Powerdasher
From Transformers Wiki
- The Powerdashers areAutobotsfrom theGeneration 1continuity family.
ThePowerdashersare here to help! Friendly, cheerful, and obedient, their purpose is to aid theEarthboundAutobots and their cause. Little is known about the extent of their abilities, as they are a new form of Autobot whose power is still growing.[1]Perhaps because of this uncertainty, strange statements have been made about them, such as that they are "able to take on a variety of shapes and forms" and "operate at various levels of kinetic energy."[2]What these intriguing abilities actuallymeanis unclear, as is their status in the spectrum betweendroneand sapientTransformer.But they have been said to be "constantly evolving,"[3]so no apparent limitation will necessarily confine them forever.
The team consists of:
Contents |
Fiction
S.T.A.R.S. pack-in flyers
The Powerdashers featured in two earlyrecruiting messagessent tohumansby the Autobots. The messages were almost identical in content, claiming that the Autobots marooned on Earth were becoming desperate in their battle against theDecepticons,sending an S.O.S. toCybertroneven though they didn't know if anyone would be there to receive it. Luckily, their plea was answered in the form of the Powerdashers,Omnibots,andTime Warriors.The only Powerdasher seen was the jet-form model, but the message noted that the Powerdashers' state of constant evolution meant that they might not look the same later.Reinforcements from Cybertron!The battle is far from over!
DreamwaveGeneration Onecontinuity
The three Powerdashers were created with a primitive design based on the forms of very early Cybertronians. Meant to aid the Autobots onEarth,the Powerdashers' powers and personalities were still growing when they were put into duty.More than Meets the Eye
They were packed in stasis aboard the supply shipOrion,which ended up crashing on Earth after getting shot down bySunstorm.The crew activated the Powerdashers, who awoke without a word and immediately began working on the ship. When they finished, they packed up their tools and quietly went back on board.Black Sunshine
2005 IDW continuity
Cromar and the Powerdashers worked withUltra Magnus,theDuobotsand theJumpstartersonClemency.While preparing to confront theNightmare Engine,they were attacked by a barrage ofK-ClassDecepticon bombers.The Gloaming
Ask Vector Prime
The Powerdashers varied considerably in abilities from universe to universe. They had been known to bedrones,in which case they have anEvolution/Revolutionchip to help them adapt to their environment. They were sometimes a new generation of Autobot, and conversely they were sometimes primitive Cybertronian forms of life. Sometimes there was but a single being named Powerdasher, with three dual body-states to choose from. And sometimes they were individual beings.Ask Vector Prime, 21 September 2015
Toys
The Transformers
- Powerdasher(Mail-order, 1984)
- There are three types of Powerdasher: a Cybertronic car, a Cybertronic drill, and a Cybertronic jet. All three have apull-back motorin vehicle mode, allowing them to quickly roll forward across flat surfaces. They were only available viamail-orderfromHasbrofor $3 and 2Robot Points.The jet was the only model pictured, but the customer was told that a different "style" might be sent instead. The jet-form Powerdasher appears to be the most common one sent out.
- The Powerdashers are notably peculiar as some of the only molds sourced fromTakara'spre-TransformerDiaclonetoyline not rereleased under theTransformersbrand inTakara's own Generation 1 toyline,along with theJumpstarters.
Generations
- Powerdasher Aragon(War for Cybertron: Siegemulti-pack, 2019)
- Powerdasher Zetar(War for Cybertron Trilogy Selects,2019)
- Powerdasher Cromar(War for Cybertron Trilogy Selects,2019)
- In 2019, the three Powerdashers all recevied new toys under theGenerationsbanner. All three were redecos and new head retools of the "Weaponizer" figures from theWar for Cybertron: Siegeline, and were given the individual names originally assigned to theirpre-Transformersversions in markets outside Japan (see below for more details). Announced first was "Powerdasher Aragon", a redeco/retool ofSiegeCog,available only as part of a "Fan Vote 3-Pack" under theSiegeline along withHolo MirageandDecepticon Impactor.Meanwhile, "Powerdasher Zetar", a redeco/retool ofSiegeBrunt,and "Powerdasher Cromar", a redeco/retool ofSiegeAutobot Sixgun,were both released individually as part of theGenerations Selectsrange.
Notes
- The wording in the Powerdasher instruction-sheet bio is choppy and unclear, and it can be interpreted to mean that "Powerdasher" is actually a single being who changes from bodyform to bodyform. However, the mail-order flyers use the term "Powerdashers" in the plural, and their portrayal in theDreamwaveand2005 IDWcontinuities follows this interpretation.
- TheDiaclonenames for the toys that became Powerdasher were "F-1 Dasher", "Drill Dasher", and "Sky Dasher". These names are sometimes used by fans to refer to the individual Powerdasher toys.
- Takarafirst released these molds in the US as the Power Dashers (two words) in theDiakrontoyline. This name was modified into Powerdashers for their release as part ofHasbro'sTransformers.
- InDiakron,GiG's ItalianTrasformerline, andJoustra's French release ofDiaclone,the Powerdasher toys received individual names: "Aragon" (car), "Cromar" (jet), and "Zetar" (drill).
- IDW Publishing'sMore than Meets the Eye#14made Cromar's name official for the US version of the character, finally giving one of these toys a personal name a scant 29 years after their release.[4]In 2015, the Facebook edition ofAsk Vector Primefollowed suit with the other twoDiakronnames.
- The Powerdashers were the first Cybertronian (well, non-Earthly) vehicular toys released—and were released in 1984, to boot.
Foreign names
- Cantonese:Dung6lik6Sin1fung1( động lực tiên phong, "Power Vanguard" )
- Japanese:Powerdasher(パワーダッシャーPawādasshā)
- Mandarin:Dònglì Xiānfēng( động lực tiên phong, "Power Vanguard" )
References
- ↑Powerdasher profile inDreamwave'sMore Than Meets the Eye#4
- ↑Powerdasherinstruction-sheetbios:car,drill,andjet,all written identically.
- ↑Powerdasher descriptionfrom themail-order flyer"Reinforcements from Cybertron!"
- ↑One would infer that writer James Roberts intended as such with the other twoDiakronnames, but this did not appear in print. However, backmatter in the 2020 Japanese translation ofMore than Meets the Eye#14 would confirm as such in published print.
