the two Autobot ships followed. When they caught up to Cyclonus, Sideswipe goaded him into battle, and made no apologies for it.

IDW Hearts of Steel continuity
Sideswipe participated in the pursuit of Astrotrain, and partially transformed from artillery boxcar mode to robot mode in order to shoot down Scourge. He is the only Autobot other than Bumblebee, Prowl, and Ratchet to speak in the whole story, and he only gets one line: "The name is Sideswipe."

Generation 1

 * Sideswipe (Autobot Car, 1984/1985, 2001/2002/2003)
 * Japanese ID number: 04, TFC-07
 * Accessories: "Laser gun", rocket launcher, 3 rockets


 * Originally a Diaclone "New Countach LP500S", Sideswipe transforms... well, into that. In robot mode he is armed with a white rifle and a missile launcher that can clip onto either of his shoulders. The launcher can fire one of three included white missiles, in theory, as the springs were weakened for the US release for safety reasons. The original 1984 US release did not have the rubsign found on later releases.


 * In 2001, Sideswipe was re-released by Takara, bundled with the mold-sharing Red Alert, as a show-exclusive set, but his license plate decal was changed from the infringing "COUNTACH" to "CAR MACHINE". Sideswipe and Red Alert were re-re-released together in 2002 as an e-Hobby "New Year" set, with several factory-applied decals replaced with paint applications, the "CAR MACHINE" plate-decal now blank, plus an additional recolored alternate sticker sheet for each one.  This version, minus the extra decal sheet, was re-re-re-released as part of the Transformers Collection "book-box series".  Finally, this version, albeit with its spring-loaded launcher de-sprung for safety reasons, was released in the US as part of Hasbro's Commemorative Series VIII line, one of the last American reissues.  In fact, despite the Commemorative Series' exclusivity to Toys "R" Us stores, Commemorative Series Sideswipe ultimately ended up at Kay-Bee stores, and at heavy discount.


 * This mold was also used to make Clamp Down, Deep Cover and Tigertrack.


 * Sideswipe w/ Vanguard (Action Master, 1991)
 * Accessories: "Photon laser" rifle


 * A non-transforming action figure that combines elements form both his original toy and his animation model, Action Master Sideswipe is compatible with any other Action Master weapon or vehicle. His partner-unit Vanguard forms a backpack and battle helmet, and complements Sideswipe's color scheme quite well.


 * Action Master Sideswipe was only available in European (and certain Australian) markets.

Generation 2



 * Sideswipe (Autobot Heroic, 1993)
 * Accessories: Gun, missile launcher, 1 missile


 * Part of the first assortment of Autobot cars, Sideswipe's original toy had his colors re-arranged to a black car mode with red and white robot parts, plus new neon green "racing" decals were added to the mix. His original rocket launcher was removed, and replaced with a large spring-loaded launcher that could be hand-held or mounted on his retooled car-mode roof.


 * His new spring-loaded missile launcher was taken from Snow Serpent from the G.I. Joe toyline.


 * Sideswipe (Go-Bot, 1995)
 * Accessories: Gun


 * A redeco of Go-Bot Firecracker, Sideswipe transforms into a blue Lamborghini Diablo with through-axle construction for super-fast rolling on smooth surfaces in car mode. He is compatible with many "Hot Wheels" and "Matchbox"-brand racetrack sets.


 * This mold was also used to make Go-Bot Optimus Prime and Robots in Disguise R.E.V..

Universe

 * Sideswipe (Deluxe, 2003)
 * Accessories: 2 launchers (left & right), 2 flame missiles


 * One of several exclusives to OTFCC 2003, Universe Side Swipe is a redeco of the Robots in Disguise Prowl mold, once again transforming into a Lamborghini Diablo. A pair of add-on thrusters become arm-mounted launchers for robot mode; each one being a pressure-launch missile launcher.


 * It is notable that the part that connects the toy's windshield to the main body uses a red decal rather than paint, as that part is made out of unpaintable plastic. The police lights from the original mold were removed, leaving this area bare.


 * This mold was also used to make Universe Inferno and Sunstreaker.

Smallest Transforming Transformers

 * Lambor (2003)
 * Japanese ID number: GTF-02


 * Smallest Transforming Transformers Lambor is a very small-scale, extensively simplified replica of the original Sideswipe toy. He has very little articulation, he has no weapons, and his vehicle mode wheels cannot roll.


 * This mold was retooled to make Smallest Transforming Transformers Alert.

Alternators

 * Side Swipe (2003, 2004)
 * Alternator ID number: 2
 * Japanese ID number: BT-02
 * Accessories: Dodge Viper Engine/gun


 * The second Alternators toy released, Side Swipe transforms into a licensed 1:24 scale Dodge Viper featuring opening doors, a detailed interior, and a hood that opens to reveal an engine bay holding a replica Viper V-10 engine. The vehicle mode also features movable steering and rubber tires with vacuum-metalized wheels. His removable engine becomes a blaster.


 * The main difference between the American Alternators and the Japanese Binaltech releases is that the Japanese version has die-cast metal parts for most of the car's outer body shell, with the exception of the rear end, and the entire red exterior of the car is fully painted, unlike the Alternator's flat red plastic.


 * This mold was retooled to make Dead End and Sunstreaker.

Titanium Series

 * Side Swipe (Robot Master, 2006)
 * Accessories: Engine blaster


 * Titanium Series Side Swipe is based upon Sideswipe's Alternators toy. Constructed partially of die cast metal, Side Swipe has limited articulation located in his shoulders and neck. He comes with a removable engine blaster and an Autobot symbol display stand.


 * This mold was going to be redecoed to be Titanium Sunstreaker, but that release was canceled.

Universe (2008)

 * Sideswipe (Deluxe, 2008)
 * Accessories: "Flare Launcher", engine supercharger intakes


 * Sideswipe is a retool of Universe Sunstreaker. He not only features a new head sculpt, but he has a slightly altered transformation scheme and assembly; his upper body, from the neck to the hips, is rotated 180 degrees from Sunstreaker's, giving him the "classic" hood-chest. His fists are also "backwards" from Sunstreaker's to keep them in the right places in robot mode. He transforms into a modified Lamborghini Gallardo. Though the car is mostly based upon the Gallardo, to avoid legal problems, it also incorporates details from other cars such as the rear end of the Lamborghini Diablo. Sideswipe also comes with the same roof-mounted engine assembly as Sunstreaker.


 * His Flare Launcher (essentially just a redeco of Sunstreaker's Electron Pulse Blaster) can be combined with the removable engine assembly and mounted in either of the holes on his shoulders to simulate Sideswipe's Generation 1 missile launcher. Of course, this leaves him without a hand-held weapon. The engine can also be mounted on Sideswipe's back as his jet pack.


 * Sideswipe's online instructions incorrectly give him Sunstreaker's transformation and head, despite the picture above the instructions showing him with the hood as the chest and a new head. It is unknown if the final print version will retain this error. Unfortunately, Hasbro's own stock photography for distribution to websites retains this incorrect transformation, and throws in some additional mistakes as well. Oy.

Henkei! Henkei! Transformers

 * Lambor (Deluxe, 2008)
 * Japanese ID number: C-09
 * Accessories: "Flare Launcher", engine supercharger intakes


 * The Japanese version of Universe Sideswipe has vacuum metallized silver on his Flare Launcher, his engine supercharger and spoiler, but is otherwise nearly identical with the American release of this mold. One would assume his instructions aren't inaccurate, however.

Attacktix

 * Sideswipe (2007)


 * Attacktix Sideswipe was to be a missile-firing "blaster" style playing piece, presumably part of a third wave of "Booster" packs. He was revealed at the Star Wars "Celebration IV" convention alongside many other Attacktix pieces that would ultimately never see release.

Trivia

 * Sideswipe's Japanese name, "Lambor" is derived from the name of his vehicle mode, a Lamborghini. It may also be a word play on the Japanese word "Ranbou", which means "reckless, violent, rough". Wouldn't be the last time Takara's done such word puns. By the way, it's Lambor, not Rambo.


 * Sideswipe's TFU bio text describes features of Sunstreaker's toy, leading many to believe Sideswipe's original toy was supposed to be created from Sunstreaker's mold and vice-versa, with the colors swapped between the molds. The Diaclone Sunstreaker toy was available in red and police versions, but not yellow (hence the red shoulder stickers on an otherwise yellow car). The mold used for Sideswipe, on the other hand, was released in Diaclone in both red and yellow decos.


 * During the 1990s, another company held the "Sideswipe" trademark in the "toys" field, even though Hasbro still released two toys using that name as part of the Generation 2 line (it's unclear if this resulted in any legal repercussions for Hasbro). When Hasbro finally managed to reclaim the name for the Robots in Disguise line, the name was now parsed as "Side Swipe", in two words, for whatever reason. The only two toys since then to spell "Sideswipe" as one word again were the OTFCC 2003 exclusive and the Armada Super-Con. However, the former was referred to as "Side Swipe" when featured as a cross-sell on the packaging for the OTFCC 2003 Shadow Striker/Roulette two-pack, whereas a packaging variant for the latter released as part of the "Unicron Battles" refresh of the Armada line also saw the name changed to "Side Swipe". Finally, the Universe Deluxe toy appears to hail the return of "Sideswipe" (as one word), as confirmed by the instructions for the toy posted on Hasbro's public website, as well as a recent trademark application by Hasbro.


 * The Alternators Dodge Viper mold was originally designed to be a new body for Tracks after the first attempt to secure the Corvette license had fallen through. Eventually, though, Chevrolet had a change of mind and granted Hasbro and Takara the license for the Corvette design after all. As a result, the Viper mold was slightly redesigned, was given a new head sculpt and released as Sideswipe (or "Side Swipe") instead. This explains why, unlike most of the early Alternators toys, Side Swipe's robot mode bears little resemblance to his G1 self. The most noticeable redesign from the "Tracks" design was the vehicle mode's doors being moved from the "backpack" kibble (where they would have resembled the G1 Tracks toy's wings) to the sides of the arms, thus being the most obvious visual cue taken from the G1 Sideswipe toy. The doors are, however, still splayed out to the sides in the Alternators box art and can be moved to match Tracks' wing configuration, which implies that the redesign may have been done before the switch from Tracks to Sideswipe was made.


 * Sideswipe has the dubious distinction of being the only one of the European Autobot Classic Heroes range not to feature in Marvel UK's Earthforce stories, not even making a late appearance like fellow 1991 addition Tracks.