Smokescreen (G2)

Smokescreen is aDecepticonfrom theGeneration 2portion of theGeneration 1continuity family.

No, I'm not Starscream.

Smokescreenis paired up with the much larger DecepticonDreadwing,forming a deadly duo. Little is known about Smokescreen's past or origins, only that he can be very manipulative and has a bizarre hatred of bothAutobotsandDecepticons. He takes great advantage of his partner Dreadwing's sheer strength.

Fiction

MarvelGeneration 2comic

"Megatron, look at me beforeFurmanforgets I exist! "

Part of the new wave of Decepticon forces, Smokescreen was connected toDarkwing's vehicle form as they attacked theRheanimumfacility on the planetTykos.Following this attack, he pointedMegatrontowardsSkullgrin's crashing shuttle.New Dawn

Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity

Story of Binaltech

When the Decepticons unleashedCosmic Ruston Earth, Smokescreen was one of the many Autobots infected with the virus. AsEarth Defense Commandcreated theBinaltech Projectin order to help the Autobots, Smokescreen was the first patient to undergo transference into anelectro-cellpowered new body.Binaltech Is...With the help of his fellowBinaltechAutobots, Smokescreen and his new power helped drive the Decepticons off the planet.Arise! Evil BinaltechsHe remained part of the soldiers based at Autobot City on Earth. AsChip Chasedeveloped the new Genetronic Translink system, Smokescreen volunteered to be the first Autobot outfitted with the tech. Thanks to the GT system, his spark was transplanted intosubspace,allowing him to connect with multiple autonomous Binaltech bodies simultaneously.GT Units Online!

BT World

Many months later, in thenew universe,two Smokescreen GT units served alongsideTracksas back-up forMirageas he infiltrated Cybertron.Kill Switch

Smokescreen returned to Autobot City with the other Binaltech warriors after the defeat of Nemesis Prime.Outlier

Legendscomic (1)

In 2004, Smokescreen, still in one of his GT bodies, was among the Autobots who welcomed new recruitsRoadbusterandWhirlinto their ranks.Bonus Edition Vol. 7

The Headmasterscartoon

In 2011, Smokescreen,in his original body,was present onAtheniato hearHound's theories about theVector Sigmasupercomputer.Four Warriors Come out of the Sky

Legendscomic (2)

"I'll solve this problem with my four hyper-intelligent brains!" "I'm hungry!" "I'm cold!" "I'm itchy!" "Where are the girls?"

Smokescreen had used the GT System to control up to eight bodies simultaneously, but when the time came to return his mind to a single body, something went wrong and his mind fractured into multiple personalities vying for control.GT07,an evil personality that lived to destroy, came out out on top and left the Autobots, though he was plagued by the voices of the other Smokescreens in his head.LG-EX Big Powered Prologue Part One

Train Wars

Whenthe FallenattackedCybertron,Smokescreen took him as a master and accompanied him as he rampaged and tookVector Sigmainto his possession.Train WarsSmokescreen was eventually taken care of byGoshooterandShūta Gō,who used their teamwork to smash his face in.Train Wars 2

Legendscomic (3)

Smokescreen was recovered byDreadwing,who rebuilt him into a new jet body and informed him of the rise and fall of theCybertron Alliancein his absence. He decided to join Dreadwing's personal cause to destroy both Autobots and Decepticons alike, believing it would lead to lasting peace and thus serve as atonement for his crimes.LG-EX Big Powered Prologue Part One

G-2pack-in manga and story pages

He's the hype man who shouts along with all of Dreadwing's rhyming couplets.

When Smokescreen met the pacifist Dreadwing, he tricked the hulking brute into believing that the only way to end the war between the Autobots and Decepticons was todestroythe Autobots and the Decepticons. Smokescreen and Dreadwing initially sided with no one, but eventually joined the forces ofMegatron.G-2 Part 3

During a decisive battle between Megatron andOptimus Prime,Megatron managed to gain the upper hand after a surprise attack byHooligancrippled Prime's weaponry. Defenseless, Megatron ordered an aerial assault from Dreadwing and Smokescreen. The pair swooped down and bombarded Optimus Prime with missiles, nearly killing him. Their enemy virtually dead, they left the killing blow to Megatron.G-2 #10

Later, Smokescreen took part in Megatron's final assault on the Autobots. When he was defeated, Smokescreen and the rest of the Decepticons were driven into deep space.G-2 Part 6

15 Go! Go!

AsJetfiresought outBattle ConvoywithTeletraan 15andSteeljawaboard,Steeljaw VolumeSmokescreen and his partner Dreadwing attacked them in the hopes of being led back to the other Autobots. Battle Convoy appeared and badly damaged Dreadwing, defeating the pair.Battle Convoy Volume

Legendscomic (4)

At some point, Smokescreen was embroiled in a battle aroundMetroplex.Bonus Edition EX MetroplexHe and Dreadwing later joined up withGalvatron IIand participated in his attack onBeast.The Road to Legends' Revival Chapter 3Upon witnessing theMonsterbotswieldBeast Power,they deemed it too dangerous as it might fuel further conflict and attempted to destroy the Autobots, only to be defeated byRepugnus.Bonus Edition EX RepugnusWhile the disgraced Galvatron was rejected by his master, Unicron Neo, Smokescreen and Dreadwing remained loyal to Unicron and were reformatted into new bodies.LG-EX Big Powered Prologue Part OneEven the revelation that Unicron Neo was actuallyDark Novadidn't bother them as long as his goal was to destroy the Transformers, and they assisted in Dark Nova's attack on theZ Planetwhere they battledLand Powered.LG-EX Big Powered Prologue Part Two

In the aftermath of Dark Nova's defeat, Smokescreen and Dreadwing witnessed the resurrection of theLegends World,still believing that peace between Transformers was a transient illusion. They were approached by Devcon, whose words and cooperation withSlizardoand theSkuxxoidmoved Smokescreen enough to rejoin the Autobot fold. Dreadwing was still unconvinced, but Smokescreen changed his mind by pointing out that they themselves were proof that cooperation between an Autobot and a Decepticon could exist.Epiloge

2005 IDW continuity

Smokescreen served under the command ofTurmoilwhen their second-in-commandDeadlockviolated orders. Deadlock attacked the Autobots when Turmoil ordered him not to, and then executeda fellow Decepticonwho planned on reporting his insubordination. Deadlock tried to rally Smokescreen and several other soldiers from Turmoil's forces under his new leadership. Smokescreen and his comrades refused, and turned Deadlock over to Turmoil to answer for his attempted mutiny.Drift #1

Commercial appearances

Dreadwing and Smokescreen flew over an empty street to harass a pitiful young human, who fled in terror at the sight of them. Smokescreen contented himself to fly overhead and fire his blasters while Dreadwing transformed into his tank mode and smushed a parked car. Two Autobots responded to the boy's cries for help, only for Dreadwing and Smokescreen to assume their robot modes start tossing them around with ease.Dreadwing and Smokescreen commercial

Toys

Generation 2

Unfortunately, being one of the best G2 toys doesn't stop him from struggling with severe insecurity regarding his wingspan.

• Dreadwing(1994)

• Takara ID number:TRF-10
• Accessories:Two launchers, two missiles
• Known designers:Takio Ejima(TakaraTomy),Masakatsu Saito(concept artist)

Available only with his larger partnerDreadwing,Generation 2Smokescreen transforms into a fighter jet of undetermined (probably made-up) model. He has two side-mounted spring-loaded rocket launchers that become hand-weapons inrobot mode.He can combine with Dreadwing'svehicle modeto form the large stealth bomber jet. For some reason he came with an Autobot-style instruction book that instructed you to put Smokescreen's forehead sticker on the center of Dreadwing's face.

Smokescreen's arms are misassembled, as his thumbs end up on the outside of his fists in robot mode and upper arms have an exposed screw on the exposed side.

In Japan, due to variousretconsthat took place in the ever-expandingJapanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity,this Smokescreen toy also doubles as theGeneration 1 character of the same name.

• More information on Smokescreen at TFU.info

Transformers(2010)

At last, he has the wingspan he's always wanted!

• Dreadwing & Smokescreen(Multi-pack,2010)

• Release date:July 17,2010
• Accessories:Left and right axes
• Known designers:Masu Yoshi(TakaraTomy, deco)

Availableexclusivelyat theTokyo Toy Show2010, this Dreadwing & Smokescreen set is aredecoofRevenge of the FallenVoyager ClassMindwipeand Scout ClassSkystalkerrespectively.TakaraTomydesigner Masu Yoshi's inspiration for this set apparently stemmed from a desire to compete withBotCon 2010'sGeneration 2theme for its exclusive toys.^[1]Besides the obvious colour changes, the live-action movie Decepticoninsigniashave been replaced withGeneration 2Decepticon insignia.

Smokescreen transforms from a robot into a flying-wing-style stealth jet drone similar to theBAE Corax.Undocumented in the instructions, the two axes that peg into his palms as weapons for his robot mode can also clip directly to his forearms (giving them a superficial similarity to tonfa). For vehicle mode, they integrate into the stealth jet's wings. The robot mode feet are spring-loaded so the heels and toes collapse down and together when the feet are lifted off the ground.

The instructions include a "battle mode", which is essentially the vehicle mode with the robot legs untransformed, similar to the "Gerwalk" mode seen on Generation 1Jetfire,which of course, derived fromThe Super Dimension Fortress Macross.

Like the originalGeneration 2toys, in vehicle mode, Smokescreen can attach on top of Dreadwing's alternate mode via two pegs.

The blue plastic that makes up most of Smokescreen is more fragile than most and will crack under stress, such as repeated removal and replacing of the hook weapons into the wings.

This mold was also used to makeHunt for the DecepticonsSunspotandGenerationsLaserbeak.In 2014, the boxset was re-released as a lucky draw prize for theTransformers Celebration 2014event held at Ikebukuro Sunshine City store's Toys "R" Us, though this was very likely remaining stock.

Generations(Japan)

• Smokescreen(2015)
  • Accessories:Presumably gun

A mock-up of2008UniverseDeluxe ClassSmokescreenredecoed in the colors ofthisSmokescreen was shown inTransformers Generations 2014 Volume 1as part of afan pollto determine Vol. 2's exclusive toy, as well as guaranteeing that character a starring role in the volume's fiction. Smokescreen only received 2.9% of the votes,^[2]so the mysterious connection between the two Smokescreens hinted at by the poll's write-up–itself a reference to a common bit of Japanese fanon from back in the day that the Generation 1 andG-2Smokescreens were the same individual–went unaddressed until "Legends' Revival"was released in2019,finallycanonizingthe idea for Japanese continuity.

Proceed on your way to oblivion. This item has been canceled, with no current plans for release.

Merchandise

Transformers Character Card

• Smokescreen & Dreadwing Set(October 17,2023)
  • ID number:61 & 62

Released as part of the ninth wave of thee-HOBBYexclusiveTransformers Character Cardseries, this pair of holographic trading cards depict super-deformed art of Smokescreen andDreadwingalong withcharacter profilesandtech specs.

• Translation of Smokescreen's Transformers Character Card

Notes

• Generation 2Smokescreen is the toy thatTakaraTomydesignerTakio Ejimais most proud of.
• While Smokescreen is identified by name on United States (English) and Canadian (English/French) packaging (including an obligatory alternate French name for the Canadian version), European packaging doesn't even acknowledge him as a separatecharacter:English/French/Portuguese packaging (on which Dreadwing is named "Stealth Assault" ) merely states that the box "Also includes robot/jet fighter!" in all three languages, whereas French/Dutch/German packaging (on which Dreadwing is named "Ace Evader" ) translates the English call-out into German as "Also includes robot/plane!", but misinterprets it as "Contains: Robotanda plane "for the Dutch version, andcompletelymisses the mark with the French version, which substitutes the original call-out for "Replica of a stealth plane".
• In theLegendsmanga, Smokescreen is said to be able to control eight bodies simultaneously; the four personalities actually named on panel correspond to the racing numbers present on the variants of hisoriginalBinaltechtoy(GT07 and 08) and itslater retool(GT01 and 02). The latter toy, "Smokescreen GT", included the pack-in material that introduced the concept of the GT system, implying that it was Smokescreen's new body that allowed him to make use of it....All this to say that,technically,theBinaltechSmokescreen toy with a #7 racing number can'tquiteberepurposedinto the GT07 character, given it lacks the necessary retooled parts.

Foreign names

• Japanese:Smokescreen(スモークスクリーンSumōkusukurīn)
• French:Fumigène(Canada, "smoke bomb" )

References