Blitzwing (G1)


 * Blitzwing is a Decepticon in the Generation One continuity family.



Blitzwing is loud. He likes to think he has a sense of humor, but what he considers funny is, more often than not, offensively cruel. Obnoxious, belligerent, and nasty, he makes even his fellow Decepticons feel uneasy. His anti-social tendencies can relegate Blitzwing to an outsider status. Due to his social isolation, he's able to see the bigger picture; he can see when his teammates are being played by unseen forces. Of course, if he thinks the trap is amusing enough, he might just let it happen anyway.

French-Canadian name: Le Blitz Italian name: Triplex Due

Animated continuity

 * Voice Actor: Ed Gilbert (US), Keiichi Nanba (Japan)

For someone as powerful as he is, Blitzwing does not have the best track record when it comes to decision-making. First, he and fellow Triple Changer Astrotrain decided to do away with both Megatron and Starscream and strike out on their own in search of fame, fortune, and energon. While this would normally be considered suicidal, the two Triple Changers somehow pulled it off and were free to finally do whatever it took to wipe out those pesky Autobots once and for all.

The way they chose to do this, however, did not do much to inspire confidence in their abilities. While his partner went off to play with some trains, Blitzwing's personal strategy for victory was to kidnap a football coach under the mistaken impression that the human was some kind of master strategist. Blitzwing brought the Constructicons in on his plan, and used them to build a maze sorrounding the entry to his base/stadium. To Blitzwing's credit, a lot of the Autobots crashed into each other, but soon, the Constructicons demanded a share of the leadership, and then Astrotrain arrived. All three were beaten so quickly by Megatron that it was almost embarrassing, and he crept carefully back to the Decepticon ranks, hoping that nobody would remember what had happened.

Blitzwing was also present during the infamous assault on Autobot City in 2005, where he was at the head of the first attack. Together with Shrapnel, he battled Hot Rod and Kup at Lookout Mountain, a fight that did not go in his favour (Kup being surprisingly nimble for an old guy). Blitzwing is also shown participating in the general carnage at Autobot City a short time later, and is one of the several Decepticons who ran afoul of Optimus Prime. Unlike his less fortunate comrades, Blitzwing was able to avoid getting run over, and even managed to shoot back a little before Prime beat him, which is more than most Decepticons expect when facing Optimus Prime. In fact, Blitzwing made it through the entire battle more or less intact, which meant he got to ride all the way to Cybertron without anyone trying to kick him out the back door when he wasn't looking.

When the Quintessons arrived on Chaar to bribe the Decepticon army with promises of energon and revenge, Blitzwing was the only one of his comrades to turn down their offers. He had met their kind before (or at least he thought they seemed familiar to him for some reason) and did not trust them, though he could not remember why. Upon the triumphant retun of Galvatron, Blitzwing was the only Decepticon left to greet him. Later, during an assault on Cybertron, it was Blitzwing who discovered that the Quintessons were lying to Galvatron and plotting to destroy all Transformers (instead of just the Autobots, which Blitzwing had no problems with). He tried to report this to Galvatron, but when he could not convince the Decepticon leader, he turned to Rodimus Prime for help. Together, Blitzwing and Rodimus were able to stop the Sharkticon commando team that had infiltrated Cybertron. Galvatron, unfortunately, suspected that Blitzwing was trying to betray the Decepticons and steal the "Decepticon Matrix of Leadership" for himself and threw the switch the Quintessons' nullifying switch, deactivating Transformers galaxy-wide until Spike Witwicky destroyed it. With the Quintessons' deception revealed, Galvatron attempted to renew hostilities with Rodimus, but Blitzwing drew his weapon and targeted Galvatron, stating that the battle was over for now. Seething, but seeing little alternative, Galvatron accepted and withdrew his forces from Cybertron, but banished Blitzwing from the Decepticon ranks forever.

Ironically, Blitzwing had gotten away with actually betraying Megatron, but then managed to get himself branded a traitor and was hurled out of the Decepticons while being perfectly loyal to Galvatron. He would appear again briefly in some crowd scenes, and in the Headmasters animated series, likely as the result of carelessness in production.

It should also be noted that when Rodimus offered Blitzwing a place among the Autobots, Blitzwing did turn it down, but also mentioned his respect for Rodimus. This makes Blitzwing one of the few notable Decepticons (along with Octane, Thundercracker, and Carnivac) who do not seem to have any real hatred for the Autobots.

(Note: In the original script for Five Faces of Darkness, after Blitzwing's banishment, Rodimus extended his offer to Blitzwing a second time, and in this instance, he did not accept, but did not refuse, saying that he would think about it. The later episode, Starscream's Ghost was originally written to feature Blitzwing, but was later re-written to be about the newest Decepticon Triple-Changer, Octane, although there is no explanation offered for why Octane is friendly with the Autobots. It would seem that this would have originally been Blitzwing following up on Rodimus' offer.)

Marvel Comics continuity
Bltizwing, Astrotrain and Octane were commissioned by Ratbat to investigate the loss of his priceless cargo that had arrived on Earth via a low-cost freighter, but hadn't checked in as scheduled. Upon making contact with the crashed ship, Blitzwing and his companions were infected with Scraplets, and began to slowly waste away. Lucky for them, the Autobot Blaster was also infected, and his friends managed to re-discover the strange and wonderous chemical that acted as a cure. In saving Blaster, the Triple Changers were incidentally saved as well.

Blitzwing was later destroyed in Buenos Aires along with the other Triple Changers as they tried to fight an Underbase-empowered Starscream.

Dreamwave comics continuity
Blitzwing participated in Shockwave's assault on Iacon and demonstrated triple-changing abilities. However, after the disappearance of Optimus Prime and Megatron in a space bridge explosion, Blitzwing was captured and imprisoned by the Autobots as a dangerous experiment of Shockwave's. He was freed from Autobase by the Fallen, and presumably released back to the Decepticons after the temporary truce that resulted from the Fallen's defeat. Following the departure of the Ark, Blitzwing served as Shockwave's lieutenant, and appeared to be undergoing some sort of mutation which Shockwave did not fully understand.

Somehow, Blitzwing made his way to Earth, and was among the Decepticons captured and deactivated during Operation Liberation. Despite this, he was not among the Transformers recovered and controlled by Lazarus, but instead ended up back on Cybertron, once more under Shockwave's command. Blitzwing was one of the warriors who accompanied Shockwave to Earth to capture the Earth-bound forces of Optimus Prime and Megatron, and was badly damaged by Grimlock in the battle that ensued. Some time later, Blitzwing was attacked and destroyed by the Predacons on Cybertron. His remains were then examined by an unknown Transformer.

(Note: Blitzwing's history in Dreamwave Comics was rather convoluted and contradictory. His appearance among the captured Decepticons on Earth in Generation 1 is at odds with his later appearances on Cybertron in War and Peace and Micromasters.  Furthermore, his earliest chronological appearance in The War Within depicts him as a triple changer, while his appearances in The Dark Ages and Micromasters show him mutating into his triple changer form for the first time.  The answers to these conundrums, and the identity of the being who examined his fallen form (though it was likely Sixshot) will remain forever unanswered, due to the bankruptcy and collapse of Dreamwave.)

IDW comics continuity
Blitzwing is part of a Decepticon infiltration unit that has operated covertly on Earth for at least four years, working to destabilize Earth's governing organizations and create global anarchy. He is assigned along with Skywarp to destroy all traces of the Nebraska operation, including Megatron.

Apparently Megatron forgave Blitzwing for the attempted coup (after nearly destroying him in Nebraska), as he is seen working alongside the Decepticon leader in their Russian operation a few weeks later, but is blasted to bits by Optimus Prime's Roller drone. Later, Blitzwing aids Skywarp and Megatron in a few missions, during the day Ramjet had alloted for his master plan.

Generation 1

 * Blitzwing (Triple Changer, 1985/2005)
 * Japanese ID number: 43, TFC-17




 * Originally a Diaclone toy (the only Transformers Triple Changer who had a previous Diaclone release), Blitzwing can transform from robot mode to two different vehicle modes; a MIG-25 fighter jet or a Type-74 assault tank. Originally released in 1985, he was re-issued two decades later in Takara's "bookbox" Transformers Collection series.


 * All US versions had the spring-loaded missile launchers severely weakened. The Japanese releases, however, kept the full-strength launching mechanisms.


 * This mold was returned to its Diaclone coloration and re-released in 2005 as Overcharge, an e-Hobby exclusive.

Trivia



 * A Cybertronian battle scene from Comics Bom Bom (reprinted in Transformers Generations) appears to depict (one of?) Blitzwing's original alt mode(s) as a double-barreled tank - a good decade and a half before he received a Cybertronian makeover in The War Within.


 * Blitzwing's earliest Diaclone sculpt had him with a somewhat odd faceless head.