If you don't remember the gun guy or the two boombox guys from the 80s cartoon who had impossibly small transformations, then you might remember Perceptor, the scientist guy who turned into a microscope.

The Transformers cartoon

Voice actor: Paul Eiding (English), Chikao Shiroyama (Japanese), Xu Hong (Chinese), Dani Albiac (Spain-Spanish, "The Movie"), Carlos Agosti (American Spanish), Reinhard Brock (German), Claus Brockmeyer (German, "The Movie" and Generation 2), Marco Antônio Costa (Portuguese, "Dinobot Island, Part 2"), Paulo Flores (Portuguese, "Microbots" to "The God Gambit" and "The Gambler" to "Cosmic Rust"), Marcos Miranda (Portuguese, "Child's Play" to "The Secret of Omega Supreme"), Ronaldo Magalhães (Portuguese, "The Revenge of Bruticus"), Carlos Seidl (Portuguese, "The Movie" TV dub), Dario de Castro, (Portuguese, "The Movie" VHS dub), Ricardo Sawaya (Portuguese, "The Movie" Fox Kids dub), Garcia Neto (Portuguese, "Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1" to "The Dweller in the Depths"), Francisco José (Portuguese, "Only Human" and "Grimlock's New Brain"), Francis Lax (European French), François Leccia (European French, "Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1", "The God Gambit", "Quest for Survival", "Sea Change", "Cosmic Rust" & "Dark Awakening"), Bruno Magne (European French, "Child's Play", "The Dweller in the Depths", "Only Human" & "The Face of the Nijika"), Unknown (European French, "Microbots"), Serge Lhorca (European French, "The Secret of Omega Supreme"), Albert Augier (European French, "The Gambler"), Patrick Borg (French, "The Movie"), Éric Etcheverry (European French, "Five Faces of Darkness" episodes), Gyula Szersén (Hungarian, "The Movie" 1st dub (some lines))

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Perceptor appeared on Earth during a period of time occurring after the initial impact of the Ark into the planet. Dinobot Island, Part 2 It is unknown exactly when he had arrived, but the malfunctions he suffered during the Cybertonium depletion crisis would lead one to conclude that he had been present when the Ark crashed onto prehistoric Earth during the encounter with the Decepticon starship. Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1 When the humans Spike Witwicky and Chip Chase were investigating the chronal anomalies which plagued the Autobots with visitors from various eras of Earth's past, Perceptor introduced himself to them and offered his expertise as a "true scientist." And then he transformed into a microscope. Dinobot Island, Part 2

All my tubes and wires and careful notes!

During his period of habitation on that planetary body, he experienced a myriad of adventures. Included in that scope were incidents such as reconfiguring his mass ratio to a microscopic scale using the transmat reduction beam in order to sever the connection of the Heart of Cybertron to Megatron's body. Upon doing so, he proceeded to dispose of the object by having Brawn throw the volatile energy source approximately two thousand feet into the sky and shooting it with his mobile cannon mode. Microbots

When Megatron perpetrated an egregious assault on the Autobots' reputation and had them forcibly expelled from their residency on Earth, Perceptor was indubitably among their number. A fortuitous sequence of events allowed the Autobots to return to their former planetary location and extradict the Decepticons from their dominion over the humans. Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2 During another adventure, a series of aberrant mechanical malfunctions began afflicting the Autobots. Perceptor was incapable of altering from his microscope configuration, and expeditiously determined that the complication was a depletion of Cybertonium. Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1

During a constitutional along a seaboard, Perceptor, Beachcomber, Warpath, Powerglide and Seaspray were assailed by an assortment of Decepticons. Remarkably, Thrust appeared impervious to damage, and both Perceptor and Seaspray were captured and escorted to the submerged Decepticon headquarters. With the inclusion of Beachcomber, the three Autobots were able to effect an adequate escape and rejoin their cohorts in time to confront the Electrum-coated Decepticons. The Golden Lagoon

The pen...cil is mightier than the sword!

In an endeavor to assist Cosmos, who had run into difficulty on Titan, one of Saturn's attendant moons, Perceptor and Jazz traversed space in Omega Supreme. Although Omega's energy was depleted by the journey, Perceptor was able to locate a prodigious accumulation of energy crystals, with which he subsequently reenergized Omega, allowing them to repel the Decepticon invaders and effect a peregrination back to Earth. The God Gambit

On another occasion, Perceptor and an assemblage of Autobots and Decepticons were propelled across the interstellar void by the space bridge, landing on an unexplored world in which Cybertronian lifeforms were minuscule in relation to the immense indigenous population. After a series of alarming endangerments, Perceptor determined that a toy rocket ship possessed by the boy Aron, whose abode they had happened into, could be modified to return the Autobots home. Child's Play Calamitously, their mode of transport was intercepted by an alien named Bosch, who utilised a mechanism to place the Autobots in a submissive state, intending to barter them for energon. Smokescreen was eventually able to emancipate Perceptor and his fellows with the assistance of the bounty hunter Devcon. The Gambler

Examining a sample of extraterrestrial matter transported to Earth on Bumblebee's back, Perceptor was able to ascertain that Cosmos had inadvertently imported Morphobots, a genus of robotic flora which consumed mechanical life. His exhortation was sufficient to save Cosmos and the Morphobots were soon dispatched to a more suitable biosphere; however, the sample he had acquired had also propagated to the point where it threatened to consume him along with his laboratory. Quest for Survival

Perceptor's spectrographic analysis of an ore sample determined that the asteroid from which it originated was, in fact, alive. In an unfortunate turn of events, Optimus Prime had just commanded Omega Supreme to obliterate said asteroid. The Secret of Omega Supreme Yet another enterprise took Perceptor to a world inhabited by transforming organic creatures who had been enslaved by the Decepticons. He assisted in liberating the Tlalakans, and was subsequently bemused by Bumblebee's notion that they should make a wish on the first stellar object they sighted. Sea Change

I don't believe it! There she goes again! She's tidied up and I can't find anything!

Perceptor was present as Ironhide wondered why Optimus was travelling to the Decepticon space bridge by himself. The Search for Alpha Trion He also synthesized a panacea to remedy all corrosion, with the appellation corrostop, and was decorated by the humans for his ingenuity. Megatron also coveted his assistance, but for a dire emergency — the Decepticon had become afflicted by Cosmic Rust and it transpired that corrostop was the only counteragent. Not content with merely being ameliorated, Megatron exploited Perceptor in a machination to infect the Autobots with Cosmic Rust, and all sources of Ingredient X, an imperative component of corrostop, had been exhausted. Perceptor and Wheeljack labored to make the matter duplicator operational so that more corrostop could be constituted and the Autobots saved. Cosmic Rust

Perceptor and Spike Witwicky discovered a disquieting fact — that an aberrant disruption emanating from Cybertron was causing a shift in Earth's orbit, resulting in the planet's imminent collision with the nearest stellar body! The Autobots and Decepticons were forced to collaborate to avoid destruction in the Sun; however, the Insecticons masticated the space bridge controls, rendering the possibility of its use dubious. With donated components, Perceptor repaired the space bridge and dispatched the amalgamated force to Cybertron to subjugate the Combaticons. The Revenge of Bruticus

I can smell the chemicals!

Perceptor's actions continued to be of intrinsic strategic import, particularly following the distinct tactical deficiencies during the Battle of Autobot City that resulted in the expiration of Wheeljack, and pointing out that "gamma waves in this sector of space create marginal navigation probabilities" as the Autobots fled Earth. As a member of Ultra Magnus's company, he was marooned on planet Junk, where he contended with the indigenous race of mechanisms, designated Junkions. During the decisive battle against Unicron, Perceptor was stationed aboard the Junkion vessel when Unicron crushed it in his grasp, though fortunately was not a casualty of the catastrophe and could later be distinguished celebrating the antagonist's defeasance. The Transformers: The Movie

Perceptor had a mission of paramount importance and tasked it to Blurr and Wheelie. After the Galactic Olympics were disrupted by unknown assailants, he examined some debris but was unable to determine the exact nature of the attackers. He proposed he accompany Rodimus Prime on an undertaking to investigate the Decepticons, but Rodimus elected to procure Grimlock's abetment instead. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1 When Galvatron hijackced an Earth Defense Command shuttle and masqueraded as humans in distress, Kup granted them clearance to land despite Perceptor's suspicions. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4 When the Decepticons invaded, Perceptor helped valiantly defend Cybertron. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5

The inexplicable resurrection of Optimus Prime led Perceptor and the rest of the Autobots on a mission of retaliation against the Quintessons for the supposed termination of a selection of Autobots, including Rodimus Prime. When it transpired that a shuttle Optimus commanded the Autobots fire on in fact contained their still-functioning comrades, Perceptor was all too happy to arrest the ill-fated assault. Dark Awakening

Pipes, I don't care what you call him, please put "Little Pipes" back in your pants!

On a second entanglement with the Quintessons, Perceptor was incapacitated early in the conflict and unable to prevent several of his fellow Autobots from traversing a chronal displacement aperture to Cybertron's distant past. Although Pipes was an adequate physician, Perceptor regained normal function subsequent to the resolution of the situation. Forever Is a Long Time Coming

After Fort Knox dematerialized, a preliminary examination by Perceptor of energon cubes discovered at the locale indicated they were contaminated with Dinosaur transform static. Further analysis indicated the cubes were of Decepticon manufacture, exonerating the Dinobots and Sky Lynx. Tracing the point of origin to Carbombya, the Autobots located the appropriated architecture and liberated the country from the habitation of the Decepticons. Thief in the Night

Perceptor was part of an ambush set for Galvatron when the incorporeal spirit of Starscream possessed Cyclonus. Starscream's Ghost When Wheelie and the Spike's immature offspring developed curiosity over Ultra Magnus's construction date, they consulted Perceptor, who suggested they scrutinize the Hall of Records, unaware of the endangerment the pair would soon face. Surprise Party Investigating another disappearance on the part of Daniel, this time complemented by Grimlock, Perceptor operated a Quintesson contrivance which transposed a rescue party to the domain of Menonia. Madman's Paradise While excavating isidrite in an asteroid belt, a team of Autobots was beleaguered by Decepticons, however as Perceptor observed, Galvatron was wreaking more havoc with his own troops than the Autobots. Webworld

That's not where you look into a microscope, Hot Spot.

Perceptor's calculations later tracked the Decepticons down to a comet, where the blackguards were installing an apparatus to propel it into Metroplex. During the altercation, a resonance of extreme amplitude disrupted proceedings, causing all present to expeditiously descent towards a nearby planetary body named Eurythma. As the Decepticons prepared to resume hostilities, Perceptor dismantled Devastator with one discharge of his artillery mode. He proceeded to participate in a diversionary engagement while Ultra Magnus and Blaster contacted the indigenous sentient life who communicated entirely in melody. Carnage in C-Minor

Detecting an aberrant semaphore on a Quintesson frequency, Perceptor allocated the mission to Sky-Lynx, Blaster and Outback. The Quintesson Journal He later oversaw the installation of a new power core on Cybertron. Not long after this occurrence, Galvatron unleashed a grotesque monstrosity with the ability to metamorphose Transformers into energy vampires. Perceptor not only formulated a remedy involving the infusing of a plethora of energy, but was able to effect the catharsis of the Dweller from Cybertron. The Dweller in the Depths He was equivalently successful in restoring Ultra Magnus, Rodimus, Arcee and Springer to their mechanoid forms after they were transplanted into organic bodies. Only Human

Memoirs of a tiny alien robot geisha with a male alien robot's transplanted brain

During the instatement of another power generator, Perceptor expressed a desire for an increase in the Dinobots' brainpower, to which Grimlock responded with an aggressive exclamation regarding his fist and Perceptor's cranium. Malfunctions caused by strange energy emanating from the generator resulted in Grimlock's intelligence being increased manifold, outstripping even Perceptor's own acumen. The Autobots journeyed to Unicron's skull in orbit around Cybertron, where they were incapacitated by anti-electrons. Providentially, Grimlock was able to construct a brigade of Technobots to salvage the situation. Grimlock's New Brain

During one of his final known excursions with Rodimus, Perceptor plummeted onto an alien world in a state of transformation paralysis. What's worse, his universal emulator was taken from his body and transplanted into the Zamojin construct called Nijika, which resulted in Perceptor's consciousness taking up residence within that form. All things considered, he took it quite well, and his alterations to the emulator resulted in the Quintessons inadvertently extricating the world from its incarceration. The Face of the Nijika

Japanese cartoon continuity

Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers story pages

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The Battle of the Star Gate

Perceptor attended a lecture on Earth about the human's earthquake-prediction technology. Perceptor mostly attended for the off-chance that he could show off how smart he was. Before any plans could be made for Perceptor to talk at the next forum, an Earthquake struck the area, leading to the Autobots to suspect the Decepticons were somehow causing tremors nearby. Perceptor and Professor Ohnishi were mostly to thank for the deduction, as they had noticed despite the recent seismic activity, there was a lack of "earthquake clouds." Perceptor was later part of the small team of Autobots who came upon Megatron and Starscream to foil their Energon-gathering scheme, and explained in simple terms how they discovered them to Starscream. He then transformed into his tank mode and engaged him in combat. Activation

Robotmasters

Perceptor put Optimus through the paces necessary to upgrade himself with a "black body" coating in order to more effectively absorb energy into himself. The Autobot scientist put Optimus in an isolation for this process, as the black body coating would absorb energy from all nearby machinery, including transformers. Unfortunately, Decepticons had falsified some of Perceptor's data, leading to Optimus being left in a volatile state. So that his new body would not drain the energy of all those near him, Optimus went to seclude himself in an uninhabited canyon, while Perceptor and Wheeljack tried to figure out how to reverse their leader's condition. Black Body

Story of Binaltech

In the divergent timeline known as the BT World, Perceptor began the Timaeus Project, which was able to procure the miraculous substance known as alternium. Unfinished Business, Part 3 Later, when Grimlock raged that his Dinobot comrades had yet to be restored from the Unleasher attack, Perceptor explained to him that the Dinobots had already been cured with the Psychedevice, but Grimlock's own Unleasher scarring was holding back their full mental recovery. To this end, Perceptor sent Grimlock to the site of the improved Psychedevice so that he could be cured himself. Outlier

15 Go! Go!

The doctor is in...sane.

Sent to gather data on Perceptor, Teletraan 15 found him giggling creepily over a microchip and telling it that it was time for its check-up.

As she recoiled in horror, Perceptor's tone became clinical and, retracting his faceplate, he demanded that she identify herself. After Teletraan 15 recorded her notes on the Autobot scientist, he transformed into his seldom-seen mobile battle mode and took her for a ride...whether she wanted it or not. Perceptor Volume

Legends comic

In the 1980s, Perceptor was present when Wheeljack presented his latest invention, the Transform Super Cog, and expressed hope that it could be used to repair Metroplex. Slugslinger's Ambition Perceptor bore witness as Skids discovered Dimension Slide particles which granted him the ability to travel between universes. Bonus Edition Vol. 20

In 2021, Perceptor was stationed at the Second Army base in G Nebula 89, where he helped develop Master-Braces for White Lune and upgrade Godbomber's armor plating. He requested that Ginrai deliver the Haywire Laser to Beast by taking her to the Legends World and teleporting her from there, but neglected to mention that the weapon was White Lune's weapon mode, which caused some confusion later. Late Xmas Present Chapter Worried about his old friend Katsu Don, who he had not heard from for a while, Perceptor later traveled to the Legends World himself in belief that the Zamojin-created dimension could hold clues to his location. Bonus Edition Vol. 56 As part of the Autobot Axalon Trading Company, he rebuilt a damaged Goldbug as Bumblebee, explaining that he thought the yellow Autobot's old identity suited him better now that he was working with Spike once more. Bonus Edition Vol. 54

One day, after repairing Ramhorn and granting him a new tank mode, Perceptor was approached by Katsu Don who unceremoniously ripped his head off. The Zamojin explained that he was trying to repair Nijika, now rebuilt in a Transformer-sized form, and since Perceptor's parts had proven to be compatible with hers, his head could be used to complete her. Before the process was complete, Perceptor's friends showed up with his decapitated body, transformed into its tank mode, and used it to distract Katsu Don while Perceptor removed his head from Nijika. Returned to his own body, he took aim at Katsu Don and sent him fleeing, only to reveal that he had never intended to fire and had hope that his old friend would find the right path again. Afterwards, Perceptor had his head converted into a small Headmaster form in hopes that life would be easier that way, though using his own microscope mode became a lot harder. Bonus Edition Vol. 56

Perceptor and Highbrow worked together to research the energy that was used to create the Legends World. Bonus Edition Vol. 61 When Katsu Don attempted to destroy the world, Perceptor tried to talk him down to no avail, Bonus Edition Vol. 65 and the Zamojin was instead defeated and captured by the Jumpstarters who left him in Perceptor's care. Bonus Edition Vol. 66 This was followed by an attack by Devil Z, leading to Katsu Don explaining to Perceptor and everyone present that he had sought to keep the world's energies from being used by evildoers. Bonus Edition Grand Maximus Perceptor then got to work attempting to remove excess plasma energy from the Targetmasters only for Katsu Don to reappear, defeat the Autobots and steal away the Targetmasters. Legends World in Imminent Danger! Part One

Victory cartoon

Two are red, two have shoulder-mounted weapons, and two have weird ears. They almost have so much in common!

Voice actor: Masaharu Satō (Japanese), Rik Thomas (English), Roberto Alexander (Latin American)

Perceptor voyaged back to Earth with Wheeljack and Minerva in response to an urgent communique from Star Saber to the effect that God Ginrai had been grievously wounded. A preliminary examination of the patient suggested his termination was inevitable, however Wheeljack had an alternative treatment—transplant God Ginrai's internal mechanism into a new assemblage. Despite Perceptor's misgivings, the stratagem was put to God Ginrai, and his approval obtained for commencement. With limited time available, the trio initiated the operation. Ginrai Dies!! The procedure achieved a favorable outcome, resulting in God Ginrai's rebirth in the new form of Victory Leo. Perceptor and his cohorts turned their attention to Star Saber, who had also been seriously damaged.

When Victory Leo proved mentally unstable, Perceptor assured Jan Minakaze that such instability occasionally occurred in robotic lifeforms. Perceptor advised against Star Saber going into battle as repairs on him were not yet completed, and consequently Victory Leo was sent out as a substitute. Fight!! Victory Leo Following successful completion of Star Saber's repairs, Perceptor and his team commenced installation of a unique unification circuit to allow Star Saber to combine with Victory Leo. Awaken! Victory Leo Despite Perceptor's grave misgiving about the potential risks, Star Saber went ahead with his first combination with Victory Leo in order to terminate the threat of the missiles Deathsaurus had created to threaten the planet. The Tide Is Turned! The Ultimate Weapon, the Victory Unification Perceptor later departed Earth to rejoin the Autobot forces in space. Jan - Defend the Campus!!

G-2 story pages

Look at him, all tiny back there.

Perceptor, along with Wheeljack and Jetfire, discovered new properties of the Matrix which allowed Optimus Prime to revive himself as Laser-Rod Optimus Prime subsequent to a crushing defeat by Megatron. G-2 Part 4

e-HOBBY comics

When a Carbombyan freighter was attacked by strange bio-engineered monsters, Perceptor was among the Autobots assembled by Optimus Prime to investigate. MP-1B Cybertron Commander / Convoy Black Ver. Their inquiries led several Autobots into a battle with an underwater "monster." Perceptor and Ironhide were sent out by Optimus to help out with the battle, as it was not going too well for their fellow Autobot Splashdown. While on-route, they encountered Starscream's gargantuan ghostly form. MP-3G Destron Air Commander / Starscream Ghost Ver.

Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers comic

Alongside several other Autobots, Perceptor tried and failed to defend Yokohama from an attack by Megatron, Starscream and Blitzwing. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #4 He later came with Kenji, Seaspray and Hound to an uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean, where they were supposed to meet some other Autobots. They soon found that the Constructicons had captured their friends and were using the island as a build site for the humongous Trypticon. By magnifying one of Hound's holograms through Perceptor's lens, the Autobots tricked Trypticon into attacking a fake Metroplex and falling into the ocean. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #6

Full Throttle Scramble Power!

Perceptor accompanied the massive Autobot reinforcements called in to counter Megatron's nefarious Omega Wave Cannon. Full Throttle Scramble Power!

Rodimus vs. Cyclonus

Perceptor was present when Optimus Prime expired following the battle for Autobot City, and Hot Rod caught the Matrix as it fell out from the Autobot leader's hand. Rodimus vs. Cyclonus

Wings Universe

After the Autobots' first battle with Devastator, Perceptor assisted in repairing the wounded. Later, he was left behind when the Ark departed. With his other comrades on Cybertron, Perceptor underwent stasis hibernation till new energy sources were detected on the planet. Battle Lines #6

Ask Vector Prime

Sideways and Gong decided to have some fun by interfering with one universe's Unicron War. Perceptor was one of the first Autobots stationed at Autobot City to witness Cy-Kill and his Renegades. Perceptor met up with Blaster, and ordered him to radio Prime for reinforcements. Then Re-Volt breached the city roof, putting Perceptor in a headlock like a big ol' nerd. Blaster managed to save him... just in time for all the Autobots to warp out of reality as the unstable universe shifted around. Echoes and Fragments

Deviations

In a world where Optimus survived the Battle of Autobot City, Perceptor was aboard Ultra Magnus's shuttle when it was attacked by "Megascream", the upgraded form of Starscream. Hot Rod impulsively decided to reverse the engines in the hopes of throwing the Decepticons off their tail, but Perceptor warned him that the maneuver was likely to fail. Hot Rod did it anyway; his reckless maneuver blew the engines and warped the ship to the Tyrolian Quadrant just above the planet Junkion. Although Hot Rod and Daniel ejected the critically damaged vessel aboard an escape pod, the other members of the ship died when the shuttle exploded. Deviations