Rainmaker
From Transformers Wiki
- The Rainmakers are a Decepticon subgroup from the Generation 1 continuity family.
The Decepticon Rainmakers are a unique trio of Seekers who specialize in chemical and environmental warfare. A ruthlessly efficient team of warriors, the Rainmakers derive their name from their ability to turn the skies themselves against their victims; few ground-bound Autobots can survive torrents of acid rain and electromagnetic lightning strikes, and any that do are invariably run down and executed. As a trio, the Rainmakers can level emplacements, melt fortifications, and reduce enemy formations to mounds of corroded scrap and shorted circuits—it's fortunate for Optimus Prime and his followers that there are only three of them!
The group consists of:
| “ | Destroy all intruders with rain! Acid rain! | ” |
| —Megatron tells the Rainmakers to do what they do best, "Divide and Conquer" | ||
Contents |
Fiction
Generation 1 cartoon continuity
The Transformers cartoon
When a group of Autobots and Chip Chase journeyed to Cybertron to fetch a cosmitron for a wounded Optimus Prime, Megatron sent the trio to make things difficult for our heroes with a dose of acid rain.
Guess what? They failed. Divide and Conquer
Generations Selects Special Comic
The Rainmakers were present in Neo Scramble City when Megatron started a revolution for the Selectors, and was subsequently opposed by the Autobots. Volcanicus comic 1 When the Dinobots arrived, the Rainmakers fought Swoop, who blew their Acid Rain back into their own faces. This forced their systems to falter and made them fall to the ground. Volcanicus comic 2
Ask Vector Prime
Vector Prime noted that the Rainmakers were among the deadliest subordinates of Shockwave on Cybertron and Earth in many universal streams, including Primax 509.28 Epsilon. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/07/13
2019 IDW continuity
The Rainmakers were a military unit during the War of the Threefold Spark. To the dismay of Elita-1, their reunion in the Ascenticon Guard evoked the Ascenticons being on wartime footing. All Fall Down The Rainmakers later took part in the attack on the Senate after Megatron rebranded his movement as the "Decepticons"; the three attacked from the air, incapacitated Subsea, and burned their way through the building's skylight before using their various powers to prevent the Senators inside from escaping. We Have Deceived You
After seizing full control of the governing body, Megatron introduced the Rainmakers to his fellow Senators before Clench reported that Sentinel Prime had escaped, the Rainmakers being deployed to down and recapture him. Catching up to the Prime, Ion Storm managed to down whereupon Acid Storm fired a barrage that left him damaged enough to fall victim to being sliced in two by Nova Storm. Touching down, the trio regraded the Prime's dying cries for aid before retreating when Chromia opened fire on them. Prime Though their murder prompted a mixed reception in the Decepticon ranks, the Rainmakers joined their fellows at the gladiatorial arena, being present when Termagax returned to denounce the Decepticons, bearing witness to Megatron contemptuously opening fire on his mentor. Awakenings
When the Decepticons attacked Termagax's House for the Enigma of Combination, Sixshot dispatched the Rainmakers as the first wave. Anticipating this, the Autobots set up forces to meet them, Arcee and Sureshot shooting down Acid and Ion Storm. Windcharger attempted to ground Nova Storm with his magnetism but her hull proved immune to his powers so he instead used them on her insides, grounding her. Sea of Rust II
When Exarchon returned, the repaired Rainmakers, and Skywarp accompanied Megatron in his meeting with the Threefold Spark. When they arrived, Megatron blew Exarchon back into the corrosive arms of Sunstorm, melting his body instantly. At Megatron's command, Nova Storm shoved Sunstorm back into his containment tube. War's End Part Three The Rainmakers flew with Megatron to intercept Optimus Prime before the Autobots reached Darkmount. End of Time After the arrival of Computron and the removal of Skywarp's imploder allowed the Autobots to reach the city, the Decepticon army invaded the city. During the battle, the Rainmakers were put under Starscream's command, joining the other Seekers in fighting Sky Lynx but failed to stop the Autobots from escaping Cybertron. Fate of Cybertron
War for Cybertron Trilogy cartoon
The Rainmakers were among the Seekers who showed up for Starscream's assault on the Ark. Siege episode 6
My Little Pony/Transformers
Misfire and the Rainmakers attacked Windblade and Rainbow Dash during a race in Equestria, but were outmaneuvered and defeated by the two heroes. The Flyin' Fox Trot
Games
Transformers Roleplaying Game
The Rainmakers were an elite sub-division of Seekers who specialized in environmental warfare. Decepticon Directive
Toys
War for Cybertron: Siege
(Erroneous middle vehicle mode)
- Seeker Acid Storm / Seeker Ion Storm / Seeker Nova Storm (Multi-pack, 2019)
- Released as a three-pack, the Rainmakers are a trio of redecoes of the Siege Voyager Class Starscream mold from the same line, transforming from a heavily Generation 1-inspired robot to a Cybertronian 'tetrajet' based on the Seekers' appearance in "More than Meets the Eye, Part 1" and back; although the jet mode has the robot legs sticking out from the undercarriage. Each includes two "HPI Null-Ray Laser Launchers," which can mount on their upper arms or under the wings in jet mode. All three feature battle damage (with identical application patterns) and use the neutral frowning head sculpt used by Starscream.
- Glaringly, Hasbro erroneously recycled the alt-mode stock photo of Thundercracker instead of distributing one of Ion Storm, which spread out to various drawn media.
- This set was made available at general retail in US Target stores (where it would become a recurring shelfwarmer) without prior announcement from Hasbro, and at Entertainment Earth in 2021. It was also released in Canada at general retail in Toys"R"Us stores.
- Interestingly, not only was this set not released in other Hasbro markets, but TakaraTomy scheduled it for release in Japan nearly two full years later. Further, the stock photography used versions of the toys with slightly different paint applications.
| Siege mold: Starscream | ||
|---|---|---|
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Version 1:
Version 2:
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Merchandise
The Loyal Subjects
- Rainmakers (2013)
- Accessories: Pegged wings, blasters
- The Loyal Subjects Rainmakers are a set of three 3-inch non-transforming vinyl figures designed by Les Schetkoe. The set includes Acid Storm and the then-yet-to-be-named Ion Storm and Nova Storm, and comes in a retro box with a limited run of 500 pieces.
Notes
- The term "rainmakers" (or perhaps "rain makers") was originally used by Bluestreak as a colloquial description of their actions. However, repeated fan usage turned this into a widely accepted name for the group, which was eventually made official as such by Hasbro's 2008 toy bio for Acid Storm.
- Despite the many different designations thought up by fans, the yellow and the blue Rainmakers went officially unnamed for over 30 years until a 2015 entry of the Facebook edition of Ask Vector Prime (contributed by Brandy Dixon and Betsy Blackie) named the yellow one Nova Storm and the blue one Ion Storm.[1]
- A common piece of fanon identified the all-yellow Rainmaker as the partially yellow Sunstorm. However, even taking into consideration the haphazard coloring typically given to generic Seekers, chances were in favour of their not being the same guy. After being asked the question during the August 2010 Q&A, Hasbro confirmed that the yellow Rainmaker was not Sunstorm, but did not give him a name at that time.[2]
- Further confusion arose during BotCon 2013, when figures of Sunstorm and his newly named companions from "More than Meets the Eye, Part 1", Bitstream and Hotlink, were released in an exclusive three pack titled "Rainmakers". However, Fun Publications employees subsequently confirmed that the pack's title was in error, and that there was no intention to link the "welcoming committee" to the trio from "Divide and Conquer".
- The acid rain only affected the Autobots. Chip Chase was utterly unharmed. Make of that what you will.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Rainmakers (レインメーカーズ Reinmēkāzu)
References
- ↑ Post by BDixonarts on TFW2005, 15 July 2015
- ↑ August 2010 Q&A on ASMzine: "When the right opportunities arise, the other Seekers seen in the original television series such as Acid Storm have been named and given official backgrounds. Unfortunately, not every character that has appeared on screen has made the transition into other forms of media or even product. Because of this fact, there has been no official backgrounds created for these characters."
