Afterburner

ALLEGIANCE: AUTOBOT
SUB-GROUP(S): TECHNOBOT
FUNCTION: GUNNER
“Following leaders leads nowhere.”

First Appearance: Transformers 131
Significant Appearances: Transformers 131-132, 138, 174, 210, 253, Annual '88

Afterburner is a rebel of a cause he brashly ignores. His hatred of authority is multiplied by regular periods of forced confinement. With a hair-trigger temper and abusive, anti-social personality, Afterburner is unpopular with his fellow Autobots. He is abrasive, disruptive and defiant. He won't wait for orders and his overconfidence whisks him into the frontline without any consideration for strategy or safety. Afterburner is a loner by choice and hates his role as a member of the Technobot team.

Abilities: Afterburner is both heavily armoured and heavily armed. He carries dual laser-guided incendiary missile launchers and a rapid-fire plasma pulse cannon, mounted to the sides of his motorcycle mode, and in robot mode he wields a semi-automatic sonic blaster pistol with infra-red sight. In vehicle mode, his tyres can secrete an adhesive substance that allows him to ride across almost any surface. Solid fuel rocket packs afford him speeds in excess of 700 km/h. Afterburner can interlink with his fellow Technobots to form Computron.

Weaknesses: Afterburner is often overwhelmed by his uncontrollable anger, causing him to carelessly fire his weapons, the recoil of which can seriously damage himself.

Afterburner was a background character in the original Transformers comics. Nothing is known of his personality, opinions, aspirations, or ethics. He started out on Cybertron, travelled to Nebulos with Fortress Maximus and ended up on Earth where, along with his fellow Technobots, he was summarily killed by Starscream. A lot of people were killed by Starscream, and I bet Afterburner wished he hadn't followed his leaders that day.