Gunrunner is an Autobot from the Generation 1 continuity family.

My turret at least has a cool alt-mode.

If there was ever an Autobot suffering from untreated post-traumatic stress syndrome, Gunrunner is it. Acting as a squadron leader during a major firefight with the Decepticons, Gunrunner mistakenly assured his comrades and subordinates that he'd get them all out alive. Instead, none survived except him, and he only made it out due to his Pretender armor. Because of this, Gunrunner is a seriously changed bot—he experiences tremendous stress and insecurity if forced into combat outside of the safety of his shell, and refuses any long-term command position for fear of losing another group of close friends on the battlefield. Instead, he keeps squadrons assigned under him at arm's length, refusing to tell them "Everything'll be all right", because he can no longer be sure it will be.

Gunrunner has the unenviable alternate mode of a landing gear for his Pretender shell's turret, which itself turns into a fighter jet. Sucks to be him.

Fiction

Transformers Comic-Magazin

While in battle at a dimensional bridge, Gunrunner and Roadgrabber were thrown a million years into the past of the Andromeda nebula, apparently never to be heard from again. The Transformers' Grand Hour: Headmaster of the Dimensions

2005 IDW continuity

Mom says it's my turn on the Xbox.

• First Appearance: Transformers: Stormbringer #1

Gunrunner was working out of the Autobot Orbital Command Hub when Optimus Prime received the call that Thunderwing was being reactivated on Cybertron. Gunrunner was teamed with the Targetmasters and Triggerbots as crew of the Ark-27. Based on rank, either Gunrunner or Pointblank was likely the leader of this unit. Stormbringer #1 Stormbringer #2

Gunrunner was also part of the crew sent in to contain the defeated Monstructor and repair the wounded Omega Supreme after their battle on an asteroid in the Muta-Gaath Nebula. Spotlight: Optimus Prime After getting back to the Orbital Command Hub, he was present when Captain Ku'arn of the Yar star trawler reported his rescue of the long-lost Blaster. Spotlight: Blaster

Wings Universe

Gunrunner was detained on Cybertron in 2013 by Autobot security officer Clamp Down. Possibly for gunrunning. We may never know. Termination Gunrunner soon helped fend off Jhiaxus’s invasion of Cybertron. He shot at Sky-Byte and Starscream’s clone. A Common Foe

Regeneration One

Twenty-odd years after the end of hostilities between the Autobots and the Decepticons, Gunrunner fell victim to Scorponok's Gene Key. Natural Selection, Part Three After recovering, he assisted Ultra Magnus, Rapido, Skram, and Blurr in hunting down Galvatron in Kalis. Gunrunner made good use of his Pretender Vehicle shell's armaments to take out a building the time-displaced Decepticon was attempting to scale but when forced to reveal his inner robot he complained that he felt exposed—and with good reason, as he was then shot by an Acolyte of Unicron. The War to End All Wars, Part 1

Commercial appearances

I'm blue?

• Gunrunner was on the move inside his Pretender Vehicle shell, with Roadgrabber on his tail! Quickly, Gunrunner popped out of his vehicle, transformed into jet mode, and swooped around for an attack. Pretender Beasts and Pretender Vehicles commercial

Toys

The Transformers

A jet that rides a car. Makes perfect sense.

• Gunrunner (Pretender Vehicle, 1988)

• Accessories: Rifle, 2 energy plasma missiles, dual electro-static cannon turret

Released in the fifth year of the original The Transformers toyline (fourth in European markets), Gunrunner's inner robot transforms into a hypersonic jet... with help from his Pretender Vehicle shell's turret. In fact the turret actually forms his altmode, and he just sort of straddles underneath. There's not much more to say about that part of the toy.

His Pretender Vehicle shell is a Cybertronic car which he can either hide inside or operate from the driver's compartment. The rear axle drives a gearing mechanism in the back portion; locking his jet-backpack to the top of the car links it to this mechanism. So combined, rolling the car forward or backward causes the twin cannons on the pack to pom-pom back and forth. The car also has mounting points for Gunrunner's pistol and arm-bombs.

In the UK, Gunrunner was available exclusively through Woolworths. No version of this mold or character was released in Japan.

• More information on Gunrunner at TFU.info

Notes

Foreign names

• French: Armurio (France), Traficant (Canada, "Trafficking")