Blackout (Movie)


 * Blackout is a Decepticon from the Movie continuity family.



The massive Blackout has been described as the hound of Megatron. In better days he was always to be found looming powerful and silent behind his leader's right shoulder. When given a target he hunts it down with fierce determination. Blackout is not happy with the progress Starscream is making towards finding the missing Decepticon leader. He suspects (quite rightly) that Starscream would prefer Megatron to stay lost. Blackout is openly mutinous and will challenge Starscream's leadership at any opportunity, not for his own sake, but to better serve his ultimate goal of finding his lost master. Blackout has a sneaky side and uses his symbiotic companion Scorponok's small size to great advantage.


 * Working names: Vortex (first), Incinerator (second)

Ghosts of Yesterday novel
While Starscream is hoping not to find Megatron, Blackout is working against him in hopes of restoring the former leader. He attacks him but loses.

Transformers (2007) movie
Blackout is a helicopter and the biggest Decepticon. He can use his helicopter blades as a rotating weapon.

Transformers

 * Blackout (Voyager, 2007)
 * Japanese ID Number: MD-01




 * Blackout transforms into a reasonably accurate Sikorsky MH-53 Pave Low heavy-lift helicopter, though his blue color scheme is quite inaccurate compared to the actual helicopter used in the movie and similar ones in USAF service. An aft 'cage' compartment can be opened to release a small PVC figurine of his partner, Scorponok. A button on the end of his tail can be pressed in a geared action to rotate his rotor blades, but this feature really comes into play when the user attaches the Deluxe-class Scorponok figure to the bottom of Blackout's helicopter mode via two pegs. A geared shaft linked to the rotor mechanism connects to a geared peg on Scorponok's back. Thus, pressing the button on Blackout's tail not only rotates his blades, but also rotates Scorponok's pincers. This gimmick is actually easier to activate by rotating the geared wheel on Scorponok's undercarriage.


 * During transformation, Blackout's Automorphing gimmick is activated when the user swings down his legs, which in turn flips the grey chest section his head is mounted upon up and into position.


 * In robot mode, Blackout is not quite as accurate to his CGI design as some of the other Movie toys are. His overall design and proportions are generally described as being closer to traditional Transformers than the aesthetics of the Movie robots. Yet, as expected with most of the movie toys he features excellent articulation, with multi-ratcheting joints in his shoulders, elbows, hips and knees. The entire rotor assembly on his back can be removed and converted into a gigantic fan, to vaguely represent the hand-held fan weapon he wields in the movie (also seen on the Titanium figurine).


 * There are some significant flaws in Blackout's design. Firstly, the pegs that hold his legs/helcopter fuselage to the rotor/tail assembly do not provide enough friction to withstand the weight of the legs themselves, causing them to detach from the body of the helicopter and droop down. Secondly, the gears in his head/chest's Automorphing gimmick can misalign themselves during usage and transformation back in to vehicle mode, enough so that the cockpit chest/head section refuses to align with the cockpit halves.


 * An interesting side note is that the two hard points located on Blackout's shoulders, intended to support his abominably large weapon, are actually the same size as the Mini-Con points on most post-Armadafigures. This basically means he's the only Decepticon from the movie continuity who can Powerlinx, whether intentionally or by accident.


 * Decepticon Desert Attack (multi-pack, 2007)
 * An unchanged Voyager Blackout was packaged with a similarly unaltered Deluxe Scorponok in this package, which will be available only at Toys R Us.

Fast Action Battlers

 * Blackout (2007)

Titanium Series

 * Blackout (3" Robot Masters, 2007)


 * This small three-inch figurine of Blackout has a more CGI-accurate sculpt than larger Blackout toys. He is partially made of die-cast metal and plastic, sculpted holding his rotorblades as a hand weapon, as seen in the movie. His articulation is limited to his shoulders, head and waist and he comes with a Movie-style Decepticon logo display base.

Trivia

 * Blackout was originally conceived as Soundwave, thus his partnership with Scorponok. Though clearly this changed, his portrayal in the Ghosts of Yesterday novel is rather Soundwave-esque.