Roadhandler (G1)

Roadhandler is anAutobotMicromasterfrom theGeneration 1continuity family.

"I want to show you some simple self-defense moves... simple, and really silly-looking."

His name isRoadhandler,and he's the main spokesbot for theMicromasterRace Car Patrol,and he's here today to tell you that Micromasters are just as tough a bunch ofAutobotwarriors as any of the big boys. If any of youDecepticonsaren't willing to believe that, then he's here to teach you a lesson, and what this lesson's going to be, is that Roadhandler's going to lay the smackdown on you. He's going to smack you down, and when he's done you'll know that his micro size has the power to surprise. He'll surprise you all, and any of you soft-hearted leaders can just go home to your momma-bots, because Roadhandler's in it to win it, and he's not going to pull punches just because you're threatening to cry about it. So go home and cry, and don't you tell Roadhandler to go back on his Micromaster buddies, either, because Roadhandler is a bot-pounding machine who knows who his friends are. Stay in school, kids, and don't do drugs!

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

MarvelThe Transformerscomics

You know something, Mean Gene...

As leader of the Micromaster Race Car Patrol, Roadhandler was assigned to plant mines which would destroy aDecepticoninstallation. The purpose of this mission was to stop the Decepticons' experimentation on their fellow Autobot Micromasters in theBattle Patrol,previously captured during a scouting mission. Roadhandler's orders did not permit him to attempt to rescue the Battle Patrol, who were considered a lost cause. Upon arrival on-site however, he found himself unable to go through with his mission. Both the rest of the Race Car Patrol and the Off Road Patrol agreed that their mission felt wrong, and instead the group braved the installation. But breaking into the facility proved too easy... Turns out the Decepticons had already successfully reverse-engineered Micromaster technology, and were now using the Autobots to test their new Air Strike Patrol. Thinking quickly, Roadhandler pretended that the mine he had brought along was still active, and dropped it in a "panic." With their opponents distracted by the apparent peril, the Autobots beat them down and absconded with their comrades. Upon his return to base, Roadhandler submitted himself to whatever punishment awaited him for his disobedience. However, Xaaron responded that the fault had been his, for putting the needs of the war above the needs of his soldiers.A Small War!

In response toOptimus Prime's request for reinforcements onEarth,Xaaron sent over the Race Car Patrol andOff Road Patrol.Upon making contact with the group, Optimus'sbinary bondedpartner,Hi-Q,was dismayed by their small size. Offended, Roadhandler explained that the Micromasters had downsized to conserve energy, and would be tough enough to face any Decepticon. Taking him at his word, Prime informed Roadhandler's group on a pair of recent news reports involving giant creatures spotted in theNew Jerseyswamps and unusual storm activity consolidating over Manhattan. Believing there was a Decepticon link between the stories, the Race Car Patrol went to patrol the nearby roads.

They crossed paths withCecilia Santiago,a reporter already investigating recent developments. Roadhandler took her in to his vehicle mode to question her. Unfortunately, she was put off immediately by the mannequin propped up to pass as his driver, and assumed that he was in cahoots with the Decepticons. He convinced her that this wasn't the case, and though Roadhandler was ready to dump Cecilia as soon as he learned where the Decepticons were due to strike, she proved instrumental in getting the Race Car Patrol to their destination. Being newcomers to Earth, they weren't familiar with such concepts as toll fares, traffic lanes, and the like. The group locatedIguanusinNew York Cityas he was planting anenergy-collecting deviceon top of theEmpire State Building.Once more, Roadhandler told Cecilia that her assistance was no longer needed, and this time around managed to ditch her. But without her help, the group once more ran into difficulty navigating the human world. A couple of police officers, mistaking them for humans in costumes, attempted to bar the Micromasters' way, forcing Roadhandler and his teammates to tie them to nearby lampposts to proceed. Next, the group was confounded by a lack of "vacuum lifts" within the Empire State Building, and had difficulty operating the humans' elevators. They finally managed to reach the roof, only to find that Cecilia had beaten them there, and had been taken captive by Igunanus. Roadhandler prevented her from falling to her death, then knocked away Iguanus's device. The Decepticons were denied any energy from the storm, and Iguanus was sent plummeting down to the street. After their shared experience, Roadhandler and Cecilia became friends, and the Micromasters decided to take up residence in New York.King Con!

Whatcha gonna do, brother, when Roadhandler wraps his pythons around you?

In repayment for Cecilia's help, Roadhandler was obliged to appear onher television talk show.In a brief interview, Roadhandler denounced Optimus Prime as out of touch, and noted that Prime had always failed to do what Roadhandler had accomplished in only a few weeks; earning the respect and trust of humans. Roadhandler's fellow guestJake "The Jackhammer" Jackson,a professional wrestler, used the show to issue a challenge to Roadhandler to a wrestling match. Although this challenge was clearly meant as a publicity stunt, Roadhandler used the opportunity to grant himself a new forum with which to demonstrate Autobot virtues to a larger human audience. Roadhandler became an instant celebrity, complete with his own adoringfan club.Decepticon leaderLord Zarakdecided to sully Roadhandler's image by forcing him to throw a fight withStorm Cloud,and held members of Roadhander's fan club hostage to ensure his compliance. Once the humans were freed by Roadhandler's fellow Autobots, Roadhandler's victory over Storm Cloud earned him even more adulation from the humans; but what had happened to his fans proved to him that no human who had befriended an Autobot could ever be safe. To distance the humans from himself, Roadhandler made a speech in which he seemed to denounce humanity. He and his fellow Micromasters then left for new adventures in parts unknown.The Interplanetary Wrestling Championship!

Later, Roadhandler and his Patrol accompanied Optimus Prime on a mission to retrieve vital battle plans fromChainclaw,who was serving as a courier. When Chainclaw was intercepted and captured by the DecepticonDealer,Optimus Prime prevented Roadhandler from opening fire. Roadhandler argued that Chainclaw's situation was hopeless, meaning that his life could be forfeit to protect Autobot secrets; Optimus Prime disagreed, saying that an Autobot must always consider other options. One such presented itself immediately, as Dealer then radioed Optimus and offered to sell the plans back to him for 5000 energon units. Optimus agreed to the Decepticons' terms, and turned to the Race Car Patrol for volunteers on the exchange. Another Autobot namedDoublepopped up, claiming to be Chainclaw's escort seeking to redeem himself on his failed mission. Roadhandler scanned the new arrival'sAutobrandfor authenticity, and all signs pointed to it being genuine. Optimus allowed Double to go through with the mission, but grew antsy when there appeared to be a delay on his return. He did come back, badly damaged and carrying Chainclaw, claiming that the Decepticons had ambushed him and taken both the plans and the energon. Angered by the betrayal, the rest of the Autobots present vowed to deal with the Decepticons themselves, and charged into battle againstScorponok's troops, holed up in a nearby building.(Double) Deal of the Century!

Roadhandler was invited to theTransformers' party forChristmas1989,where he was nursing a sore head.The Transformers#250 cover

Another Time & Place

After the battle of Klo, Roadhandler joined the Autobots in a mission toHydrus Fourto rescue the errantDinobots.He planned to quietly freeGrimlockand the others before the major offensive started, butCrankcasewalked in at the wrong time, so Grimlock ploughed him through a wall.

So much for subtlety.Another Time & Place

Transformers Comic-Magazin

Roadhandler and the Race Car Patrol arrived on Earth with the Autobots, and began to battle the Decepticons to protect Earth's energy resources.New York — A City Sinking in Terror

In a battle at Alaska, Roadhandler's team and theOff Road Patrolfought against the DecepticonPretenders.The Transformers' Grand Hour: Headmaster of the Dimensions

Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity

Toy bios

Roadhandler was leader of the Race Car Patrol.Zonebio

Zonecartoon, manga, and story pages

SNAP INTO A SLIM JIM!

WhenVictory Saberinitiated the "Zone Project", the Race Car Patrol helped rebuild planetMicrointo planet Zone. To counter this threat,Violengiguarbegan conquering planets in order to create his ownDecepticon Zone.The Race Car Patrol and all otherMicromasterteams were then sent on patrol across the galaxy, specifically to planets where their unique skills could do the most good.Zone Part 1

WhenKing PoseidonandTrypticonattacked the aquatic planet ofWall,the Race Car Patrol team were deployed to defend it. With the aid of CommandersOverload,Erector,Missile Bull,andSkywave,they emerged triumphant.Zone Part 3

Roadhandler was one of the numerous Micromasters who helped defend PlanetZonefrom theNine Great Demon Generals.Unfortunately, they were not able to preventOverlordfrom stealing the planet'sZodiacenergy capsule.Enter the New Supreme Commander, Dai Atlas!Zone

When thePowered Mastersflew off to theTenth Planetfor their showdown with Violengiguar, all the Micromaster teams took command of Zone and vowed to keep it safe in their Commander's absence.Zone Part 10

Legendscomic

Roadhandler was stationed onZonewhenViolengiguarattacked, using the possessed bodies of thePowered Masters.They staged a counterattack usingDai Atlasand the real Powered Masters as a rallying point. Having mastered the use ofSchaeffer Energy,the Micromasters could now transform and combine into powerful weapons. Roadhandler andSwindlerlinked up into a particle exhaust cannon, wielded by their enlarged comrade,Jetmaster.LG-EX Big Powered Prologue Part One

DreamwaveGeneration Onecontinuity

Apparently older and tougher than most Micromasters, Roadhandler enjoyed a certain position of authority thanks to his impressive driving skill and no-nonsense attitude. WhenBig Daddythreatened to lead a Micromaster exodus from the Autobots, Roadhandler refused to jump on the bandwagon with theHot Rod Patrol.Destined for NothingLater, Big Daddy confronted Roadhandler inLittle Iaconabout not steppin' up, so Roadhandler had to school him on the ways of the world. This, for some reason, involved a race.The Gray RaceAfter being captured by the Decepticons, Roadhandler and the rest of the Autobot Micros were eventually set free byCountdownand Big Daddy. He then did some serious damage on their jailers, rippingBarrage's head right off of his shoulders.Victims of the Revolution

2005 IDW continuity

"These seem like the type of guys that forget to call their dads on their birthdays. Well, Jeff Angel calls his dadevery day!"

Roadhandler and the rest ofJhiaxus's robotically evolved Gorlamites swarmedHardheadandNightbeatonGorlam Prime.He demonstrated some serious stunt-driving while taking pot-shots at Hardhead.Spotlight: Hardhead

Beast Wars: Uprising

Having fought on Earth during theGreat War,Roadhandler and the Race Car Patrol took up arms once more in the 24th century to fight theResistanceduring theGrand Uprising.They and theAir Strike Patrolwere captured by the Resistance when their battalion retreated from theMithril Seawithout them. The Micromaster POWs were sent toProtihex,where they were forced into a series ofgladiatorialGamesthat pitted Autobots against Decepticons to recreate the battles of ancient Earth.

In an early Game, Roadhandler singlehandedly eliminatedMetrobombandSkyhopperwhile busting through a Decepticon roadblock. He survived the experience and participated in the final round of the tournament. There,PredacondissidentPreditrondiscovered that Roadhandler had died after sustaining injuries. Then Preditron witnessed Roadhandler's body mutate into aVehiconas part of a hitherto unheard-ofBuilderupgrade, which rose to attack the crowd and spread the infection.Safe Spaces

War for Cybertron Trilogymarketing material

During the war for Cybertron, Roadhandler was aGround Command Intelligence Private.Siegetoy packaging

Games

Transformers Roleplaying Game

Roadhandler was a well-respected Autobot.Field Guide to Action and Adventure

Commercial appearances

Roadhandler was among the many Autobot Micromasters unleashed byOptimus Primethat managed to infiltrate the Decepticons' lair and muck up the place.Micromaster Patrols commercial

Toys

The Transformers

What'chya gonna do when Handlermaniaruns wildon you?

• Race Car Patrol(Micromaster Patrol,1988/1990)

• Takara ID number:C-334

Released in the sixth year of Hasbro's USTransformerstoyline(fifth year in European markets), Roadhandler transforms into a redPontiac Firebird Trans Am sports car.Roadhandler isgang-moldedwith his teammate Free Wheeler, sharing the same plastic colors.

He was only available in a four-pack with his teammatesFree Wheeler,Swindler,andTailspin.

Together with theAir Strike Patroland theOff Road Patrol,the Race Car Patrol was released by Hasbro in late 1988 (basically, a case of "next year product" being released at the end of the old year), in packaging that differed from the "proper" 1989 Micromasters' redesigned packaging (silver cards and boxes featuring an all-new "Transformers" logo) by retaining a variation of the faction-specific color-coded gradient background on the card and featuring a unique "Micro Transformers" title in a variation of the old, pre-1989 "Transformers" logo. This same basic packaging design was also used for Canada (albeit bilingual English/French) and parts of Europe (bilingual French/Dutch, and Italian-only packaging distributed byGiG). However, arunning change variantof the French/Dutch version featuring the later 1989 packaging design also exists, and most likely a similar version (in English-only packaging) was also released in the United Kingdom alongside similar versions of the Air Strike Patrol and the Off Road Patrol.

The Race Car Patrol was sold in Japan as part of theZoneseries in 1990. The toys are identical to theHasbroversions.

This sculpt was also used redecoed into theZoneMicromasterGunrunner.

• More information on Roadhandler at TFU.info

War for Cybertron: Siege

...that'san unusual pinfall tactic you got there, Swindler, but whatever gets the 3-count, I guess...

• Roadhandler & Swindler(Micromaster,2019)

• Hasbro ID number:WFC-S4
• TakaraTomy ID number:SG-03
• TakaraTomy release date:February 23,2019

Part of the first wave ofSiegeMicromasters, Roadhandler transforms into a red vaguely-Cybertronian sports car somewhat resembling a 1980 Pontiac Firebird. He can also combine with his pack-in teammateSwindlerto form the "Multi-Mech Particle Exhaust Cannon". As a part of theC.O.M.B.A.T. System,their weapon mode can be attached to any toy with a5 mm post-hole. "Fire Blasts" can also be attached to their barrels. Alternatively he can be turned into a single blaster without the need of his teammate as afan mode.

He was later redecoed asHyperdrive.

Notes

• InDreamwave'sMore than Meets the Eyeencyclopedia, his name is spelled "Road Handler", two words. This was also the preliminarySiegetoy naming atSDCC2018, though the final packaging spells it as one word.

Foreign names

• Japanese:Roadhandler(ロードハンドラーRōdohandorā)
• French:Grappin(Canada, "Grappling hook" )
• Italian:Molecula