Blaster (Transformers)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Blaster (Broadcast in Japan, Tempo in France, Radiorobot in Italy) is the communications center of the Autobots in the Transformers television and comic series based on the popular toy line produced by Takara and Hasbro.
| Transformers Character | |
 |
|
| Blaster (Broadcast) | |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | Autobot (Cybertron) |
| Sub-Group | Communications |
| Function | Communications |
| Motto | "When the music is rockin, I'm rollin." |
| Alternate mode(s) | AM/FM Stereo Cassette Player |
| Series | Transformers: Generation 1 Transformers: Binaltech |
| Voiced by | Buster Jones (English) Keiichi Nanba (Japanese) |
Contents |
[edit] Transformers: Generation 1
Blaster's transformation is a AM/FM Stereo Cassette Player, commonly referred to as a Boombox or ghettoblaster, hence the name. Blaster was a popular character from the original series while not featuring as prominently in the modern Transformers Universe.
The toy that was to become the Autobot Blaster was originally released as part of the Micro Change subset of the Japanese Microman series. He was later released in 1985 by Hasbro in the US.
[edit] Profile
Blaster, like the Autobot Jazz, has a great love of Earth culture, rock music and other forms of music as long as it is "good, hard and loud". He's normally at the forefront of any given situation. As an AM/FM stereo cassette player, he can perform as a deck, plus receive radio signals on a variety of frequencies. Acting as the Autobot communications center, he can transmit signals within a 4,000 mile radius. Blaster also carries four cassette tape warriors within his deck (Steeljaw, Ramhorn, Rewind and Eject).
[edit] Animated Series
Blaster's first appearance was in episode 30, Dinobot Island Part 1. In Transformers: The Movie, set in the year 2005, Blaster was assigned to Autobot City on Earth. During the invasion by Megatron's forces, Blaster was responsible for sending a distress signal to Optimus Prime on Moonbase One. Blaster's transmission was jammed by Soundwave's cassette minions to prevent him from establishing contact with the Autobot Moonbase. However, the signal was received and Optimus Prime was able to arrive with reinforcements to defeat the Decepticons. His last appearance in the US cartoon was in episode 95, The Return of Optimus Prime.
Blaster was destroyed in the Japanese Transformers: Headmasters series during a fight with Soundwave (who also perished in the fight) and rebuilt two episodes later as Twincast, with a blue/yellow color scheme as opposed to the red/yellow previously. His last appearance was in episode 4, Operation Cassette. The Twincast toy was recently re-issued by eHobby. Aside from the blue/yellow color scheme, the Twincast toy also differs from the Blaster/Broadcast toy in that the tape compartment can hold two cassette Transformers simultaneously.
[edit] Marvel Comics
Beachcomber, Blaster, Cosmos, Perceptor, Powerglide, Seaspray and Warpath were part of an Autobot team on Cybertron in the Earth year 1986. They battled the Decepticons led by Straxus over the Space Bridge and the Autobots were stranded on Earth (Transformers #18).
They were then captured by Circuit Breaker and her Rapid Anti-Robot Attack Team, taken to her lab and then dissected (Transformers #21-22).
Circuit Breaker then captured Autobots Air Raid, Fireflight, Silverbolt, Skids, Skydive and Slingshot. Using the parts from all the captured Autobots she created a giant Autobot with herself in control, striking a deal with them that if they would co-operate she would let them go. Circuit Breaker then used them to oppose the Decepticon Battlechargers Runabout and Runamuck who were attacking the Statue of Liberty. After defeating the Decepticons with Circuit Breaker the Autobots were released (Transformers #23) and rebuilt into their original forms.
After Optimus Prime's destruction and funeral (Transformers #24 and #26), Blaster left the Autobots with Goldbug in opposition to Grimlock's aggressive style of leadership. (Transformers #28) After joining up the Throttlebots (Transformers #30), he is eventually captured by Grimlock's Autobots. Later, he is asked by Fortress Maximus to battle in his place in an archaic contest for Autobot leadership taking place on the moon (Transformers #41). The battle ends in a stalemate when Decepticons led by fuel auditor Ratbat ambush the Autobots watching the contest.
[edit] Transformers: Binaltech Asterisk
In 2005, Takara launched a sub-line from the Binaltech series, called Binaltech Asterisk, which paired Binaltech characters with female co-pilots. The third figure in the line is called Broadblast. Although it is a radical change from Blaster's previous form, it is implied by the color highlights and the character's name (a combination of the US Blaster and Japanese Broadcast names), that this is Blaster's new form. He is paired with news reporter Lumina Hoshi. Broadblast is a silver repaint of Binaltech Skids, and does not have an equivalent in the Alternators line. Like Binaltech Skids, Broadblast is unusual among the Alternators/Binaltech toys, as he comes with a set of stickers which can be applied by the purchaser. The sticker set is similar to that supplied with Skids, but does not include Skids' characteristic red stripe stickers.
[edit] External links
- tfu.info's page on the original toy, which also contains links to other toy incarnations of Blaster.
- Champions RPG character sheet for Blaster.
- Gallery of Generation One Blaster
- Gallery of Binaltech Asterisk Broadblast
- Review of Binaltech Asterisk Broadblast
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1kyVOJSoFk - Blaster vs. Soundwave Commercial.
