Windbreaker

Windbreaker is anAutobotAxeleratorfrom theGeneration 1 continuity family

Why are you guys alwayzh dissing me? I've got powerzh.

Windbreaker(akaZap) seems to be the ultimate car warrior. He's strong, he's smart, he's fierce and brave. He's absurdly fast. He can rev up his engine and convert it into his silent and deadly partner, a powerful handgun. Nothing makes him happier than bursting through a tightly held perimeter, blasting away at the stunned enemy, or roaring into the quiet Autobot base to warn of a deadly danger blowing in the wind.

He seems completely invincible...and yet he's a simple scout. It's because his circuits have a tendency to overclock due to the Cybertronian equivalent of adrenaline that constantly runs through them. Though normally he moves and thinks at top speeds, he will find himself randomly exhausted by the smallest of exertions due to his systems being overtaxed. At these times he stalls out, leaving him completely useless, unable even to retreat back to Autobot territory.^[1]

Fiction

DreamwaveGeneration Onecontinuity

He had to listen to it, we had toreadit.

Windbreaker, standing besideAero RaidandRapido,was among a group of Autobots on Cybertron who pesteredProwlwith innumerable questions during a public address, following the toppling ofShockwave's government.Skyfire

2005 IDW continuity

Windbreaker was one of the Autobot soldiers serving under the command ofFortress Maximusat theGarrus-9penal colony. He and his fellow Autobots attempted to repelBanzai-Tron's forces when they attacked, but he was most likely blown away...Spotlight: Arcee

Wings Universe

Windbreaker was among the "second generation" of Transformers born onEarth,and followed in the footsteps of adeceased relativein being one of the fastest Autobots on land.Windbreaker bioHe joinedPyro's Autobots when the initially faction-less generation fell to infighting like their ancestors and was present during the battle that liberated theLarge Hadron ColliderfromClench'sDecepticon Syndicate.Generation 2: Redux

Not trusting these strange new powers,Cliffjumpermade Windbreaker demonstrate his new wind power on Decepticon dummy targets alongside a number of other Autobots.A Flash Forward, Part 2He joined Pyro's team as they left on a shuttle to investigate theQuantum Laboratoriesbreak-in.A Flash Forward, Part 3A clue onNebulosled them toQre,which Windbreaker was surprised to find has been cyberformed. They were attacked by a training system and then captured byJhiaxusand hisSharkticons.A Flash Forward, Part 4Imprisoned, they were forced to listen to Jhiaxus's speeches.A Flash Forward, Part 5AfterSideswipereleased them, Windbreaker used his abilities to take out theFirecons.The Autobots went on to rescueHi-Qand destroy the base before returning triumphant to Earth.A Flash Forward, Part 6

Regeneration One

It just slips out when you die.

Windbreaker,Turbofire,andMeanstreakwere among the Autobots onCybertronthat responded to the invasion ofBludgeon'sBlitz Engines.It didn't go well for Windbreaker and he was taken out of the action with a comic sound effect.Destiny, Part Four

Legendscomic

In the year 2038, Zap was stationed on Cybertron whenViolengiguarattacked. Using the possessed bodies of thePowered Masters,Violengiguar fought the realDai Atlaswhile Windbreaker helplessly looked on.The Road to Legends' Revival Chapter 2

Toys

The Transformers

Do my car-bits make me look fat?

• Zap(Axelerator,1993)

• Accessories:Engine-block rifle
• Known designers:Takio Ejima(TakaraTomy),Masakatsu Saito(concept artist)

Sold as part of theAxeleratorassortment, Zap transforms into an orange and blue Chevrolet Camaro Z28. His chrome-silver engine block becomes a hand-held rifle forrobot mode.

This toy isgang-moldedwithSkram.

He was initially released in the European market in 1993, during the "transitional" time when the Transformers toys took on the newGeneration 2sigils, but the packaging lacked the "Generation 2" line-name.

• More information on Windbreaker at TFU.info

Generation 2

• Windbreaker(Autobot Car, 1993) /Zap(Axelerator,1994)

• Accessories:Engine-block rifle

Released concurrently with the "Generation 1" Zap,Generation 2Windbreaker is almost identical to the European toy, save the pink clear-plastic being replaced with smoky-black, and his "AUTOBOT" tampograph is now yellow.

Zap was re-released in the EuropeanGeneration 2line the following year, retaining his clear-pink plastics.

Windbreaker was planned for use by Takara asCarzapin theBlock Townline, but that release was scrapped.

Notes

• On his original UK release as Zap, his Function was "Advance Intelligence Scout". His U.S. release removed his Intelligence (it was the '90s) and rendered him merely an "Advance Scout."
• Like all of the toys carried over from the European line for Generation 2, Windbreaker got entirely new artwork for his US release. His original artwork, for reasons unknown, has a scary freakin' vent-thing in place of his mouth.
• Unlikemost of the toys carried over from the European line forGeneration 2,the United States releases of the "Small Cars" kept the mottos and bios of the 1993 European Axelerators mostly unchanged, though the European 1994Generation 2releases omitted the bios and only featured the mottos inmultiple languages.
• Though Windbreaker was never released in Japan, he did gain a Japanese name via aBotCon Japan 1997exclusiveposter,which featured bios for all of the newGeneration 2characters released in the US who weren't part of the Japanese line: the Axelerators, theSkyscorchers,Rotor Force,four of theGo-Bots,and theColor Changers.

Foreign names

• Japanese:Carzap(カーザップKāzappu)
• Dutch:Rush
• French:Rush
• Italian:Folgor^[2]
• Spanish:Zap

References