Cannonball (Cybertron)

Avast! Cannonball do be aDecepticonfrom theUnicron Trilogy continuity family.

Life is pain. Anyone who says otherwise is selling something.

Leader of a gang of interstellar pirates and captain of theSea Slag,the dread pirate they callCannonballis only a Decepticon becauseMegatronlets his crew roam free, provided they leave the Decepticon starships alone and focus their attentions more on theAutobots.Cannonball is all too happy to do so. When he and his crew aren't looting and pillaging, they're causing trouble in some seedy port onCybertron,using their ill-gotten gains to purchase black-marketenergon starsor dubious-sounding "pleasure programs".

Cannonball's crew can be readily identified by the bright airbrushed graphics that adorn theiralternate modes.Cannonball himself features bright greenOingo Boingo-style skeletons.

Though "Cannonball" has been terrorizing spacelanes for centuries, it has not beenthisCannonball... he is in fact the tenth space pirate to use that name and legacy. One day he will train a replacement to take his name, and that pirate will take on the legacy with a whole new crew. Until that day, though, Cannonball plans to live it up!

OnEarth,Cannonball and his then-landlubber crew prowl the highways, robbing shipments and retreating to the mythicalPirate Oasis.

Arrrr.

Fiction

Timelines

Next time you raise a sword, boy, be the last to die.

The latest in the line of pirates known as Cannonball was captain of theKalis' Lamentafter the defeat ofMegatron.He had recruited several former Decepticons into his crew, includingBrushguard,Buzzsaw,Runamuckand his first mate,Skywarp.One dark night in space, a probe returned to the ship with information about possible treasure—aForce Chipaboard an Autobot ship that had been shot down over the planetSandokan.Cannonball cautioned his crew about journeying to Sandokan, for it was a cursed planet if the tales were true. He gave Buzzsaw a good thrashing for doubting the stories. Instead of proceeding directly for the planet, Cannonball decided to come at the treasure sideways—he called in an old favor from the mercenaryAstrotrain,sending him on ahead to test the planet's defenses and seek out the Force Chip. If he were successful, so much the better; if he failed, at least Cannonball would have a better understanding of the planet and what protected it.

True enough, Astrotrain was overpowered bySynthos,the dark creature who controlled the world, empowered by the ancientDark Heart of Sandokan.Cannonball and some of his crew arrived in advance of theKalis' Lamentin a small shuttle, seeking to take advantage of the creature after Astrotrain softened it up. Unfortunately for Cannonball, he lost track of the Autobots in the melee, and they managed to sneak aboard his shuttle and hijack the vessel, making off with the Force Chip and leaving Cannonball and crew stranded waiting for a pick-up. It wasn't a total loss, though—Cannonball managed to recover the Dark Heart itself from Synthos, and left it in the gleeful and capable hands of his science officer, Brushguard, to unlock the crystal's secrets.The Dark Heart of Sandokan

TransTech

The 10th Cannonball ofAurex 1107.23 Betawas brought up on a trivia bonus on theAxiom Nexus Cybernet InfocorebyI-QUEUE,as part of a lesson on the pirates throughout themultiversewho have used the "Cannonball"persona.Transformers I.Q. in TCC #55

Kre-Oonline manga

Oh, bugger.

Cannonball attacked the city along withSmolder.Bad at Fighting? Rescue Team Protectobots, Dispatch!

Spacewarp's Log

Spacewarphad engaged in some manner of business with Cannonball.Spacewarp's Log (1), 2015/10/27

Toys

Cybertron

Hide the rum.

• Cannonball(Deluxe class, 2006)

• Accessories:Hammer attachment, claw attachment, Earth Cyber Key
• Cyber Key Code:d2rz
• Known designers:Dwight Stall(deco artist),^[1]Marcelo Matere(packaging artist)

Part of the seventh wave ofCybertronDeluxes, Cannonball is aredecoof theCybertronDeluxeRed Alerttoy, transforming into an unlicensed approximation of aDodge Magnumwith roof-mounted lights and giant, vibrant green detailing of a skull and skeletons on his roof and doors, respectively. In both vehicle and robot mode, inserting aCyber Keyinto his rear window releases a pair of flip-out (non-firing) blasters. Hidden in his legs (his car-mode hood) are hammer and claw attachments for the "blaster" stub on his left arm in place of a hand.

This mold was also used to make thelive-action movieCrankcase,andretooledto makeTimelinesKup.The Kup tooling was also the basis of the non-toyShattered GlassKup.

• More information on Cannonball at TFU.info

Universe(2003)

• Downshift vs. Cannonball: Search for the Pirate Moon(Multi-pack, 2007)

• Accessories:Hammer attachment, claw attachment, Earth Cyber Key
• Cyber Key Code:d2rz

As a 2007Black Fridayspecial,Walmartgot twoUniverse-branded two-packs ofCybertronDeluxes. Cannonball was repackaged withtheCybertronversion of Downshift,with a cardback story about Downshift hunting Cannonball's gang of pirates... in a setting that had nothing to do with amoon.Oh well. Both toys were identical to their individual releases.

Legacy

You wear fine redecoes well.

• Star Raider Cannonball(Deluxe Class, 2024)

• Accessories:Cyber Key, claw attachment, hammer attachment, lightbar/key port
• Known designers:Mark Maher(Hasbro),Shuhei Umezu(TakaraTomy)^[2]

Legacy United"Star Raider Cannonball" is an extensive retool ofLegacyCrankcase,itself a heavy retool ofSkidsfrom the same line, transforming into a SUV with a lightbar.

He comes with aCyber Keywhich can be inserted into a slot on the roof of his vehicle mode. This homages the original concept, but does not activate any features. Instead, he retains Crankcase's shoulder guns as a nod to his original gimmick. He also has sculptedfaux-door kibbleon his shoulders and a faux-head between his lightbars to further resemble the original toy. The green skeleton on his doors has been replaced with a flaming skull, drawing inspiration from theVok.His lightbar and Cyber Key port are molded together as a single removable part attached with a 5 mm post. Cannonball's hammer and claw can fit in the gaps of his shins like his original toy.

Cannonball was revealed in theWalmartCollector Con online event onMarch 7,2024,as part of the Walmart-exclusive"Star Raider" collection.

• Designer commentary onLegacyCannonball from Mark Maher on Instagram

Notes

• The idea that the "Cannonball" persona is passed from pirate to pirate over the years is an obvious nod to the Dread Pirate Roberts fromThe Princess Bride.
• Cannonball's online bio note has a discrepancy from the version on the package back. The online note refers to Cannonball's crew spending their loot on (in addition to black-marketenergon stars) something referred to as "pleasure programs";on the package, the line is the same, but" pleasure programs "has been replaced by the more family-friendly" hot, airbrushed graphics for their vehicle modes ".
• Kre-OCannonball uses existingKre-Opieces as part of his build, as he uses theIronhidehelmet and theShockwavegun-hand, although his door pieces appear to be unique (to better represent the original character).

References