Slingshot (G1)
From Transformers Wiki
| This subject of this article goes by multiple names that apply to other articles as well. See Slingshot (disambiguation), Quickslinger (disambiguation). |
- Slingshot is an Autobot Aerialbot from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Slingshot (aka Quickslinger[1]) is a loud-mouthed, bragging jerk. Many believe that his annoying, self-aggrandizing, and abrasive personality is a cover for his insecurities over being the smallest and weakest Aerialbot. Just as many couldn't care less and just wish he would shut up or go away. Surprisingly, however, Optimus Prime turns a blind optical sensor to Slingshot's faults and is very supportive of him as he sees, and he might be the only one who does, that Slingshot is nonetheless a loyal and hardworking soldier, qualities that he believes merit his understanding and trust.
He can combine with his fellow Aerialbots to form Superion.
Fiction
Generation 1 cartoon continuity
The Transformers cartoon
- Voice actor: Rob Paulsen (English), Hirotaka Suzuoki (Japanese), Kenyū Horiuchi (Japanese, "The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 2", "War Dawn", 2010), Xia Zhiqing (Chinese), Carlos Lladó (Spain-Spanish), Carlos Nieto (Latin American Spanish), Bernd Simon (German, Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2), Imo Heite (German, Forever is a Long Time Coming), Albert Augier (European French), Georges Atlas (European French, "Aerial Assault"), Olivier Destrez (European French, "War Dawn"), Garcia Júnior (Portuguese), Júlio Chaves (Portuguese, "War Dawn")
Slingshot was created from an old carrier drone along with the rest of the Aerialbots by the Autobots as Optimus Prime's answer to the newly created Stunticons. However, Slingshot quickly made it clear that he didn't care for Earth, the humans, or the other Autobots, and he certainly had no respect for his new commander, Silverbolt, whose fear of heights caused him to abandon Slingshot when Motormaster attacked him. Ironhide threatened to install some humility programming into Slingshot via his fists on more than one occasion. However, Silverbolt was able to convince Slingshot and the other Aerialbots of the noble natures of the Autobots and humans. Slingshot even saved Silverbolt after the latter destroyed the Key to Vector Sigma. The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 2
Slingshot was once a major fanboy of the Decepticon jets, and believed Megatron would be a real swell guy to have as a friend. He changed his mind while in Cybertron's past, after seeing Megatron casually destroy the young Orion Pax. After that, he declared that Megatron will never be able to run from the Aerialbots, and they won't stop hounding him until he is finished. Man, he is such a bandwagon jumper. War Dawn
Soon afterward, the Aerialbots helped spray Corrostop on the Statue of Liberty. When Perceptor was kidnapped by the Stunticons and Blitzwing, Slingshot led the pursuit, only for Air Raid and Fireflight to be zapped by Megatron's Lightning Bug. Later, when the Decepticons tried to destroy Lady Liberty to prevent the Autobots from mass-producing Corrostop, Superion soundly defeated Menasor and destroyed the Lightning Bug. Cosmic Rust
While in the Middle East to help the local governments discover why military jets have been disappearing from hangars, the Aerialbots were lured into a trap by the Combaticons and Slingshot was buried alive in a cave by Blast Off. With his weapons console destroyed, Slingshot volunteered to act as a regular jet plane at an air force hangar in the hope of uncovering the plane-nappers. He and Skydive got more than they bargained for when they were dismantled by the Decepticon-backed criminals and smuggled across the border. Fortunately, they befriended a young boy named Hassan who identified Ali, the ringleader of the plane thieves who was helping the Decepticons rebuild the stolen planes into drone jets and had deposed the young ruler of the country, Prince Jumal. Hassan managed to recover all the parts removed from the two Aerialbots except for Slingshot's chest panel, but luckily Hassan borrowed the grill of Prince Jumal's Rolls Royce.
During the subsequent battle between the Aerialbots and the Decepticons, their drone fighter jets and the Giant Purple Griffin, Hassan snuck on board the Griffin to try and steal a weapons console for Slingshot, but was trapped when the Decepticon fortress took off. Weaponless, Slingshot bravely attacked Onslaught and came to Hassan's rescue. With his weapons restored, came to his friends' aid by causing Bruticus to trip with his tow cable. Superion defeated the Griffin and the Aerialbots blew Megatron, Bruticus and oil prices away by destroying the oil fields beneath them. Afterwards, Hassan revealed himself as Prince Jumal and assured his friend Slingshot that he would always consider the young Aerialbot a Rolls Royce. Aerial Assault
After the death of Megatron and the retaking of Cybertron, Slingshot and the Aerialbots became part of the Autobot Fleet. When Ultra Magnus, Kup and Spike were kidnapped to Quintessa, the rescue party alerted the Aerialbots to swoop by for covering fire and pick-up. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2 When the Quintessons destroyed their own planet to get at the Autobots, the resulting blast wave destroyed the Aerialbots' ship, sending Slingshot and the rest hurtling through space. Although they clearly survived, Skydive, Fireflight and Slingshot were not seen after the explosion. They eventually impacted on Goo, and were rescued by Wreck-Gar and the Junkions. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3 In the Decepticon attack on Cybertron that followed, Slingshot was seen fighting alongside Perceptor. He used his sharpshooting skills to send Cyclonus and the Sweeps into a tailspin. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5
Before long, history repeated itself (literally) as Slingshot and the Aerialbots had another time travel adventure involving Alpha Trion, only this time it involved the ancient Autobot himself traveling into the present from the past, back from when he was merely A-3. The Quintessons were experimenting with Time Window technology when Perceptor and a group of Autobots came across their work. Summoned for reinforcements, Rodimus Prime arrived with Superion and the other Autobots to drive the Quintessons off the asteroid. As the time window was left open, a robot named A-3 materialized on the asteroid. It wasn't until after the Quintessons convinced the Autobots that the window needed to be closed for the sake of the universe, and A-3 returned to his own time, that Slingshot and the Aerialbots realized they had once again been in the presence of "the father of the Autobots". Forever Is a Long Time Coming
Once, Air Raid led the Decepticon duo of Scourge and Cyclonus into an asteroid field where Slingshot and his fellow Aerialbots were waiting to spring an ambush. The Aerialbots messed the Decepticons up pretty badly, especially after they transformed into Superion. Eventually, Slingshot and the others chased the Decepticons through a strange warp in space. This proceeded to have no consequences for anyone whatsoever. Fight or Flee
Slingshot and the Aerialbots tried to stop the Decepticons' abduction of Octane, and later showed up to stage an ambush for Galvatron. Starscream's Ghost
Slingshot and the Aerialbots were spending a relaxing day watching home movies on Teletraan II when things suddenly get serious, as the Autobots' computer off-handedly informed them Trypticon was never destroyed in his last battle with Metroplex. When they tracked Trypticon to his new staging grounds, Slingshot and the Aerialbots launched from Broadside, but the Decepticon presence in Carbombya was more than they had anticipated. The Aerialbots made a hasty retreat when confronted with overwhelming firepower, but soon returned with reinforcements and drove the Decepticons from Carbombya. Thief in the Night
After Scourge was possessed by the ghost of Starscream, he stole Metroplex's eyes and Slingshot and the Aerialbots were almost hit by friendly fire from the giant. Ghost in the Machine During a battle in space, Slingshot and the Aerialbots may or may not have been present. Superion, at least, was surely there on the planet Eurythma... sometimes. Carnage in C-Minor
After Sky Lynx took some hostile fire over the planet of Junk, Rodimus Prime dispatched Slingshot and the Aerialbots to investigate. They were caught in a crossfire between the brain-addled Junkions and the Quintessons, who were responsible for messing with the Junkions' air waves, and their minds. Even after becoming Superion, the Aerialbots took heavy fire and had to be brought back to First Aid on Cybertron for repairs. The Big Broadcast of 2006 Later, Slingshot and the Aerialbots were working with Rodimus Prime and Ultra Magnus in Europe to fend off the latest wave of Decepticon attacks. When Trypticon arrived, they played the bi-planes to his King Kong. The Ultimate Weapon
Alongside Blades and Wheelie, Slingshot was one of the first Transformers whose energy was consumed by Tornedron. Call of the Primitives
During the Decepticon invasion of Japan, the Aerialbots fought against Astrotrain when he tried to derail a bullet train full of passengers. The Burden Hardest to Bear Sometime thereafter, Slingshot and the Aerialbots were recruited by Rodimus Prime to rescue the body of Optimus Prime from Swofford and Morgan. Unfortunately, this only meant they were among the first Autobots exposed to the Hate Plague. Despite the madness induced by the red dust, the Aerialbots were apparently still willing to form Superion. Superion ran amok, causing serious property damage, infecting Defensor, and taking several other Autobots out of action. The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1 Slingshot and the others were eventually cured of the Hate Plague along with the entire planet when Optimus Prime unleashed the power of the Matrix of Leadership. The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2
When the Decepticons invaded Cybertron searching for the Plasma Energy Chamber, the Aerialbots tried to stop them. Unfortunately, they didn't reckon with Sixshot. Slingshot was caught off-guard when the Six Changer jumped modes from winged wolf to armored carrier, and was shot down. The Rebirth, Part 1 The Aerialbots were next seen retreating in disarray from an advancing Abominus as the battle on Cybertron continued. The Rebirth, Part 2 The Aerialbots were ultimately defeated and had their power packs removed to help fuel the rocket engine the Decepticons installed on Cybertron. The Rebirth, Part 3
Japanese cartoon continuity
Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers story pages
Scramble City
Slingshot and the Aerialbots were dispatched from the Scramble City project by Ultra Magnus to aid Optimus Prime in battle with the Seekers and Devastator. Their aerial firepower frankly overwhelmed the marauding Decepticons, and sent them home with their transistors between their struts. On his second attempt, Megatron sent the Stunticons, who were considerably more successful in engaging the Autobots. Damaged in jet modes, Slingshot the Aerialbots chose instead to merge and form Superion. As Superion, they possessed scramble combining abilities, but so did the Stunticons when they formed Menasor. The Aerialbots were in the midst of reconfiguring their limb formation when Fireflight, being... well, a daydreaming idiot, mixed up whether he was supposed to be the right leg or the left. His indecision gave Menasor time to shoot him down, and Wildrider assumed the place of Superion's right leg instead, corrupting his programming. Slingshot and the others were trapped as Superion, literally fighting themselves, until Fireflight retook his place as Superion's limb. Scramble City: Mobilization
The Headmasters cartoon
- Voice actor: Masato Hirano (Japanese)
Slingshot and the Aerialbots were stationed at Autobot City on Earth in 2011. When Galvatron attacked Cybertron via the old space bridge network, the Aerialbots were summoned to Cybertron as reinforcements. They soon arrived with the Trainbots and quickly joined the battle. Slingshot and his team formed Superion and battled Abominus and Devastator. Four Warriors Come out of the Sky Later, the combined Aerialbots fought alongside Raiden and Defensor against the Decepticon combiners, and were nearly crushed when Bruticus collapsed a building on their position. They were bailed out by the arrival of the Battleship Maximus. When Hot Rod began his search for the Matrix of Leadership on Earth, Slingshot and the Aerialbots returned to the humans' planet to assist him. They confronted the Stunticons in the desert, pitting Superion against Menasor yet again. The battle was so fierce it eventually carried them to the Arctic where Hot Rod was searching. The Mystery of Planet Master
Slingshot and his flying comrades joined the Triple Changers in distracting the Decepticons long enough for Twincast to sneak inside Trypticon and gather data on the Madmachine. The Great Cassette Operation Sometime later, Slingshot and the Aerialbots were on a research vessel that passed near a strange meteorite. The meteorite had been altered by Galvatron to produce gravity-warping waves whenever it detected metal, and so it send the Aerialbots and their ship twisting through space. Although the Decepticons tried to intervene, the Autobots eventually recovered Slingshot and his injured colleagues. Approach of the Demon Meteorite
Following a lengthy repair cycle, Slingshot and the Aerialbots were ready for action when Galvatron and the Decepticons laid siege to Cybertron one last time. Transporting to Cybertron from Earth, they raced into battle (on foot, for some reason). Slingshot and the team got the drop on the Stunticons when they merged into Superion, smashing and scattering the 'Cons before they could form Menasor. Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 1 As the fighting continued, the Aerialbots battled Abominus as Superion and later separated to trade blaster fire with the Stunticons. The warring only came to an end once Scorponok's bombs blew up Vector Sigma and annihilated the planet. Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 2
When a giant carnivorous plant attacked San Francisco, Ultra Magnus dispatched Slingshot and the Aerialbots to combat it. Although they made frequent bombing runs on the organism, the Aerialbots were unable to stop it. Only the arrival of Fortress and his powerful giant Transtector brought an end to the creature's rampage. Head On!! Fortress Maximus Slingshot and the Aerialbots were part of a strike team that flew to the moon to disrupt Scorponok's gathering of Decepticons. They immediately formed Superion upon entering the battle. Return of the Immortal Emperor
When one of Scorponok's Death Towers emerged in Washington D.C., Slingshot and the Aerialbots were dispatched to investigate it. As part of Superion, Slingshot participated in the Autobots final battle with Scorponok's Decepticons at the North Pole. He lent his energies to the Headmasters' Head Formation to revitalize Fortress Maximus at the critical moment. The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 2)
Metrowars
As part of Superion, Slingshot was stationed at Scramble City while it was under reconstruction after an attack from Metrotitan. Metrowars
Unite Warriors/Legends
In the 2030s, Slingshot and the Aerialbots deployed from Metroplex to put a stop to the Stunticons' latest bout of mischief. Today Is Us Stunticons' Annual Holiday Demolition Race! This led to a battle in which Superion battled and was defeated by Grand Scourge, though he was saved by Broadside, allowing the Aerialbots to escape. They went on to accompany Broadside to the Legends World and help him defeat Thrust, who then started living with them on Broadside's giant transtector. Bonus Edition Vol. 53 The Aerialbots later visited Metroplex, another visitor to this world, and hosted their annual barbecue party on his city mode together with their old friend, King Hassan, who Slingshot toasted with. Today Is Energon BBQ! Bonus Edition Metroplex When the world was flooded by Tigerburn, Slingshot watched from the safety of Broadside's ship mode as the Laser Beast took control of Trypticon. Bonus Edition Vol. 64
Generations Selects Special Comic
In 2050, the Autobots chose to support the Selectors in their revolution against their human creators and masters. As a result, Slingshot and the Aerialbots abandoned their friend Jumal in the Middle East to reunite with the Autobot forces. Volcanicus comic 2 Despite this, when the Angolmois Energy began erupting violently around the world, Slingshot returned to Jumal to make sure he was alright. Abominus comic 2
TV Magazine comic continuity
Fight! Super Robot Life Form Transformers comic
As part of Superion, Slingshot helped drive Menasor and Bruticus away from a baseball field. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #5 Slingshot was later ordered to stay at base while the other Aerialbots went on a mission to save some kidnapped Autobots, as Optimus Prime believed he might damage the flora and/or fauna of the area. His place on Superion was instead taken by First Aid, and Slingshot had to spend the rest of his day moping about it. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #6
The Great Transformer War
When the Aerialbots attempted to rescue Doctor Dalton from the Decepticons at Trypticon, they were repulsed by the awesome launching power of the Stunticons and Combaticons. Slingshot and his comrades were repaired in the field by Hot Spot of the Protectobots, and then Silverbolt used his own launching power to deploy the Aerialbots in a high-speed flurry around Bruticus and Menasor, confusing the giant Decepticons long enough for the Autobots to escape with Dalton. The Great Transformer War #1
Full Throttle Scramble Power!
The Decepticons, up to their usual tricks, threatened to plunder Earth's resources. The Aerialbots pleaded with Optimus Prime to allow them to deal with their bitter rivals, the Stunticons, currently attacking a powerplant. Though Optimus was hesitant at first, the Aerialbots being new and inexperienced, he allowed them this chance to prove themselves. The two teams met, and quickly combined into their gestalt forms to do battle. Though Superion was initially crippled by the Omega Wave Cannon, a new weapon controlled by the Decepticons, he held his own until the Autobots dispatched enough reinforcements to turn the tide of battle. As a coup-de-grace against Menasor, Superion dislodged Wildrider, acting as the combiner's right leg, and had Slingshot force himself into the Decepticon as his new limb. Menasor, unable to control Slingshot, was left unable to move out of the way as Superion defeated him with a dive-bomb kick. Full Throttle Scramble Power!
Marvel Comics continuity
Marvel The Transformers comics
Thanks to his previous connection to the Creation Matrix, Buster Witwicky began experiencing dreams and visions of new Transformers, beginning with an etching of Superion he made without even being consciously aware of it. Devastation Derby! By sharing his visions with Optimus Prime, Buster was able to clarify the images and understand the future of the evolution of the Cybertronian race—amalgam model robots like the Constructicons' Devastator, capable of a more-streamlined merging into a more powerful form. Second Generation! Together, Optimus and Buster witnessed a prophetic vision in which Slingshot and the other Aerialbots assisted the Protectobots in defending the Pullen Power Plant from the Combaticons and the Stunticons by combining into their gestalt forms. The Special Teams Have Arrived It was this vision which allowed Optimus Prime and Wheeljack to conceive of and construct the Aerialbots. Second Generation!
Working on a plan to reverse engineer the gestalt technology the Decepticons used to create Devastator, Optimus Prime and the Autobots staged a daring raid on the Decepticon base of operations, giving Bumblebee enough time to digitally record the Constructicons' electrical transformation pattern for study. Command Performances! Working off that blueprint, Wheeljack successfully created Slingshot and the Aerialbots. During the new warriors' testing phase, however, the Autobots were alerted to a Decepticon operation at Hoover Dam. Only the Aerialbots were fast enough to reach the location in time, and so Prime was forced to send them into battle before their programming was completed.
As the Aerialbots arrived and engaged the Decepticons in aerial combat, Slingshot was blindsided by Ramjet, who literally rammed him out of the skies. He recovered, but only to take another shot from Shrapnel's electro-blasts, and had to be rescued from a nosedive by Silverbolt.
The Aerialbots eventually turned the tide on the Decepticons and drove them off, giving them time to focus on the energy siphon which was the core of the problem. At Silverbolt's command, they merged into Superion and began dismantling the drill device. A problem arose, however, when Bombshell's cerebro-shell controlled pawn Ricky Vasquez pointed Megatron (in his gun mode) at the giant Autobot. Because the majority of the Aerialbots were not programmed specifically to protect human life, Superion only saw a potential threat that needed to be eliminated. As the human fought against the Decepticons' control, Silverbolt too fought inside Superion's gestalt mind to protect the human. In the end, Silverbolt was forced to disengage Superion to keep him from destroying the human. Luckily, Ricky was more successful and managed to break the cerebro-shell's hold long enough to point Megatron at the drill and destroy it, ending the threat. Aerialbots over America!
After the near disaster at Hoover Dam, Optimus Prime had the Aerialbots shut down and their programming completely erased. Returned to a blank slate, he then inputted fully-programmed personalities for them with the Matrix before their next mission. It, uh... didn't help. In battle with Menasor as Superion, the Aerialbots were attacked by Circuit Breaker, deactivated, and captured by RAAT. Heavy Traffic! It was only when the Battlechargers went on a rampage across America and Circuit Breaker required extra materiel to take them down that she struck a deal with her Autobot captives; in exchange for allowing themselves to be temporarily combined into a battlesuit that she could use to defeat the Decepticons, they were allowed to go free afterwards. Decepticon Graffiti!
Optimus Prime sent Slingshot and the Aerialbots to back up Bumblebee as he investigated possible Decepticon activity at the unveiling of Power Station Alpha. They arrived just in time to see Bumblebee being blown away by the G.I. Joe team guarding the power station and combined into Superion in an attempt to retrieve Bumblebee's body. Blood on the Tracks Upon learning that Optimus Prime had died in battle while the Aerialbots were on their mission Superion immediately disengaged and returned to the Ark. Power Struggle United with both G.I. Joe and Cobra against the Decepticons, who planned to use Power Station Alpha to destroy the world, Slingshot and the Aerialbots entered the battle and once more formed Superion, this time to defeat Devastator. ...All Fall Down!
The Aerialbots would once again encounter Menasor at a Blackrock plant. When they combined into Superion this time, Slingshot and the others discovered that Silverbolt suffered from vertigo, and horrified at his fear of heights being found out, he drove their combined form into a vicious, brutal fury. ...Perchance to Dream
Following this, Slingshot and the other Aerialbots would come under Jetfire's command to investigate enemy activity in a small East Coast town. Little did the group suspect that Jetfire had been tasked with undermining them throughout the mission in order to test their psychological limits. Eager to prove his usefulness, Slingshot rushed into a surprise attack upon arrival, forcing the rest of his team to follow suit lest he find himself out of his depth.
The Autobots were met with Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp siphoning electricity into energon cubes. The Decepticons' cache was detonated by a stray shot, and both Thundercracker and Skywarp managed to escape. Silverbolt then called upon the rest of his team to merge into Superion and catch Starscream before he too made himself scarce. Unfortunately, the Aerialbots' collective neuroses and loathing of each others' weaknesses made it impossible for Superion to focus on more than one thing at a time. Starscream escaped, though Jetfire gave the Aerialbots a positive review, having been unconscious during the combiner's poor showing. The Return of the Transformers
Following Optimus Prime's self-sacrifice, Slingshot and the other Autobots aboard the Ark watched as Ratchet tried and failed to save him. Funeral for a Friend! Slingshot disembarked with the rest of the Earth-bound Autobots from the Ark onto Earth's moon, where they witnessed a battle for leadership between Grimlock and Blaster. This was a moment of opportunity for Ratbat's Decepticons, who attacked Slingshot and the others on the moon's surface. Though the Decepticons struck a devastating first blow, Blaster and Grimlock managed to temporarily put aside their differences in order to lead their troops together. Though many Autobots were severely damaged, the Decepticons were successfully pushed into a retreat. Totaled!
At some point, the Aerialbots shot down Dreadwing over one of Earth's oceans. Unfortunately the Decepticon was carrying a vital power source, requiring the Autobot Powermasters to go down to the sea bed to retrieve it. Dreadwing Down!
Sometime later, most of the Autobots rushed to the Arctic in response to a distress call sent by Buster Witwicky. Unfortunately, this was a trap staged by Starscream, as the Decepticon headquarters was located nearby. The Autobots were overwhelmed by the Decepticons, including Slingshot, who was first shot by Astrotrain and very shortly thereafter blasted out of the sky by Slugslinger. Starscream used this trap as a diversion as he attempted to claim the nigh-infinite power of the Underbase for himself. The Autobots and Decepticons called for a truce and assembled three teams to wait for Starscream in three target cities. Slingshot and the other Aerialbots were his first victims, wiped out in a single blast of cosmic power in the skies over New York. Dark Star
Along with the other deactivated Autobots aboard the Ark, Slingshot and the Aerialbots were eventually revived by the Nucleon super-energy Grimlock and the Dinobots recovered from Hydrus Four. The Void!
Earthforce
Slingshot was present with the entire Earthforce team outside Autobot Earthbase when Wheeljack unveiled his brand-new unbreachable defensive system. This was unfortunate, as Wheeljack had forgotten that, once activated, the system could only be turned off from the inside. Prowl elected to run the gauntlet and reach the shutdown console inside, and the Aerialbots provided air support for him. Slingshot and his buddies gunned down the Acid Bats at the entryway, giving Prowl his chance to get through. The House that Wheeljack Built!
In a later battle, Slingshot and his team formed Superion... and were quickly taken over by Bombshell. Inside Story!
Marvel UK future timelines
In 2008, Slingshot was one of several Autobots deactivated by the Quintessons when they invaded Autobot City. Space Pirates!
The Big Broadcast of 2006
After receiving reports from Sky Lynx that the Quintessons were up to no good on the planet of Junk, Rodimus Prime sent Slingshot and the Aerialbots to investigate. Encountering a Quintesson Cruiser above the planet, they formed Superion, who fired his jets at the ship's force fields. The resultant explosion not only damaged the Quintesson craft but also knocked Superion unconscious. He was recovered by Sky Lynx, who returned him to Cybertron for repairs. The Big Broadcast of 2006
Transformers Comic-Magazin
Marvel Generation 2 comic
After the defeat of Bludgeon and his Decepticons on Klo, the Autobots split into smaller combat units throughout the universe. Once Optimus Prime and Grimlock learned of the threat posed by the second generation Cybertronian army, though, the Autobot forces reconsolidated under their command. Slingshot and the other Aerialbots were first seen after the Autobots had retreated to an asteroid sanctuary for retraining. They were, um, outsmarted by Hot Rod during the war games, and led into a Dinobot ambush. The Power and the Glory He was later seen fighting the Cybertronians with his fellow Aerialbots on Ethos. Escalation! In the final battle with the Swarm on Earth, Slingshot was heavily damaged and then consumed by the entity alongside Slag. A Rage in Heaven!
Regeneration One
After Silverbolt was reformatted into a new Nucleon-free body, he was reunited with Slingshot and the rest of the Aerialbots, flying scouting missions for Ultra Magnus's Cybertronian Civil Defense. They were recalled to base before they were able to stumble upon Soundwave's Neo-Decepticons, which may have been fortunate as Soundwave had Monstructor waiting for them. Destiny, Part Three Soon after that Slingshot and the Aerialbots flew alongside Blades as he located Ultra Magnus, missing since his first bout with Galvatron, and updated him regarding the arrival of Bludgeon's Warworld and its invading army of Blitz Engines above Cybertron. Destiny, Part Four Slingshot and the Aerialbots then joined Jetfire, Blades, Doubleheader, Skyhammer, Cloudraker, Dogfight and Crossblades in attacking the Warworld directly, providing a distraction so that the Wreckers could sneak aboard. Destiny, Part Five
After surviving the battle against Jhiaxus and his forces at the Hub Network, Slingshot was killed by a shadow-leech upon his return to Cybertron. The War to End All Wars, Part 5
The Special Teams
Slingshot was created on Cybertron, where Vector Sigma first ignited the spark of life within him.
Slingshot, and the rest of the Aerialbots were nearly convinced to join the Decepticons upon their initial alliance with the Autobots. This was due to a fault in the Aerialbots’ programming, present due to a sudden drop in the mega-computer when they were being created. The Aerialbots were sent over by Optimus to help the Protectobots defend the Pullen Power Plant from the Decepticons. Happening upon Bruticus and Menasor teaming-up to take on Defensor, the Aerialbots combined into Superion to even the odds. Bruticus fell early in the battle, prompting the Aerialbots to separate and give chase to Starscream while Defensor took over the fight with Menasor. The Special Teams
Ladybird Books continuity
When an Autobot salvage expedition was unexpectedly ambushed by Decepticons, Ultra Magnus became concerned that the Cons had developed a new form of surveillance. Silverbolt suggested his men perform a full scan of the area for any spy installation. The Aerialbots were unable to locate any sites on the ground, but a ghost of a radar contact at high altitude caught their attention. Forming Superion, they flew as high as possible and confirmed that something was out there in the upper atmosphere. Galvatron's Air Attack
Battle Beneath the Ice
Slingshot and Skydive assisted Hot Rod in apprehending the Battlechargers. The incident was captured on television.
When human scientists discovered a mysterious city beneath the ice of the North Pole, they placed a call to Autobot City in order to get the Transformers' perspective on the discovery. Slingshot, Skydive and Hot Rod were dispatched with the research team to investigate. On their way, the humans' research plane was shot down by a powerful laser, and the Aerialbots were unable to locate the craft in the terrible blizzard. They instead made their way to the on-site research team, only to happily discover that Hot Rod and their human friends had been saved by the city-dwellers themselves. While the Watcher, leader of the city-dwellers, showed the humans and Autobots around their hidden home, monitor screens alerted the group that the Combaticons had arrived, and were investigating the crash site. The Aerialbots concluded that Blast Off's orbital firepower was responsible for the crash, and flew out to engage the Decepticons in battle. Eventually, however, Autobot and Decepticon alike learned that the city-dweller were the real threat, and joined forces to vanquish the strange but malevolent beings. Slingshot rather reluctantly complied with the truce and allowed Ravage and the Combaticons to leave without incident once the fighting was over. Battle Beneath the Ice
Dreamwave Generation One continuity
At some point in Cybertronian history, roughly around the time of the Dark Ages, Slingshot and his Aerialbot comrades became a combiner subgroup, able to merge to form Superion. Because Superion and his fellow super-robots began causing too much sheer devastation during the war, however, the Crisis Intervention Accords were signed by the various factions, prohibiting the use of super-robots. Combiner sub-group members could either join different factions separately (like Motormaster) or remain together as a neutral, unaligned group (like the Protectobots). What Slingshot and the Aerialbots chose to do is unknown. War Within: The Dark Ages
In some unexplained way, the Aerialbots eventually made their way to modern 20th century Earth, becoming some of the few Transformers fighting on that planet who hadn't arrived via either the Ark or the Nemesis. Slingshot and his comrades fought alongside Optimus Prime and his crew until Operation Liberation eliminated the Decepticon threat in 1999. Tragically, they and the rest of the Autobots were believed destroyed following the explosion of the Ark II, though in reality the ship was sabotaged by the rogue engineer-turned arms dealer Adam Rook, known as Lazarus, and General Robert Hallo, who planned on reprogramming the Transformers into the service of the United States military. The Aerialbots were some of the few Transformers who were not recovered by Lazarus for his reprogramming venture, now aimed at hiring out the Transformers to the highest bidder. Instead, they lay immobile in the Arctic waters until reactivated as Superion in 2002 by Optimus Prime, using the power of the Matrix of Leadership. Prime Directive #2
Slingshot and the Aerialbots in their Superion form, battled the Decepticons in the Northwest Territories of Canada Prime Directive #3 and again in San Francisco. During the latter conflict, Superion was broken down into his individual components while battling Devastator and the Seekers. Prime Directive #4 The Autobots were then tied up with steel girders while Megatron tried to convince Optimus to join him, purporting that humans were too morally bankrupt to be worth his efforts. Prime Directive #5 But thanks to the interference of some humans, Slingshot and his team were freed and eventually reunified in order to intercept a nuclear missile (launched by General Hallo) headed for the California coastline. Superion, and by extension the Aerialbots, were destroyed in stopping the missile. Prime Directive #6
Their remains were collected secretly by Earth Defense Command and held in Area 51. Generation 1 #0
Transformers/G.I. Joe
The Aerialbots were awakened on the Fera Islands in 1939 and were reformatted as World War II-era fighter planes. After joining the battle against Cobra and the Decepticons, Slingshot and the others battled the Seekers, forcing them back. Trial by Fire When Grimlock and Roadblock fell off a cliff, the Aerialbots combined into Superion and rescued them. Wolves
As Superion, they came under fire from Shockwave, Trenches eventually succumbing to his firepower, and were destroyed. The Iron Fist
2005 IDW continuity
- First Appearance: All Hail Megatron #1 (cameo); Transformers vol. 1 #26 (full)
Early in the war, the Aerialbots responded to Optimus' rallying call for additional support against the Decepticons and fought against the Seekers in the battle that followed. Broadcast. Later, when Trypticon was awakened and went on a rampage in Harmonex, Slingshot and his fellow Aerialbots helped stop the giant by collapsing the city's giant central structure on top of him. The Illusion of Control
Slingshot and Wheeljack used to listen to Nebulan rock operas together. Wheeljack thought that he had terrible taste in music. The World of Tomorrow
He briefly appeared among the Autobot troops fighting Megatron and the Decepticons on Cybertron in the distant past. All Hail Megatron #1
Slingshot was among the Autobots poised to fight against Galvatron's army on Cybertron. Led by Silverbolt, he and the other Autobot fliers attacked Kimia Facility and fought with the many Sweeps defending it. Numbers Slingshot and his fellow Aerialbots worked crowd control on the Decepticons after Ratbat was murdered. He later followed Silverbolt's lead along with the rest of the Aerialbots in deserting Bumblebee's fledgling government. Stick Together
However, after they entered the wilderness, they were found by Megatron, who elected to use them as test subjects, exposing them to the mysterious energies that had previously been responsible for creating the "Deceptigod" combiner. Before the Dawn Initially, they began to succumb to rage and madness, but then, Slingshot and the others began to unify in purpose, hunting down Silverbolt, who resisted the process for longer. Night and the City
To cope, the Aerialbots' minds and bodies—like those who combined into the Deceptigod before them—spontaneously reconfigured of their own accord, fusing the five Autobots together into "The Superion". Second Exodus Dismissing the newborn combiner as insane, Megatron left Superion in the wilderness, using the data he had gained from the experiment to perfect the combination process and create a new version of Devastator. Before the Dawn
When Ironhide and the Dinobots came looking for the missing Aerialbots, the prehistoric Autobots soon succumbed to the energy's effects as well and Slingshot, as part of Superion, rescued him from his pursuers. Night and the City With a sufficiently large number of Transformers now in one place, the energies Megatron was broadcasting became too diluted to have any effect, restoring everyone to their right minds, Second Exodus and Ironhide then led them all back to Iacon to help save the city from Megatron. Before the Dawn Slingshot, as part of Superion, grappled with the new Devastator and was able to bring him down after the death of Bombshell, who was controlling him from afar, caused his mind to shut down. However, as Superion turned his attention elsewhere, the Decepticon combiner rose again under the control of himself and attacked the Aerialbot combiner from behind, tearing him in half. Plan for Everything
After Megatron's defeat, Starscream seized control of Iacon and exiled those who would not renounce their factions from the city. Slingshot, as part of Superion, was allowed to remain in the city until he was repaired enough to make a decision for himself. Second Exodus However, Slingshot, who was badly damaged in the fight against Devastator, succumbed to his injuries and died. In order to repair Superion, Starscream recruited Wheeljack to aid in restoring the combiner as well as Powerglide and Alpha Bravo to serve as his, and any other lost components', replacements. The World of Tomorrow
Transformers: The Ultimate Pop-Up Universe
Pursuing the AllSpark after it had been launched into space, Slingshot was one of the many Autobots that found his way to Earth. There, he participated in a great battle within a human settlement against the Decepticons. The Ultimate Pop-Up Universe
Commercial appearances
- Slingshot and the rest of the Aerialbots flew over a barren, rocky terrain to meet against the Stunticons. Both teams combined, and their gestalt forms engaged in a no-holds-barred slug-fest. Aerialbots and Stunticons commercial
- After being upgraded to their "Generation 2" bodies, the Aerialbots flew over some suburbs, greatly impressing a young boy. They then merged into Superion to duel against Bruticus. Generation 2 Aerialbots and Combaticons commercial
Games
Transformers Legends
Slingshot and the other Aerialbots managed to drive Nemesis Prime into a retreat after this twisted creation of Doctor Arkeville was unleashed on the world. Nemesis Rising He and Sergeant Kup foiled an attempt by Starscream to resurrect Unicron. Unicron Returns
Transformers: Frontiers
Transformers: Earth Wars
Transformers Roleplaying Game
Slingshot was a boisterous flier. The Enigma of Combination The Aerialbots were among the many Transformers summoned to the Apex, where they provided air support and covering fire for other heroes. Worlds Collide: Battle for the Multiverse
Toys
The Transformers
- Slingshot (Aerialbot, 1986, 1991)
- Team ID number: A4
- Japanese ID number: C-53
- Accessories: neutron rifle
- Known designers: Kōjin Ōno (TakaraTomy)
- The Transformers Slingshot transforms into a white Sea Harrier jumpjet. While the other three Aerialbot limbs follow a standard design with similar proportions and parts distribution, Slingshot is unusual in that he is much, much thinner than the other jets (partly due to his vehicle mode), with stick-like arms and his front landing gear is mounted on his chest, as the Harrier nose cone on the toy is far too short to accommodate fold-down landing gear.
- As a Scramble City-style combiner, Slingshot can be connected to any free arm or leg slot on Silverbolt to form Superion, and indeed can also combine with any other Scramble City combiner. However, his nominal placement is as the left arm of Superion.
- Slingshot, along with his teammates, were released in the 1990 European/Australian Classics reissue series of Generation 1 toys.
- In Japan, the Aerialbots were also later all made available again as mail-away items during Return of Convoy. The smaller toys cost 1000 yen (120 more than their original retail price!) and 2 robot points.
- Superion (Gift set, 1986)
- Japanese ID number: C-55
- Accessories: neutron rifle
- Slingshot was also available in a Superion boxed giftset, along with the rest of his teammates. All of the toys in this set are identical to their individual releases.
- Slingshot (1990)
- Accessories: neutron rifle
- Slingshot, along with his teammates, was rereleased without changes in 1990 as part of the European "gold-boxed" Classics reissue line.
Generation 2
- Slingshot (Aerialbot, 1994)
- Team ID number: A4
- Accessories: neutron rifle
- For Generation 2, Slingshot was redecoed in gold and silver with orange and blue tiger striped stickers on his wings which proudly proclaim his name.
- This toy is infamous for being one of the most breakable Transformers toys ever released. If you still own it, never touch it again.
Transformers (campaign item)
- Cybertron Sling (Micron, 2009)
- A redeco of the Classics Mini-Con Thunderwing, Sling(shot) now transforms into an F-14 Tomcat swing-wing fighter jet. As a Mini-Con, he has a "Powerlinx" socket that allows him to attach to compatible Powerlinx plugs when in vehicle mode... though its placement (sticking out of the back of the jet like a single thruster) can make for some awkward placement.
- Sling was only available by signing up for a Transformers-themed Visa credit card through Pocket Card Co., Ltd. Sling was sent to those who got the Autobot-themed card, with Vorter sent to those who get the Decepticon card. Everyone braced for these being super-expensive to obtain on the secondary market, but in the end, apparently these got dumped to dealers in large numbers and now are among the cheapest of the Japanese promo Microns available.
- This mold was also used to make Cybertron Nightscream, Noise Effect, Boltflash, and Barrel Roll.
| Transformers: Classics mold: Thunderwing | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
Kre-O
- Quickslinger (Kreon Micro-Changer, 2012)
- Collection: 1
- Bag number: ***** 44
- Accessories: logo brick, built-up Deconstructo Blaster
- Known designers: Ed Masiello (Hasbro)
- Part of the first normal wave of Kre-O Micro-Changer Kreons, "Quickslinger" is a blindpacked-bagged mini-figure, though a stamped ID number can be found on the back of the bag, top-right corner. He comes with extra parts so he can be converted into a tiny, tiny plane, and his pistol is built-up with extra parts in order to make it look bigger. He also comes with a 2x4 block with the Kre-O logo on the side, which he can use as a stand so he can look taller.
- He uses Ratchet's helmet and the Starscream wing-pack.
- Quickslinger's pre-production photography shows him with a black crest on his helmet, aka "exactly like Ratchet's helmet". This version also sports a slightly different chest decoration, and a burgundy tailfin and nosecone rather than the final version's red.
- Quickslinger (Kreon Micro-Changer, 2016)
- Collection: 1
- Accessories: logo plate, built-up Deconstructo Blaster
- In 2016, Collection 1 was re-released in a whole new production run for Dollar General stores in the US as part of a large collection of re-released Kre-O sets. But where most of these releases are nigh-identical to the originals, the re-released Micro-Changer blind-bags use the almost-entirely-retooled 2015 Kreon, with slightly-differently-hued plastics than the originals. (It is possible for some of the add-on pieces to be in the older hues.) Quickslinger's torso and face tampographs have also been reworked to be slightly more detailed, and the formerly-bare legs now have extra detail tampographing on them. All of his light gray paint has been replaced with shiny silver.
- He also uses the revised Ratchet helmet, which has had the crest trimmed so as not to cover his eyes.
- Sadly, this release has no individual-identification code on the bag, requiring you to use the feel-through-the-bag method or just buy blind and hope.
Bot Shots
- Autobot Air Force (Five-pack, 2013)
- Series: 2
- Number: T012
- Fist strength: 437
- Blaster strength: 808
- Sword strength: 365
- Quickslinger is a redeco of the Starscream mold. As such, he turns into a super-deformed jet with a spring-loaded transformation back into robot mode. He was available in a five-pack with Silverbolt, Skydive, Autobot Firestrike, and Air Raid.
Combiner Wars
- Hasbro's Combiner Wars release of the Unite Warriors "Sling" figure is a redeco of Firefly with a new head sculpt, renamed "Quickslinger" for trademark reasons. Unlike his Unite Warriors counterpart, Combiner Wars Quickslinger features blue eyes instead of show-accurate orange. His cardback bio contains a cute reference to his old name, citing how for his enemies, "there's a good shot they'll end up in a sling."
- Quickslinger comes with a copy of "Combiner Wars #3" (actually Robots in Disguise #11). Along with "Brake-Neck" (a similarly renamed Wildrider), he was released as part of a promotion named "May Mayhem" that, as far as its official United States release was concerned, was (at least in theory) a "shared exclusive" between various online retailers (such as Hasbro Toy Shop, Amazon, BigBadToyStore, and Entertainment Earth), the online storefronts of major "big box" retailers (such as Toys"R"Us, Walmart, Target, and Kmart), and comic book stores that order through Diamond Distributors. It was still available at general retail in Hasbro's Asian markets, though.
| Combiner Wars mold: Firefly | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
But hey, the big guy got some problems instead.
- Superion (Collection Pack, 2016)
- Accessories: rifle, individual Aerialbots guns/fists/feet
- A Generation 2-themed redeco of Combiner Wars Quickslinger is molded in durable and flat gold plastic rather than the fragile swirly one seen in his original Generation 2 toy, and he's packed along with the other Aerialbots (including Powerglide), and sold as a giftset.
- Similar to the "May Mayhem" single release of Quickslinger, the Superion "Collection Pack" was also a "shared exclusive" between various online retailers and the online storefronts of major "big box" retailers in the United States, but was available at general retail in Hasbro's Asian markets.
| Combiner Wars mold: Firefly | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
Unite Warriors
- ID number: UW-01
- Release date: June 27, 2015 / February 23, 2019
- Accessories: Rifle, gun/fist/foot
- Known designers: Hisashi Yuki and Hisao Nishimoto (TakaraTomy)
- Takara's Unite Warriors Sling (also identified on the bilingual packaging by his English name, Slingshot) is a redeco of his Combiner Wars toy. His heavily-cartoon-based deco includes black lines painted on the top of his jet mode, mimicking the appearance of the joints for his cockpit and tail from the original toy that were included on his animation model.
- He can also transform into either an arm or a leg for any Combiner Wars-style combiner, or into Godbomber's legs, but his nominal placement is as the left arm for Superion. Thus he also comes with a large weapon that transforms into either a foot or a hand for the combiner.
- Sling was only available in a Superion multi-pack with the other Airbots, which was also reissued nearly four years later.
| Combiner Wars mold: Firefly | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
Titans Return
- Blunderbuss & Broadside (Voyager Class, 2017)
- Known designers: John Warden (Hasbro)
- Titans Return Broadside comes with tiny Aerialbot jets (specifically in the alternate modes of their Combiner Wars figures, with a representation of Quickslinger rather than Alpha Bravo) molded on a sprue; once cut off this sprue, the jets can be attached to his carrier and robot mode ports.
Legends
- Broadside (November 25, 2017)
- ID number: LG53
- The Legends release of Broadside also includes five Airbot sprues, redecoed in a different shade of gray to match Broadside's cartoon-accurate appearance.
Notes
- The Canadian giftset of G1 Superion accidentally misspelled Slingshot as "Slingslot".
- In an October 2009 question-and-answer session, it was mentioned that Slingshot's name is "no longer available" and that various "replacement" Aerialbot characters such as Universe Airazor are designed "in memorium" [sic]. Either this is simply a particularly odd word choice, or Slingshot was at the time considered "dead" by Hasbro. Of course, the release of a new Slingshot toy instead of a replacement vouches for his wellbeing.
- Due to how Slingshot's legs and wings work on his original toy, his character model depicts his wings hanging off of his back with the rest of his jet mode kibble, making for a rather unique design when compared to his fellow Aerialbots.
- Hasbro indefinitely losing the trademark "Slingshot" likely lead to the 2003 Universe incarnation of "Storm Jet" being named as such. A 2009 Hasbro Q&A confirmed this was the reasoning behind the 2008 Universe character "Airazor", precipitating several "Quickslinger" toys in the mid-2010s due to the trademark still being unavailable at that time.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Sling (スリング Suringu)
- French: La Fronde (Canada)
- Hungarian: Parittya ("Sling")[2]
- Italian: Vertic
- Mandarin: Dàngōng (China, 弹弓, "Slingshot")
- Russian: Rogatka (Рогатка)
Gallery
Combiner Wars comic packaging art
Generation 2-themed skin on Combiner Wars-based robot mode in Earth Wars mobile game
References
- ↑ "Quickslinger" is a substitute name used by Hasbro since the name "Slingshot" is not available to them as a trademark (or simply not trademarkable), first used for a 2012 Kre-O Micro-Changer (which was later re-released in 2016), then for a 2013 Bot Shots figure and then again for the 2015-onwards Combiner Wars line. Thus far, the name has not appeared in any fiction outside the on-packaging bio micro-continuity.
- ↑ Hungarian Marvel Comics
- Character stubs missing fiction
- Character stubs missing video games
- Bot Shots Autobots
- Combiner Wars Autobots
- Generation 1 Aerialbots
- Generation 1 cartoon Autobots
- Generation 1 Mini-Cons
- Generation 1 toy Autobots
- Generation 2 Autobots
- Generations Selects Autobots
- Henkei! Henkei! Autobots
- IDW (2005) Autobots
- Japanese promotion exclusives
- Kre-O Autobots
- Kreons
- Legends Autobots
- Mail order items
- Marvel Generation 1 Autobots
- Regeneration One Autobots
- Second Cybertron Alliance
- The Headmasters Autobots
- Transformers Roleplaying Game Autobots
- Unite Warriors Autobots
