Skids (Transformers)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Skids (Platon in Canada, Furetto in Italy) is the name used for four characters in the Transformers Universes. Due to copyright reasons, the name was modified to "Skid-Z" for it to be used on new characters and an "Autobot" prefix was added when the original Skids toy was reissued and when he became an Alternator.
Contents |
[edit] Transformers: Generaton 1 (1985)
| Transformers character | |
 |
|
| Skids | |
|---|---|
| Allegiance | Autobot |
| Sub-Group | Autobot Cars Survivors |
| Function | Theoretician |
| Motto | "Deep down, we are more like than unlike humans." |
| Alternate mode | Honda City Turbo |
| Voice Actors | Micheal Chain, Dan Gilvezan (English) |
| Series | Transformers: Generation 1 Transformers: Alternators |
As with many early Transformers toys, Skids' toy was previously released in a Takara toyline named Diaclone. The toy originally included a Scooter which could fit inside his vehicle mode but this was omitted when the toy was released in Transformers.
Skids was characterized as the perfect absent-minded warrior. Highly intelligent and always collecting data, Skids is nonetheless always daydreaming. Skids is a scientist first and foremost, and has made many valuable discoveries. Skids genuinely hates the war he finds himself caught up in, but for now is forced to continue in the Autobot army.
[edit] Animated series
Although Skids did appear in season two of the original Transformers cartoon, he only made brief cameo appearances in two episodes. In the episode "Quest for Survival", Skids is shown being repaired by Hoist, and is voiced by Micheal Chain. In his second episode, "Triple Takeover", it was Dan Gilvezan who provided Skids' voice.
It has never been said by the directors why Skids only made these short cameo appearances in the cartoon but it is speculated by fans that it was because he was too similar to other characters in the show in terms of alternate mode, ability, personality and color.
[edit] Marvel Comics
[edit] Arrival On Earth
Four million years ago, Skids was one of five Autobots who agreed to have their sparks transferred to crystal storage in case the Autobots needed extra troops during the mission of clearing a path for Cybertron through an asteroid belt. In 1985, the Autobots were suffering heavy casualties and the five Autobots were activated in Rock And Roll Out (US #14). Skids and the others (except Grapple) were shown around Earth by Bumblebee, where Skids encountered music for the first time and proved unable to interact easily with humans. Despite orders not to engage with the enemy, they went on to battle Decepticons at a concert.
During a raid on the Decepticon's Wyoming base, Skids was damaged in the withdrawal and was rendered MIA. Unknown to the other Autobots, he was found and salvaged by a Western-enthusiast named Charlene, and spent the next few days living a peaceful life in her small hometown. He revealed he never really wanted to be a soldier in the first place, and he decided to stay with her and avoid the war. However, Skids was forced into battle when Donny Finkleberg arrived, fleeing the Decepticons and being pursued by Ravage. In order to protect both Donny and Charlene, he had to engage Ravage in combat and was able to trap him (where he remained for the next few years). Realising he couldn't walk away from the Great War, Skids returned to the Ark with Finkleberg in tow.
Skids was partnered with Donny in US #22 in a mission to locate seven Autobots (recently arrived from Cybertron) captured by I.I.I.'s new Rapid Anti-robot Assault Teams, engaging in battle with the Stunticons as they went. However, he was betrayed and given over to R.A.A.T. for money. The guilt of what he'd done weighed heavily on Donny and when the Battlechargers proved too much for R.A.A.T. to handle, he helped convince Circuit-Breaker to release Skids and the other Autobots from custody so they could battle the Decepticons in U.S. #23's Decepticon Graffiti.
[edit] Trapped In Limbo/Survivors
Skids led the seven Autobots to the Ark, but partway into the journey he was interrupted mid-conversation and disappearing into Limbo with a scream, a bright light and an explosion in UK #101. This effect was caused by the future Decepticon Galvatron time-jumping again, which sends a present day being into limbo to make room for the time-traveller. Skids was trapped in limbo for the better part of two years. (He appeared in non-speaking group shots in three US issues; the UK reprints carefully erased or altered his appearance each time)
Limbo was inhabited by strange psychic parasites, who trapped visitors in fantasy worlds where dreams became reality; Skids was exposed to them for two years and when Galvatron finally left, Skids emerged on Earth to find the monsters from his nightmares had manifested and were following him. They tricked him into believing he would die if they did and vice versa to stop him destroying them, but the truth came out and he was assisted by the surviving members of the Wreckers & Mayhem Attack Squad. The battle over, Skids joined them in forming the Survivors.
The Survivors went rogue and saved human lives in random situations. When a Mayhem hit squad came after Carnivac and killed Catilla, the other Survivors turned to the Autobot Earthforce for help and subsequently joined them. When the Decepticons laid siege to the Earthforce base, Prowl had the Survivors on full alert for other attacks elsewhere and they prevented Starscream from capturing an oil tanker.
[edit] Dreamwave Productions
Skids was part of Prowl's team of Autobots during "The Dark Ages". They attempted to investigate a new Decepticon base - only to discover it was Trypticon. In the ensuing battle, Skids was crushed. He was later repaired.
[edit] 3H Enterprises
Skids appeared in a flashback scene in issue #2 of the Transformers: Universe - Wreckers comic, where Rodimus Prime consulted Quickmix, Skids, Perceptor and Rad on his plans to send out ships to gather information on threats from space after the defeat of Unicron.
[edit] Devil's Due Publishing
Skids appeared in the fourth G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers crossover from Devil's Due Publishing as part of a group led by Prowl working with former G.I. Joe leader Hawk to stop the spread of Cybertronian technology on Earth. Skids acted as the group coordinator. He was shown to be knocked out when the Decepticon Pretenders attacked.
[edit] Transformers Alternators (2005)
In the Binaltech line Skids reappeared, now turning into a Scion xB car. His motto was "Speed is immaterial when you've got intelligence. And killer rims." For copyright reasons he was renamed Autobot Skids. His function was still theoritician. He was later repainted as Broadblast.
[edit] Transformers Robots in Disguise (2001)
The first of the modified spelling of the name, Skid-Z is a repaint of a toy named 'Indy Heat' from the Takara series Car Robots and he is the Hasbro version of that character. The F1 toy that was used for Skid-Z originates from 1997 where it was first used in a toyline called Machine Wars but was created and intended to be used earlier in Generation 2.
Skid-Z is a basic-sized toy which is a 'flip-changer' - pulling on his rear spoiler transforms the vehicle automatically to robot mode. He came packaged with a Decepticon flip-changer jet named Windsheer but was the only one of the two to appear in the TV series, albeit sparingly.
[edit] Transformers Armada (2003)
The second and most recent use of the modified name "Skid-Z" was on a Mini-Con, a repaint of the Street Speed Team toy named Spiral. Skid-Z was one of two partners to the Decepticon named Predacon. The Mini-Con Skid-Z did not appear in any Transformers fiction. His motto is "If you don't believe, you don't belong."
His bio indicated that Skid-Z was a follower of the charismatic cult leader Predacon. Always a misfit, Skid-Z felt as if he finally belonged with Predacon's group. Unfortunately, while he believed wholeheartedly in Predacon's philosophy, he was incompatible for the organics grafting process Predacon used on his followers to make them technorganic. Although the charismatic leader professed to be fine with this, Skid-Z felt as if he had let down his partner. He has a distinct rivalry with Predacon's other Mini-Con partner Side Burn, whom the organic grafting took perfectly to. Of course, Skid-Z doesn't know his rival is an spy for the Autobots...
[edit] Transformers Galaxy Force (2005)
Skids is the Japanese name for the Transformers: Cybertron toy/character named Clocker, He is a native of the planet Speedia and transforms into a futuristic racing car; he is a protege of Autolander. His voice actor is Nanae Kato. This Skids is exempt from having a modified name or a prefix as the licensing law that Hasbro has to abide to do not apply to toys released in Japan.
[edit] Links
Alternators Skids Toy review
Robots in Disguise Skids Toy Review
Armada Skids Toy Review
Galaxy Force Skids Toy Review
