Hosehead

Hosehead is a character of the Transformers toyline and television series. He is an Autobot Headmaster and transforms into a fire engine. He should not be confused with the character Cab, who is based on the same toy, but portrayed as a completely different character in the Masterforce anime series.

Transformers: Generation 1

Hosehead's bio described him as an eager, but scatterbrained soldier, likely to mess up even the simplest instructions. He means well, but usually ends up causing more problems than he solves. He is binary-bonded to the Nebulan Lug, a former all-star athlete.^[1]

Marvel Comics

Hosehead originally appeared investigating the suspicious death of an Autobot on Earth. Linking up with Nightbeat and Siren, who had been dispatched from Cybertron with the same intention in mind, they soon uncovered the killer as Thunderwing, who was attempting to prove he was worthy of Decepticon leadership. The three eventually defeated him via the explosion of the corpse they were investigating. ^[2]

Following this, Hosehead, Nightbeat and Siren made their US debut in issue #62 of the US Transformers comic, having been dispatched by Prime to recover his previous body and the Matrix with it. Encountering gangsters on the planet Pz-zazz, they believed the planet's fabled fountain of youth to be the Matrix. Fighting off the criminals, they found it to be a dead end - as their old enemy Thunderwing arrived and took them prisoner.

The Autobots eventually recovered their bodies, and when Thunderwing was possessed by the Matrix, the three deactivated the gravity, sweeping the monster into space. After this, the three joined Prime's troops, and participated in the battle against Unicron. However, Hosehead would not survive - his body was seen amongst the wreckage of the battle in issue #76.

Books

Hosehead was featured in the book Autobot Hostage. While on solo patrol, Highbrow is captured by the Decepticon Tentakil. Scorponok sends a message to the Autobots promising to release him if Optimus Prime gives himself up. Optimus Prime surrenders but also smuggles Hosehead and Fizzle into the Decepticon base. As expected, Scorponok fails to keep his side of the bargain but the two Autobots manage to free both Optimus Prime and Highbrow and after a brief battle they make their escape.^[3]

Dreamwave Productions

Hosehead appeared only in Dreamwave third Transformers: The War Within series as one of the Autobot rebels during the age of interment. This was before he became a Headmaster or was reformatted into an Earth-style truck.

Hosehead also had a biography printed in the Dreamwave More than Meets the Eye series.^[4]

Fun Publications

Lug appears in the Fun Publications story Cheap Shots as a member of Nightbeat's team. In this story Nightbeat's crew are hired by a sentient ship named Amory to relocate her pilot. After investigating they find the whole job is a trap set by the Decepticon Ruckus, now leading the Mayhem Attack Squad. Ruckus is holding the pilot hostage, but Slag cuts Ruckus's arm off and recovers the pilot, for which Amory pays them. This story is set after the events of the Marvel Comics Transformers stories, where Hosehead is dead.

Toys

• Generation 1 Headmaster Hosehead with Lug

This toy is virtually identical to the Japanese character of Cab.^[5]

References

1. ↑ Alvarez, J.E. (2001). The Unofficial Guide to Transformers 1980s Through 1990s Revised & Expanded 2nd Edition. Schiffer Publishing Ltd. p. 79. ISBN 0-7643-1364-9. 
2. ↑ Transformers #230 by Mavel UK (August 1989)
3. ↑ Grant, John (1988). Autobot Hostage. Ladybird Books. ISBN 0-7214-1118-5. 
4. ↑ Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye, Volume 1: Volume 1, Page 156 by James McDonough, Adam Patyk, Don Figueroa, 2008
5. ↑ Transformers: The Ark II: Volume 2, Page 108, by Jim Sorenson, Bill Forster, Nick Roche, 2008