Tailwind (G1)

Tailwind is aDecepticonMicromasterfrom theGeneration 1 continuity family.

Snatch this pebble from my hand and you will know you are ready.

Of the scheming junior members of theAir Strike Patrol,Tailwindis the one most likely to seize control of the unit. This is because he knows how to keep his mouth shut, and take a short-term loss for long-term gain.^[1]

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

MarvelThe Transformerscomics

"Hey, it worked for those turtles!"

Tailwind and his patrolmates were the first Decepticon Micromasters to be created afterThunderwing's scientists reverse engineered the process from the captiveAutobotBattle Patrol.When theRace Car Patrolinfiltrated Thunderwing's base to rescue the Battle Patrol, the Air Strike Patrol were sent out to meet them as a field-test.Roadhandlerwas able to trick them into thinking that a deactivated bomb he was carrying was still live, allowing his team to rush the Decepticons and beat them down. The Autobots afterwards fled with their rescued comrades.A Small War!

When Roadhandler became an overnight wrestling sensation on Earth,Scorponokcalled in help to end the Autobot's growing public adulation, and an unknown Decepticon sent the Air Strike Patrol. WhileStorm Cloudchallenged Roadhandler in the ring, Tailwind and his other two teammates swept the skies outside, keeping Roadhandler's fan club from entering, though they were ultimately thwarted by the rest of the Race Car Patrol.The Interplanetary Wrestling Championship!

Oh, sure, blame the only guy who's in color.

Unknown to Scorponok, the patrol's secret employer wasMegatron,who then sent the team on a mission toMacDill Air Force Baseto capture theB-204refueling plane. While his teammates all argued among themselves over leadership of the group throughout the whole mission, Tailwind kept quiet, content to call them names in his thoughts. When theAutobotsinevitably arrived, the team contacted Scorponok to tell him that they were under attack.Back from the DeadSkin DeepAfter a brief confrontation withOptimus Prime- during which Tailwind told Optimus Prime where he could stuff his order to surrender - and the arrival of Scorponok's Decepticons, the Air Strike Patrol fled, their mission completed.The Resurrection Gambit!

Tailwind, Nightflight, and Storm Cloud came to the aid of their patrolmate Whisper, who had become a private assassin, when he was chased into an Earthen jungle by the AutobotRescue Patrol.The Autobots wound up breaking off their pursuit in order to prevent further damage to the surrounding forest.The Greatest Gift of All!

The Air Strike Patrol then toured the southernUnited States,finally attacking an oil refinery. This was the same oil refinery whereHector Dialonzo,a human with extraordinary powers, was working, and he single-handedly destroyed the Air Strike Patrol, with Tailwind the first to go offline.The Human Factor!

Marvel UK future timelines

The Air Strike Patrol tookMegatron's side in the1991Decepticon Civil Waragainst factions led by Scorponok andShockwave.Near the end of that war, the Patrol chased Scorponok, alone, into a human settlement, where Tailwind jostled with Nightflight over who would get to kill the enemy leader. Scorponok maneuvered a team of Autobots into combatting the Patrol for him, enabling Scorponok to escape.Aspects of Evil!

Transformers Comic-Magazin

As the Decepticons arrived on Earth, Tailwind and the Air Strike Patrol were among the first to engage their Autobot enemies.New York — A City Sinking in Terror

When a dimension bridge opened up connecting several points in time and space, the Autobots and Decepticons fought over control of the bridge. The Air Strike Patrol engaged the AutobotPretender,Skyhammer.The Transformers' Grand Hour: Headmaster of the Dimensions

DreamwaveGeneration Onecontinuity

Tailwind hung out inThe Burn Outs,a neutral-zone club inLittle Iacon.There, he chatted upTote.The Gray Race

2005 IDW continuity

This is what happens when you don't check primary sources!

Gorlamite

Tailwind was one of the many Micromasters created onGorlam Primethrough the machinations ofJhiaxus.He was part of a flight that shot atHardheadandNightbeat.Spotlight: Hardhead

Cybertronian

Another Tailwind was a full sized Decepticon in a group that conqueredTemptoriafollowing the end of the war. When the crew of theLost Lightarrived looking for theCircle of Light,Tailwind found himself on the wrong end ofDrift's swords.Before & After

Beast Wars: Uprising

On a dystopian, fuel-deprived Cybertron, Tailwind had managed to stay mobile, but had permanently rusted into his vehicle mode. WhenLio Convoyexposed the truth of theGamesand theBuilders' manipulation of theMaximalsand thePredacons,Sunrunnerand Tailwind were sent to strike the renegade Maximal down, but failed.Broken Windshields

Games

Transformers Legends

Dreadwindand the Air Strike Patrol conqueredGarrus-9,though their triumph was short-lived as theWreckersarrived a bit later and liberated it.The Wreckers

Toys

The Transformers

Storm Cloud stole myUniversecomeback, the git

• Air Strike Patrol(Micromaster Patrol,1988)

Tailwind transforms into a blue A-10 Thunderbolt II ground-strike plane. He was only available as part of four-pack with his teammatesNightflight,Storm CloudandWhisper.Tailwind is "gang-molded"with his teammate Nightflight and thus the two share plastic colors.

Together with theOff Road Patroland theRace Car Patrol,the Air Strike Patrol was released by Hasbro in late 1988 (basically, a case of "next year product" being released at the end of the old year), in packaging that differed from the "proper" 1989 Micromasters' redesigned packaging (silver cards and boxes featuring an all-new "Transformers" logo) by retaining a variation of the faction-specific color-coded gradient background on the card and featuring a unique "Micro Transformers" title in a variation of the old, pre-1989 "Transformers" logo. This same basic packaging design was also used for Canada (albeit bilingual English/French) and parts of Europe (bilingual French/Dutch, and Italian-only packaging distributed byGiG). However, a variant of sorts featuring the later 1989 packaging design also exists, and was released (in English-only packaging) in the United Kingdom, where it was sold at Woolworth's stores.

This sculpt wasredecoedto makeHot House.In Japan, his toy was released without alteration as theAutobotWindrim.

• More information on Tailwind at TFU.info

Merchandise

Transformers Trading Card Game

• Raider Tailwind, Air Strike Patrol-Strategist(2019)

• Wave 4: War for Cybertron: Siege II
• Rarity:CT
• Card Number:T41/T52
• Stars:5

Raider Tailwind, Air Strike Patrol-Strategist is one of forty-eight double-sided character cards available in Wave 3 of theTransformers Trading Card Game,War for Cybertron: Siege II. In order to represent Tailwind's size as aMicromaster,Raider Tailwind, Air Strike Patrol-Strategist is the size of a battle card, about half the size of a normal character card.

The card features original artwork for both modes, with line-art byDan Khannaand colors byVolta.

Notes

• Tailwind was evidently part ofSeymour Simmons's props inRevenge of the Fallen,as it was included in an auction (held onOctober 8and9,2009,by Profiles in History) of several items that Simmons carried around throughout the movie.
• It is possiblethat Tailwind appeared in 2012'sMore than Meets the Eye#12as a Cybertronian Decepticon because, at that point, this wiki had not cataloged theSpotlight: Hardheadappearance on this page.

Foreign names

• Japanese:Tailwind(テイルウィンドTeiruwindo)
• French:Derive(Canada)
• Italian:Atlas

References