Strongarm (Classics)

Strongarm is an Autobot-allied Mini-Con from the Classics portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.

Strongarm is one of several Mini-Cons allied with the Autobots. He is part of the Night Rescue Team as their forensics expert. Though he has a whole slew of mechanical skills, he's no professional when it comes to any of them; he's always too excited to learn something new to stick with what he's currently studying, and moves on to acquiring a new skill set before mastering the previous one. The vast repertoire of knowledge he's accumulated allows him to fix almost about anything, though it's likely to only run for a little while before breaking again. He dreams to one day go out and explore the cosmos, mainly because he'd have the opportunity to learn even more new skills in doing so!^[1]

Fiction

Classics

Along with the rest of the Mini-Con race, Strongarm was created by the Last Autobot to clean up the wrecked and abandoned planet Cybertron. As one of the planet's top scientists, he theorized that there was a universal law of neon signs that prevented Maccadam's Old Oil House's sign from working properly. On another occasion, he accidentally blinded himself while experimenting with his own optics, and attempted to "see through smells "instead.

When an energon refinery in Altihex exploded without warning, the Night Rescue Team arrived to investigate and save lives. Strongarm inspected the remains of what Broadside claimed to have been an insane Autobot who had blown up the refinery, and came up with multiple theories, including a "madness disease". Unfortunately, Broadside took this as fact, and destroyed the corpse before Strongarm could examine it further. He did, however, have time to take a snapshot of the Autobot with his special optics. Remedy also let Strongarm check out the corpse of Modus Prime, to make sure that Modus had died from the explosion, and not in a battle with the Autobot.

Hacksaw later called together a meeting to discuss what had happened, and the Night Rescue Team attended. Strongarm shared his findings with the others, and showed them his picture of the supposed "insane Autobot", proving it to be a fake cobbled together from various other corpses. From this, he theorized that Broadside had caused the explosion himself in order to kill Modus Prime. Strongarm was eventually proven to be correct, and he and his friends confronted Broadside with the truth whilst the latter was holding a speech about the virtues of an Autobot-free Cybertron. Unfortunately, many Mini-Cons agreed with Broadside, causing a civil war to break out out. The New World

The Autobot-supportive Mini-Cons eventually met up with the Autobots, and Strong Arm [sic] joined the crew of the Graviton. After following Bug Bite and his forces to Earth, Strong Arm found their ship parked in the Moon's shadow and provided the crew members with appropriate Earthly disguises. Along with the rest of the crew, he later assaulted Megatron's base, providing cover fire while Swoop and Snarl rescued Mirage. Games of Deception

Toys

Classics

I want to be just like him when I grow up!

• Night Rescue Team (Mini-Con Team, 2006)

Part of the first wave of Classics Mini-Cons, Strongarm transforms into a police car based on a 2006 Dodge Charger (but with the proportions messed up). This is the only Mini-Con mold with Powerlinx sockets that are accessible only in robot mode by design: the sockets on the outside of his lower legs end up folded against his thighs inside his car mode. However, he still has other sockets that remain accessible in both modes.

He was available only in a three-pack with his teammates Divebomb and Firebot.

This toy is identical to the Cybertron Mini-Con Strongarm, and the mold was also used to make Detectus, Rad Rogue, Flatfoot, Overcharge, and Mighty Stra.

• More information Strongarm at TFU.info

Notes

• A Mini-Con called Strongarm was planned for release in one of the Cybertron Mini-Con Versus Packs, where he would have faced off against Offshoot. His bio describes him as a diligent student with a vehicular mode who took up peacekeeping, which seems like a fit for the police car mold—although it's not clear who the "hero" he chose that form in homage to would have been.^[2]

References