Skid-Z (RID)

Skid-Z is anAutobotfrom theRobots in Disguise continuity family.

Skid-Z is my name, and speed is my game.

Skid-Zis really fast and really competitive. Some would saycompulsivelycompetitive. He's obsessed with speed, improving his speed, andprovinghis speed. It was perhaps annoying before, but having made it toEarth,an errant alt-mode scan seems to have really pushed this urge to ridiculous extremes, much to his chagrin. Any kind of race, and he's in, pretty much always uninvited and unwanted. Road race, bike race, foot race, potato sack race... if there's a finish line, he compulsively has to be the first to cross it, whether he actuallywantsto or not.

Thankfully, some intervention from his fellow Autobots has curbed the worst of this behavior, and he's back to being a useful member of the team.

Mostly.

Fiction

2001Robots in Disguisecartoon

Voice actor:Michael Lindsay(English),Jin Nishimura(Japanese),Oleg Kutsenko(Russian),Gabriel Ortiz(Latin American Spanish),Marco Antônio Costa(Brazilian Portuguese)

After arriving on Earth, Skid-Z scanned an F-1 race car once belonging to the legendary (and now dead) driverAuggie Cahnayfor his vehicle mode. Cahnay had joked that he was in the car so much that it had taken on his personality—a statement that rang bizarrely true when Skid-Z was possessed by Cahnay's residual psychotropic energy, apparently a result of Skid-Z forgetting to purge the vehicle with a high-frequency wave pulse before scanning it. Thereafter, Skid-Z began behaving increasingly erratically.

Whenever he saw a race, he instinctively joined it—never officially signing up for them, of course, which gotProwlon his tail when he illegally entered the EuropeanEuropa 400race. He won the race, but Prowl ended up in a pile of hay bales for his troubles.

"A personality quirk is still a personality, right?"

This single-mindedness quickly became a source of personal embarrassment for Skid-Z as he found himself outracing grade schoolers, and even the tortoise and the hare. No, really. Although he was aware enough of his situation to realize he was having problems, he was unable to do anything about them.

Skid-Z soon found himself in battle withSky-Byteafter he rebuffed the poeticPredacon's offer of power amongstMegatron's troops. The fight didn't last long—after dodging Sky-Byte'sTsunami Blasterattack, Skid-Z heard the start of a foot race, and ran off to join it.

Meanwhile,T-AI,having researched Skid-Z's scanner log, learned the cause of his affliction and realized it would only get worse if he wasn't brought to base and decontaminated. As the Autobots debated what to do,Kojivoiced that he had studied Cahnay's background and determined that Skid-Z would next show up at theInternational Grand Prix,a free-for-all race for all kinds of wheeled vehicles—a race that Cahnay had never been able to win. Seeing the logic in Koji's words, Optimus Prime instructed all available personnel to join the race.

Skid-Z didn't show up until the race was well underway. Most of the other Autobots had been taken out of the race by Megatron—and those few remaining (Optimus Prime, Prowl,Side Burn,andX-Brawn) were trapped underneath a giant boulder, which would crush them when their strength ran out.

Optimus transmitted a call to Skid-Z for help. He was in the lead—he could win the race. He WANTED to win the race... didn't he? Skid-Z's desire to win struggled with his Autobot conscience. He had to make a choice—and so he did. Skid-Z drove back and saved his comrades, then helped them to beat Megatron away.

Victory is for the winners!

With evil vanquished for the day, Skid-Z rejoined the International Grand Prix, coming in first place. Finally, it was all over! He felt normal! He... mistook Koji's watch alarm for a starting signal, and was off again, eventually ending up in Africa looking for a race. Oh well. Prime knew he'd be back—sooner or later.Skid Z's Choice

And itwaslater... much,muchlater. When all Autobots were assembled for a counter-strike against their advancing enemies, Skid-Z fought in the final battle against the Predacon/Decepticon forces.Surprise Attack!

In the Autobots' last visit to Earth following the total defeat ofGalvatronand hisDecepticons,he was racing with theSpychangers,and T-AI yelled at him to slow down as he bashed his comrades aside to win.The Final Battle

Oh, that nutty Skid-Z! Ha ha ha!

Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity

As a member of theDimensional Patrol,Skid-Z was brought to theLegends WorldbySkidsandSky-Byteto defend it against the attack ofMajin Zarakand theZamojin.Targetmaster Chapter Finale: Legends World in Imminent Danger! Part One

Toys

Robots in Disguise(2001)

• Indy Heat(Flip Changer, 2000)

• ID number:C-016
• Accessories:2-part "Indy Gun" rifle
• Known designers:Takio Ejima(TakaraTomy),Masakatsu Saito(concept artist)

Sold in the fourth wave of Takara'sCar Robotsseries, Indy Heat is aredecoof theMachine WarsMirage/Prowlmold. He transforms from a Penske PC-18 Indycar to robot mode via spring-loadedautotransformationby pulling up on his spoiler; pushing it back into place and locking it there returns him to car mode.

His rifle splits into two parts, which store in the hollow portions of his lower legs in vehicle mode. However, the main body of the rifle still works as a blunt-barreled double-blaster without the extension piece attached.

• Original Super Indy Heat(Flip Changer, 2000)

• Accessories:2-part "Indy Gun" rifle

"Original Super" Indy Heat is a transparent-blue and white redeco of Indy Heat, which ends up making him look an awful lot like Generation 1 Mirage (again). Much of his extensive deco has been dropped, with the hood/chest text now replaced by a simple "20" in red, and "2000 EXCLUSIVE" printed across his spoiler.

Super Indy Heat was part of aJUSCOdepartment storespromotional campaign,given to customers as a free gift with the purchase of aJRXgiftset.

• More information on Super Indy Heat at TFU.info

Speed, I am speed. With a grape flavor.

• Skid-Z / Wind Sheer(Deluxe Class two-pack, 2001)

• Accessories:2-part rifle
• Known designers:Takio Ejima(TakaraTomy),Masakatsu Saito(concept artist)

Hasbro'sRobots in Disguisetoyline included "Skid-Z" in a two-pack with the DecepticonWind Sheer,released in the second wave of Deluxe Class toys.

Skid-Z's deco has been significantly changed from hisTakara"Indy Heat" release, one of the more dramatically changed toys in the line. All of the bright-orange lettering has been removed, replaced with a simple Autobot logo on his hood/chest, his lavender paint has been changed to silver, and his hubcaps are now silver chrome rather than aqua-blue chrome.

On top of that, his shoulders and the beam holding his spoiler in place are now a darker purple plastic, due to beinggang-moldedwith the inner robot parts of his pack-in rival Wind Sheer. His head is also now painted metallic blue over gray plastic, as that part is gang-molded withSkyfire's jet parts. (The original Indy Heat head is sparkly blue plastic, as the jet toys were not being produced inCar Robotsso that part could be whatever color Takara wanted.)

• More information on Skid-Z at TFU.info

Notes

• According to theRobots in Disguisecartoon, Skid-Z's name is pronounced "Skids", rather than "Skid-Zee" or "Skid-Zed".
• While Skid-Z knew of the Autobots' strategy in case their base was found, his long absence from the main events of the series (having been gone from episode 11 to36) does seem to imply he spentall of the intervening timelooking for a race.

Foreign names

• Japanese:Indy Heat(インディヒートIndi Hīto)
• Italian:Skid