Blades
ALLEGIANCE: AUTOBOT
SUB-GROUP(S): PROTECTOBOT, FIRESTORMER
FUNCTION: AIR SUPPORT
“War's a dirty game—and I'm a dirty player.”
First Appearance: Transformers 64
Significant Appearances: Transformers 64, 105-110, 125, 139-144, 148. Transformers: Generation 2 1, 3-4, 6
Blades might be just about the dirtiest fighter
in the Autobot army. He would prefer to wade into a
fight, rotor assembly in hand, and experience the
visceral pleasures of hand-to-hand combat rather than
strike at his enemy with long-range weaponry from the
air. His attitude to war is in complete contrast to his
designated role in the Autobot-Decepticon war and his
sleek, aerodynamic form. Blades is unerringly dedicated
to his job and will put his personal desires to one
side in order to give much needed (and much
appreciated) air support to his fellow Autobots.
Abilities: In robot mode, Blades is armed with a photon pistol that emits intense bursts of light, each with the equivalent brightness of 5,000 watt light bulbs. In his earthen "UH-1" helicopter mode, Blades is equipped with twin rocket launchers that fire armour-piercing CGI-targeting shells that seek out their targets based on encoded identifier images. Blades can combine with his fellow Protectobots to form the giant robot known as Defensor.
Weaknesses: Blades's unorthodox (and unsanctioned) use of his rotor assembly in battle renders his rotor blades prone to metal stress fractures. In helicopter mode, Blades is unable to fly in strong winds greater than 100 km/h.
Marvel Comics: Blades, as with the other twenty three characters from 1986's Special Teams range, was introduced in Transformers UK's "Second Generation" storyline. His real-world appearance was some 40 issues away, but because Hasbro UK wanted the characters to be showcased there and then, Blades and his fellow cube-heads were thrust into the storyline via a clumsy dream sequence.
Skip ahead to Transformers 105, and Blades was properly introduced. At this point in the comic's evolution characters were being introduced left, right, and centre, so any new Transformer with a personality deeper than a rubsign indent was a rare gem. During this particular mis-adventure from writer Bob Budiansky, Blades was shown to be quite the anti-hero. This trait was explored deeper as Blades was singled out by Simon Furman for the British Transformers/Action Force crossover story, "Ancient Relics". The Blades here is a nasty piece of work, with hardly an Autobot sentiment running through his circuitry at all.
After such a brief yet satisfying highlight, Blades faded into the background. Sure, he was featured in the main cast of the last handful of issues published in 1987, but he really became "one of the Protectobots" rather than any kind of individual character. After the "defection of Blaster" storyline, the entire Protectobot team seemed to vanish from the narrative completely. Since their mission was to arrest Blaster at Grimlock's command, and they actually set him free, one has to wonder if they were that scared of Grimlock's reaction that they decided to desert the Autobots as well.
By the time of the first issue of Transformers: Generation 2 any and all animosity between Grimlock and the Protectobots had disappeared. In fact, Blades himself was now serving alongside him and his Dinobots as part of Sideswipe's Firestormers guerilla team. However, the spotlight didn't last long and Blades was last seen in issue 6, having had his rotor assembly blasted by Rumble. And clearly that was enough to take him out of active service, as poor Blades was never seen to take a slash (at the Decepticons) again.
SUB-GROUP(S): PROTECTOBOT, FIRESTORMER
FUNCTION: AIR SUPPORT
“War's a dirty game—and I'm a dirty player.”
First Appearance: Transformers 64
Significant Appearances: Transformers 64, 105-110, 125, 139-144, 148. Transformers: Generation 2 1, 3-4, 6
Abilities: In robot mode, Blades is armed with a photon pistol that emits intense bursts of light, each with the equivalent brightness of 5,000 watt light bulbs. In his earthen "UH-1" helicopter mode, Blades is equipped with twin rocket launchers that fire armour-piercing CGI-targeting shells that seek out their targets based on encoded identifier images. Blades can combine with his fellow Protectobots to form the giant robot known as Defensor.
Weaknesses: Blades's unorthodox (and unsanctioned) use of his rotor assembly in battle renders his rotor blades prone to metal stress fractures. In helicopter mode, Blades is unable to fly in strong winds greater than 100 km/h.
Commentary
Marvel Comics: Blades, as with the other twenty three characters from 1986's Special Teams range, was introduced in Transformers UK's "Second Generation" storyline. His real-world appearance was some 40 issues away, but because Hasbro UK wanted the characters to be showcased there and then, Blades and his fellow cube-heads were thrust into the storyline via a clumsy dream sequence.
Skip ahead to Transformers 105, and Blades was properly introduced. At this point in the comic's evolution characters were being introduced left, right, and centre, so any new Transformer with a personality deeper than a rubsign indent was a rare gem. During this particular mis-adventure from writer Bob Budiansky, Blades was shown to be quite the anti-hero. This trait was explored deeper as Blades was singled out by Simon Furman for the British Transformers/Action Force crossover story, "Ancient Relics". The Blades here is a nasty piece of work, with hardly an Autobot sentiment running through his circuitry at all.
After such a brief yet satisfying highlight, Blades faded into the background. Sure, he was featured in the main cast of the last handful of issues published in 1987, but he really became "one of the Protectobots" rather than any kind of individual character. After the "defection of Blaster" storyline, the entire Protectobot team seemed to vanish from the narrative completely. Since their mission was to arrest Blaster at Grimlock's command, and they actually set him free, one has to wonder if they were that scared of Grimlock's reaction that they decided to desert the Autobots as well.
By the time of the first issue of Transformers: Generation 2 any and all animosity between Grimlock and the Protectobots had disappeared. In fact, Blades himself was now serving alongside him and his Dinobots as part of Sideswipe's Firestormers guerilla team. However, the spotlight didn't last long and Blades was last seen in issue 6, having had his rotor assembly blasted by Rumble. And clearly that was enough to take him out of active service, as poor Blades was never seen to take a slash (at the Decepticons) again.