Super Ginrai Gets Blown Away in the Desert!?



Ginrai faces his greatest challenge yet when Mega and Giga reveal their true power.


 * English/Malay dub name:  "Battle in the Desert"

Detailed synopsis
The Autobot Headmaster Juniors are summoned by Metalhawk to the British Motors factory in Canada, where they are led to an underground production complex and are at last informed on the existence of the Bomber Project. They are suitably impressed, but Hawk tempers their enthusiasm by explaining that the Bomber Project has only been created as a countermeasure to the approach of a mysterious Decepticon super-weapon.

Meanwhile, in the Decepticon base, Devil Z has some revelations of his own to impart to his minionsthe space-based Decepticons have learned that Grand Maximus deduced their plans and informed the Autobots on Earth. To put a stop to the Bomber Project, Hydra and Buster are instructed to attack Ginrai and destroy his trailer.

Ginrai himself is relaxing in a truck stop, where he is approached by Billy Hyler, a movie producer who is looking for a big rig driver to perform some stunt driving for his newest feature. Ginrai is convinced to accept his offer by the barkeep and patrons, and is taken to the set in the desert, where he meets the director, S. Pakinper. The director directs him to the truck he will be driving for the shoot, but Hyler suggests he use his own truck (his Transtector) due to his experience with it. Shooting begins, and Ginrai deftly drives between the staged explosions, until his truck is suddenly launched into the air by a blast not on the map! As his cab and trailer are hurled apart, the engineers of this villainy are revealedHyler is, in fact, a disguised Hydra, and Buster was responsible for setting the charge! The two Godmaster brothers have already boarded their Transtectors and swoop in to attack Ginrai, with Buster focusing his attention on Ginrai's battered trailer. Ginrai transforms to robot mode and the brothers combine into Darkwings, attempting to destroy the trailer, but Ginrai merges with it into Super Ginrai and blasts the Decepticons out of the sky with his Special Fire Guts attack.

Mega and Giga observe the battle from the Decepticon base, and decide that it is at last time for them to take an active hand. Donning their Godmaster armor, they board their Transtectorsthe Megajet and the Gigatankand take off for the desert, arriving just as Ginrai is about to deliver the final blow to Darkwings. They introduce themselves to Ginrai, and then reveal their true power, merging their Transtectors to form one, giant robotOverlord! The villain's Chokon Bolt Masher attack destroys Ginrai's weapons and begins eating through his armor, but Ginrai boldly fights back, only to be quite literally crushed beneath Overlord's heel. Standing atop Ginrai's broken body, Overlord declares himself the victor and departs, but neither Mega nor Giga realize that the determined Ginrai still lives!

Stats
Written by:  Toyohiro Ando

Original airdate: 11th October 1988

Featured Characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Animation and/or technical glitches

 * The animation of Ginrai's super-attack, in which he draws on all three Chokon Powers, is reused from "A Powerful Foe!! Sixknight the Wanderer for his "Special Fire Guts" attack in this episode.

Transformers references

 * The threat of the mysterious Decepticon super-weapon was introduced in "Life? Death? Lightfoot Must Choose". Although not referred to by name, it is briefly glimpsed for the first time in this episode, and will be recognized by astute viewers as BlackZarak.
 * Likewise, the Autobots' Bomber Project was begun in the same episode, to counter the threat posed by BlackZarak. This episode is the first to visually display what the outcome of the project will be, as God Ginrai is seen for the first time as a drawing in a set of blueprints.
 * Though not explicitly stated, it is evident that Lightfoot's father has offered the British Motors facilities to the Autobots as payment for saving his life in that aforementioned episode.
 * Ginrai's "Fire Guts" attack previously appeared in "Save the Little Girl! The Chojin Warriors, the Godmasters". Just as that episode featured the only instance that of him using the move in his standard robot mode, this episode includes the only time that he uses the attack as Super Ginrai, in which form it is known as the "Special Fire Guts." Because the footage is recycled, though, it doesn't look fiery at all.
 * This episode features the debut of Overlord, although Mega and Giga were revealed to be Godmasters way back in "A Strange Friendship: Cancer and Minerva", and their armor and Transtectors debuted in "Expose the Decepticons' Dark Deception!".