Treadshot (G1)

Treadshot is aDecepticonAction Masterfrom theGeneration 1 continuity family.

"I've heard that you're a low-down Yankee liar."
"Prove it."

You think you can takeTreadshot?Go ahead on. It's your move. Y'see, there just ain't no quicker gunslinger out there than Treadshot. He'll plant a bullet between your optics before you can blink, then another five in various parts of your body before it hits the ground. Course, sometimes power is needed over precision, and Treadshot's got ya covered there too, thanks to hispartnerCatgut.With this hired gun pullin' the trigger of aparticle blaster,there's few bots the Decepticon high command trust more to make sure a target goes down and stays down.

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

MarvelThe Transformerscomics

Howdy, pilgrim.

After the battle withUnicron,Treadshot attended a meeting of the combinedAutobot/Decepticonforces at their headquarters, standing betweenSoundwaveandCrankcase.He witnessed the report byBlasterthat their world was falling apart, andProwl's ensuing declaration that the Transformers must evacuateCybertron.

Treadshot was later seen with Soundwave and Crankcase again, apparently clearing debris with them. They were interrupted byGrimlockpunchingFangrythrough the window of a nearby building, which caught the attention of the newly arrivedBludgeonandKrokas well.

While Fangry briefly had the upper hand, Grimlock'sNucleon-powered body enabled him to administer a savage beat down to the Decepticon. This caused Treadshot and Soundwave to react angrily, though neither one stepped forward to help their blustery comrade. After Prowl stopped the attack, Treadshot watched as Bludgeon manipulated Prowl into revealing the Autobots' unagreeably peaceful post-exodus plans.Exodus!

Regeneration One

Well... it's high noonsomewherein the world.

After the resurrectedScorponokreturned to Cybertron, converting Autobots to Decepticons with hisGene Key,Treadshot ended up working for him at theCivil Defense Hub.Grimlock stormed in looking for Scorponok, and finding that he was at theSonic Canyons,announced that he was going to look for the rest of theDinobotsinstead. Treadshot refused to let him, insisting that he follow Scorponok's orders to stay put. But when an alarm sounded at theNursery,Grimlock realized that it was the Dinobots sending him a message, so he smashed Treadshot's head into his screen before he could alert anyone else.Natural Selection, Part Four

2005 IDW continuity

He'll be all right.

Treadshot worked alongsideSquawkbox,Ransack,and eitherWingspanorPouncein the operations center of the Decepticon space station whereSixshotand theTerrorconswere posted.Spotlight: SixshotLater,Arceediscovered his impaled body atBanzaitron's destroyed base as she searched for clues onMonstructorandJhiaxus.Spotlight: HardheadHe survived, and somehow ended up on the Autobot prison planetGarrus-9duringOverlord's takeover. When theWreckersinvaded, Treadshot attempted to snipe atSpringer,Twin Twist,andImpactoras they fell through an empty energy reactor. He was dispatched with a retaliatoryharpoonshot by Impactor.Last Stand of the Wreckers #3

INSIRT continuity

See?

RewindandChromedomehired Treadshot as security while they broke into theVestigial Cortical Complex.The hired gun aided them by blowing a hole into the complex after noticing the absence of a door. While the two explored the building, Treadshot stood guard outside.Timeless

2019 IDW continuity

First appearance:Transformers#9(mentioned);#19(full)

Treadshot survived the wreck of theIron Hope,being forced to survive onnucleonin the aftermath and ending up locked in hisrobot modeas a result.All Fall DownTreadshot was outed as a member ofThe RisewhenChromiaandWindblademanaged to hack the database of an abandoned Rise bunker.The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part ThreeTreadshot and fellow Rise memberCatgutwere assigned to killBumblebeein the aftermath of theTetherfalling. They almost succeeded but Bumblebee was rescued by Chromia before they could finish the job.All Fall Down

Treadshot and Catgut later accompaniedMindwipe's team in seizing theTitan Netcentral hub from the Autobots.HuntThe duo were seen rela xing at the reopenedSwindle'safter the Decepticons claimed full control of Iacon.Swindle's II

When a group of Autobots infiltrated Iacon to rescue the capturedUltra Magnus,Treadshot was among the Decepticons who cornered them inside Swindle's.Darkness, Once Gazed Upon: Part TwoTreadshot managed to woundArceein the ensuing firefight, but the Autobots ultimately escaped. Treadshot carried the wounded Catgut out of the place in the aftermath.Darkness, Once Gazed Upon: Part Three

Commercial appearances

This here's a holdup!

Treadshot,Megatron,andKrokblasted through a wall together to steal the power behind becoming Action Masters.Action Masters commercial

Games

Transformers: Battle Tactics

Warpath?Never heard of him.

Treadshot participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was a Super Rare character who could be recruited by collecting 250 units of Cybermetal, 75 units of Transmetal, and 10 cores of this character.Transformers: Battle Tactics

Toys

The Transformers

In Italy, this may be my second figure...

• Treadshot with Catgut(Action Master,1990)

• Accessories:"Pulse demagnetizer"rifle," Catgut "partner
• Known designers:Masakatsu Saito(concept artist)

Part of the first assortment of individually-carded "basic" Action Master figures, released in the seventh and final year ofThe Transformersin the US, Treadshot is a 3¾-inch non-transforming action figure, though his design shows that his formeralternate modeis a Smith & Wesson.357 Magnum pistol. His construction is broadly similar to that used by theG.I. Joefigures of the time, having a swivel neck, shoulders and knees, plus ball-jointed hips attached via a steel rod internally secured by a rubber "o-ring". His hands have standard 3 mm holes which allow him to hold any other accessory in the Action Master line, plus his feet have holes in the bottom to secure him to larger vehicles. On top of that, the hole in his back is compatible with5 mm posts.

In an enormously strange twist, Treadshot'sinstructionsdepict a differentweaponthan the one the toy actually comes with—specifically, a weapon that wasn't available withanyAction Master, the handgun from the never-released-as-a-TransformerDiacloneJet-Heli triplechanger (much later known asFumes,Skyklik,andRotorbolt). The weapon thatwasincluded with Treadshot, meanwhile, is depicted inSoundwave'sinstructions, which resulted in quite a few mix-ups on toy information websites and in identification guides (includingGenerations). Treadshot has hiscorrectweapon in his card art above, and in the picture to the right.

He came packaged with hispartnerCatgut,who transforms into a large cannon for Treadshot to wield.

• More information on Treadshot at TFU.info

Timelines

Gun safety instructor told Treadshot to only point his barrel forward when he was ready to shoot, and he's all likedude I'm built this way.

• Treadshot(Deluxe,2014)

• TFSS2 number:4
• Accessories:Missile,"Catgut" partner

AredecoofGenerationsDeluxe ClassWarpath,Treadshot now transforms into an"H-tread" combat tankof likely made-up origins. A spring-loaded missile launcher is placed on his right shoulder, and rods in his legs and arms are compatible withc jointaccessories. He also comes with a new version ofCatgut.

Treadshot comes with a minor misassembly: The base of his tank cannon is put in back-to-front instead of front-to-back like on previous releases of the mold, shortening the amount the cannon extends and how high it can be raised in tank mode. This is easily fixed by removing the screws at the bottom of his chest and placing the cannon base the right way around.

Treadshot was available as part of theexclusive2014 ClubFigure Subscription Service.

• More information onTimelinesTreadshot at TFU.info

Notes

Rare? Yes. Good? Er... No.

• Unlike the other new-character Action Masters, Treadshot appears to be based on a pre-existing toy—strikingly, a toy perhaps not designed byTakaraat all! Originally manufactured by Sunmayor Ohkawa (サンマーヤ đại xuyên ) Co., Ltd., as the "357 Magnum Robo" (357マグナムロボ), this robot transforms into a Smith and Wesson.357 Magnum with scope attachments. Its massive and awkward inner body serves as a real firing "gun" in both modes, complete with spinning bullet chamber and launching teeny tinyblatant choke-hazardbullets with a pull of the trigger. It was later called the "Highway Patrol Robo" and released inGiG'sTrasformerline in Italy. Information on this toy is scant… but, strangely, it shows up in Takara'sTakara SF Land Collection Complete Workstoy book, which only further complicates the mystery of its origins. Considering the similarly odd origin of Treadshot's depicted blaster as shown in the instructions from theDiacloneJet-Heli triplechanger, it seems an awful lot like Treadshot is a very obscure Takara in-joke.

Foreign names

• Japanese:Treadshot(トレッドショットToreddoshotto)
• Italian:Raptor
• Mandarin:Saǒshè(China, bắn phá, "Strafe" )

External links

• Butto's 357 Magnum Robo page