Seeker (body-type)
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| The name or term "Seeker" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Seeker (disambiguation). |
The term Seeker refers to Decepticon jet troopers who share Starscream's body-type but with different colors or minor variations in wing and head shapes. This is most clearly and commonly known from Generation 1, but any franchise with a Starscream is almost inevitably going to feature a similar "family" of redecoed jet-formers.
The word "Seeker" hovered a long time in a strange gray area between official and fan-coined terms. It seems to have originated in extremely obscure official or semi-official writing, but somehow became widely used among fans. (See below.) In 2002, the term appeared in dialog from the first issue of The War Within from Dreamwave Productions, making it truly official after years of controversy. It has subsequently appeared in many other places such as on toy packaging, books, and in other stories.
List of named Seekers
Named characters designed from the ground up to meet the classical Seeker mold (har) include:
Original Seekers
- Starscream (leader)
- Skywarp
- Thundercracker
Original Coneheads
More Than Meets The Eye "Welcoming Committee" Seekers
Generation 2 Seekers
Contemporary Seekers
Honorable mentions
- Itami Prime uses the generic Seeker design, but his unique characterization as an Autobot Town Commander prevents his membership from being definitive.
Conceptual history
Origin of the term
The truly mysterious thing about the term "Seeker" is the fact that, despite it being widely used by fans as early as the 1990s, nobody knew where it actually came from, as evidenced by confused conversations from that time on alt.toys.transformers.[1] There were plenty of wrong answers; the strongest suggestion seemed to be that it came from the "hunter-seeker skyship" used in issue #17 of the Marvel US comic—though the Decepticons it is applied to in that story are shown only in their flight modes, which look nothing like the jets in question, and are completely different from the Cybertronian forms of the Coneheads, who also appear in the issue. The only real connection between the hunter-seekers we were shown and the "Seekers" is that there's more than one of them and they fly.
During this time when the term was believed non-canon, fans flirted with other terms such as "Skyraider" (see below), but in 2002 Simon Furman used "Seeker" in a Dreamwave War Within script, which sealed the deal of officiality and set the tone not just for the fandom, but for the Transformers fiction that came afterwards as well.
Years later, the mystery was finally solved with the discovery of multiple department-store advertisements from the 1984 holiday season in which the word "Seeker" appeared. The J.C. Penney catalog (sometimes called a "wishbook") featured a page dedicated to Transformers that included this statement in its description of Starscream: "Airplane with sensational F-15 styling scours the countryside searching for Autobots. When they're found, the Seekers set out to destroy them." It also said Soundwave "sends out messages to the Seekers and other Decepticons".[2] J.C. Penney and (now-defunct) chains Zayre and Dahlkemper's put out ads in November 1984 listing Starscream and either Thundercracker or Skywarp as "Decepticon Seeker". In addition, one of the earliest known ads for Transformers toys period is a Zayre circular from April 1984 that uses the term.[3] The term even appears as late as 1985, in a toy-ordering catalog for (now-defunct) Western Auto, a specialty retail chain for automobile parts and accessories, which lists all the standard Transformers releases from the 1984 line-up, among them the "Decepticon (Seekers) Plane assortment", with Starscream, Thundercracker and Skywarp depicted.[4]
Presumably, then, the term "Seeker" was likely handed down by Hasbro in promotional materials, and those retailers happened to run with it. It's impossible to know with absolute certainty, but the most curious aspect of the whole story is that members of the online Transformers fan community were widely and independently using the term largely without question since the early 1990s, when the fandom was just getting on its feet, not dissimilar to the way the term "Generation 1" was coined. Were those obscure toy ads truly widely seen enough, and a strong enough part of the fandom's collective memory, to determine common parlance almost ten years after the fact? Or were there more official usages that have since disappeared? That is a mystery we may never solve!
Alternate terms
The most obvious alternate name for these Transformers—and the one generally used by toy pack-in catalogs—is Decepticon Planes. While usually clear enough from context, this term has the weakness that there are many Decepticon planes who do not share this body-type. Also, the term is rarely, if ever, used outside of toy-specific contexts. The first UK toy pack-in catalog referred to the group as strike planes.[5] The 1985 European Milton Bradley catalog calls them "Decepticon Aeroplanes".[6] In Japan, they were called Jetrons. The Generation 2 versions were called "Decepticon Jets".
Within the fiction, the cartoon episode "Atlantis, Arise!" features Brawn calling Thundercracker a Deceptijet. And the 1985 Listen 'n Fun audio book "Sun Raid" has Megatron ordering the Deceptiplanes (Starscream, Skywarp, and Thundercracker) to break off an attack. The audio book "Jaws of Terror" referred to them as Decepticon superjets. The multipath adventure book "Dinobots Strike Back" has Megatron order his warrior jets to attack the Autobots, just before a "good" ending which they fail to prevent.
For a long time, it has been common among fans to refer to the Seekers' cartoon Cybertronian forms (from the episode "More than Meets the Eye, Part 1" among others) as tetrajets because their shape resembles a tetrahedron, a pyramid with a triangular base.
If there was ever an official term that could've given "Seeker" a run for its money, it was the one used on the European Generation 2 packaging of Starscream and Ramjet: Skyraiders.[7] That term also appeared in those characters' profiles in the UK Generation 2 comic. When the modern fandom dug this information up, "Seeker" was still considered a fan-generated term, so there was a push to supplant it with "Skyraider". But Furman's use of "Seeker" in The War Within, coupled with the rediscovery of the department store advertisements, put a damper on that movement. Some years later, the term "Skyraider" was officially resurrected to describe the jet warriors in the BotCon 2009 set "Wings of Honor" (based on the Energon Starscream mold). Skyquake was indicated as the body-type's developer in-universe.
Fiction
Generation 1 Seekers
The Transformers franchise
Originals
In Generation 1, there were six Seekers originally given names and characterization: Starscream, Skywarp, Thundercracker, Dirge, Thrust, and Ramjet. The first three, the season one Seekers, had animation designs done primarily by Shōhei Kohara.
Coneheads
The last three Generation 1 Seekers are usually designated as "Conehead" Seekers by fans for their distinctive transformation that leaves the jet nosecone pointing up. Unlike their progenitors, the Coneheads typically feature more individual parts between the three, helping to better differentiate them from each other. The animation models for the Conehead Seekers were designed by Floro Dery.
And the rest...
In the Generation 1 cartoon there were large numbers of generic, unnamed Seekers in addition to the named characters. They came in a wide variety of colors, from extra duplicates of Starscream or one of the other named guys, to original and distinct looks all their own. They seem to have formed the bulk of the Decepticon forces on Cybertron, as well as among Megatron's initial troops on Earth. They gradually became less common, perhaps as a result of casualties... or the cartoon's production team becoming more careful, or more-likely having more "actual" Decepticons to work with as the toy line expanded. (Extra Reflector units and alternate color cassettes were also used along with these Seekers, early on, to fill out the comparatively thin Decepticon ranks.)
These unsung Seekers would be recognized years later in Heroes of Cybertron toy form as the Air Warriors (all using the common lavender/white color scheme). Soon afterward, the Dreamwave Generation One comic series introduced an army of similarly colored Seeker drones.
Around the same time, another background Seeker was also given a new life through toys and Dreamwave's Generation One ongoing series: Sunstorm. This yellow-orange Seeker was a nameless background character in the first episode of the Transformers cartoon, until e-HOBBY turned him into an exclusive toy (available with an Autobot also based on a first-episode cameo). Now Hasbro can't get enough of him. Another generic Seeker was given attention: Acid Storm. Like Sunstorm before him, he was based on one of the background Seekers from the original cartoon, in this case the episode "Divide and Conquer" (see below). And in 2013 Fun Publications got in on the act by dubbing Sunstorm's partners Bitstream and Hotlink after two Seekers from Aligned continuity. Additionally in 2015, FunPub dubbed Acid Storm's partners Nova Storm and Ion Storm.
Unnamed Seekers with their own distinct color schemes appear in the following episodes as noted below:
- In the "return to Iacon" scene on Cybertron, five to seven Seekers appear (wide shots depict a group of five, but the close-ups give us seven distinct color schemes.) The first three are (as far as colors are concerned) Skywarp, Starscream (with a deeper voice provided by Frank Welker), and Thundercracker. In a following shot, we see a lavender Seeker with a flamethrower pack who would years later be named Hotlink; a medium-blue Seeker with white trim, holding his arm gun like a rifle, who would eventually be named Bitstream; a yellow/orange Seeker, who would become Sunstorm... and lurking in the back, a very dark-blue Seeker with white trim barely visible, but there if you look, who is apparently Nacelle.
- The mother lode of unnamed Seekers. Especially if you like variations of blue and lavender. Crowds of them appear at the start of the final battle. At least six different Seekers of various shades and decos of blue and at least four of various shades and decos of lavender (two with black tail fins in jet mode, two with white). Also, a blue variant (seen in the picture above) missing his wings and shoulder vents appears in "Part 3".
- Avert your eyes! One deep blue, one eye-burning bright green, and one garishly bright yellow. This trio is often referred to by fans as "the Rainmakers" because they started an acid rain shower to irritate a group of Autobots. The green jet in this grouping was made into the Universe Acid Storm character, whose name was initially supposed to be "Rainmaker", then "Acid Rain". A few years later, the other two received the names Nova Storm and Ion Storm.
- Two blue variants and one really nice looking pine-green Seeker appear as part of Shockwave's forces trying to prevent the rescue of Sparkplug on Cybertron.
- One all-gray Seeker, one with Onslaught's coloration, and one with Silverbolt's. There's also an interesting Conehead variant. (All of which appear in the main image above.)
- One season 1-style Seeker with Dirge's colors appears in jet mode in the attack on Autobot City in the movie, and next to the actual Dirge in the episode.
- During the flashback of the "Fourth Great War", an all-black Autobot jet similar to Ramjet's alt mode is briefly seen before exploding. Seconds later, an all-black Decepticon jet similar to Thrust's alt mode is seen. As it flies upwards, the wings appear to be white, though this seems to be an animation error.
- Puffy stickers
- A sheet of Transformer puffy stickers featured a rare generic with a Starscream-based color scheme. He is pictured above as well.
- In addition to Starscream, Skywarp, and numerous identical copies of both of them, this construct-it-yourself battle scene features two distinct color schemes. Each features a solid grey body with solid color wings and tail wings: one red, one yellow.
- While Ramjet, Thrust, and Dirge are named and Skywarp is identifiable, there are numerous unnamed Seekers including a second individual with Thrust-style wings.
- This relatively obscure Sticker Adventures tale gives us a brief glimpse of a Seeker with a Thundercracker/Skywarp mix; blue body, purple tailfins and wing stripes. You can't tell much more about him, given that he is A: partially obscured and B: exploding.
- The box art (also used for adverts in the Marvel UK comic) for this line of toys shows Starscream attacking his Autobot counterparts alongside three others sharing his body-type. All have a silver front half in jet mode, while one has green rear fins, one has red and one is in shadow.
- The German comic, well known for its often wacky coloring, contained a Seeker with a suspiciously familiar color scheme.
- An unnamed Seeker with a light blue body with white face, light red helmet and thighs, and yellow cockpit canopy was hanging around when Megatron boarded the Ark.
- An unnamed green Seeker can be seen to the left of frame, behind the bartender, in the image of Maccadam's Old Oil House.
Wings Universe
The term "Skyraiders" (see alternate terms) was assigned to the prototype Starscream-like air warriors that Skyquake developed at the very beginning of the war. The ranks of the Skyraiders did not seem to include any of the usual Seekers, but instead comprised other flying Decepticon characters. In addition to Skyquake himself, the Skyraiders were Leozack, Hellbat, Hooligan, and Guyhawk. Wings of Honor Starscream himself was captain of Deathsaurus's Skyraider-Seeker Brigade until he was promoted following Falcon's death. A Team Effort
Wings Lyzack was never referred to as a Skyraider, but she had a chassis nearly identical to that of her brother Leozack.
A generic mostly red-colored Skyraider was among the audience of Megatron's victory over Deathsaurus. Battle Lines, Part 5
- Red Wing was part of a joint Autobot/Decepticon assault on the Cybertronian clone army. In the ensuing battle, Red Wing was shot in the back by Skywarp. Termination
Transformers/G.I. Joe
The Seekers were awakened on the Fera Islands in 1939 and were reformatted as World War II-era fighter planes. Alongside such familiar faces as Starscream and Skywarp were also several unidentified Seekers. The Line Trial by Fire They joined up with Cobra with the rest of the Decepticons, while the Autobots allied themselves with G.I. Joe. Transformed Trial by Fire They held a strong animosity towards the Aerialbots in particular, and fought against the combining Autobots. Wolves All of the Seekers that awoke on Earth were defeated by the Autobots, though the Decepticons managed to score a few fatalities of their own, including Superion. Trenches The Iron Fist
2005 IDW continuity
Seekers are elite officers in the Decepticon army, and are expected to fulfill a leadership role on the battlefield in commanding other Decepticon troops. Seekers are expected to show absolute loyalty to the Decepticon cause. Seasons in Flight All Hail Megatron #12
Though the "Seeker" body-type was a mass-produced form used by many jet-form Cybertronians, Your First Mistake the Seekers would later take on the body type to homage their commander, Starscream, at his own suggestion; All Hail Megatron #6 a suggestion which, Skywarp later believed, was intended to cause confusion over Starscream's own identity so he could hide from defrauded taxpayers. Starscream: The Movie
2019 IDW continuity
During the War of the Threefold Spark, Nominus Prime commissioned the production of an army of Seekers to match the Skywarp clone army under Exarchon. The Seekers hunted the clones down, turning the tide of the war. Escape Part Three These war-forged Seekers suffered lingering issues, and were considered a substantial security threat by Starscream. Wheeljack: Orbital Decay
When the Decepticons attacked Darkmount, Starscream led the Seekers into battle against Sky Lynx but they failed to stop him from escaping Cybertron. Fate of Cybertron
War for Cybertron Trilogy cartoon
- Voice actor: Kaiser Johnson (Earthrise episode 1, Earthrise episode 3, English), Sean Wright (Earthrise episode 1, English)
My Little Pony/Transformers
When the magic of Queen Chrysalis interfered with a space bridge and brought several Cybertronians to Equestria, Transformation Is Magic the Seekers sought to conquer the city of Manehattan only to be chased off by Arcee, Rarity and their general lack of teamwork. Shine Like a Diamond They eventually rejoined the larger Decepticon force in attacking the Crystal Empire before the power of friendship and the Matrix of Leadership was used to return the Decepticons to Cybertron. Finale
Following the Decepticons' construction of a new space bridge, Starscream led the Seekers to the Equestrian city of Las Pegasus to claim magical artifacts only to run afoul of Twilight Sparkle and her friends once again. The Seekers fell back to Cybertron where a magical beam from Twilight struck one of the pilfered artifacts and unleashed King Sombra who proceeded to enthral several Decepticons. When the Autobots arrived to investigate the commotion, the ponies claimed that the Cybertronian race would have to unify to combat the unicorn tyrant. The Magic of Cybertron
The Seekers were, much to Starscream's ire, forced to ally with the Wonderbolts. When the fliers came under attack from the brainwashed Cybertronians, Starscream first ordered an indiscriminate carpet bombing, only for the Wonderbolts to create an atmospheric disturbance that instead allowed the Seekers to fire immobilizing nets at their kin. While Starscream patted himself on the back, the rest of the Seekers praised Rainbow Dash's quick thinking Stunt Flying
After Ratchet and Rarity had discovered how to free Sombra's thralls, the Seekers joined in the final attack to stop Sombra from possessing the corpse of Scorponok. After the Titan had been destroyed, Megatron chased off Starscream, who had attempted regicide while freeing Megatron from Sombra's control, while the rest of the Seekers stood down as Megatron ordered hostilities ended. Finale
Transformers Go! Go!
Unicron Trilogy Seekers
According to one minor source in Armada, when any Transformer converts to a jet, he is called a "seeker".[8] But the closest specific characters to the Generation 1 Seekers are this universe's own Starscream/Thundercracker/Skywarp trio. All three even used the same toy mold in their first release, although Skywarp was heavily retooled from the others (including getting an entirely new-mold Mini-Con partner). While new Decepticon-allied jet characters named Thrust and Ramjet were released in Armada, they each had their own unique molds. However, whereas Ramjet was simply the Mini-Con partner of Tidal Wave, Thrust was a Bulk who even had a VTOL engine in jet mode, a conehead and vertically oriented wings in robot mode. Although Thrust's original toy was green, one of his redecos looked much more like his G1 incarnation while the other redeco looked like an inverted version of G1 Dirge. It was also redecoed into Universe Sunstorm.
Though only Starscream appeared in the follow-up franchise, Energon, several Seekers appeared in the final portion of the Unicron Trilogy, Cybertron. Starscream was back in a form heavily inspired by The War Within Starscream design (itself based on the "tetrajet" (see below)), while Thundercracker received a completely different body. A Skywarp was also released as a redeco of Thundercracker.
Further, the Legends of Cybertron Starscream toy, a tiny, simplified version of his main toy, was redecoed three more times: Skywarp as a giveaway at Comic Con 2005, Ramjet as a giveaway at BotCon 2005, and Sunstorm as part of the last wave of the LOC line at retail.
Ask Vector Prime would refer to Aurex Seekers, and Armada Volume 5 labeled Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp as "the Seeker family".
Live-action film series Seekers
In the letters page for Titan's tie-in comic, the movie versions of Starscream, Thundercracker, and Ramjet were first referred to as Seekers—by Starscream himself, no less. Dreadwing was noticeably absent from Starscream's list, despite also being a jet and Thundercracker also being the name/body for a line of drones. This left it unclear what a Seeker is. #9's Star Screams
Later, the term was clarified to mean a particular unit led by Starscream. The Reign of Starscream #2
Animated Seekers
Aligned continuity family Seekers
The Seekers were a pre-existing group long before the formation of the Decepticons. There is some indication that the Seekers are an elite group of the best of the best fliers, although what (if anything) distinguishes a Seeker from any other flying Transformer is open to question. They tend to mostly, though not always, share a common design.
In an effort to placate the eternally feuding cities of Vos and Tarn each was given something of value. Vos thus became the home of the Cybertronian Air Command home base of the Seekers. Starscream was one of their leaders before the war, and High Councilor Contrail seems to have been another. The Seekers were employed in ancient times to guard the secret of Dark Energon hidden aboard Trypticon Station. They kept this charge even when Starscream allied with the Decepticons, though for the most part they remained largely independent in the civil war.
Shockwave, apparently upset at being pulled away from the Crystal City, maneuvered Vos and Tarn into destroying each other, wiping out most of the Air Commanders that formed the basis of Starscream's power and bolstering his own position as Second-in-command.
In the aftermath of this betrayal, many of the surviving Seekers from Vos joined the Autobots, becoming the Aerialbots. Jetfire was one notable Seeker who defected from the Decepticons to the Autobots, helping them exploit their own flight skills further.
As part of his power play with Starscream, Megatron sent gladiators to kill many of the Air Command's scientists to finally take control of Trypticon away from the Seekers. Exodus
The jet-based Vehicons (specifically the silver "Ace" types) used by the Decepticons in the present day have been recognized as Seekers by Starscream. Scattered
Known Seekers:
- Ace Vehicons
- Autoclave
- Bitstream
- Contrail
- Dirge
- Dreadwing
- Hotlink
- Jetfire
- Nacelle
- Ramjet
- Skyquake (maybe?)
- Skywarp
- Slipstream
- Starscream
- Thrust
- Thundercracker
Cyberverse Seekers
The Seekers are elite jet Decepticons under the command of Starscream and unit captains such as Slipstream and Skywarp.
EarthSpark Seekers
One Seekers
Games
Transformers: Mystery of Convoy
- Stages: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9
- Point value: 100 (jet mode) / 300 (robot mode, red jet mode) / 5000 (red robot mode)
Making up the overwhelming bulk of the Decepticon forces, "Jetron" soldiers appear in vast numbers, swooping in from high altitude in jet mode to try and crash into the Autobots. If shot, they pause in midair to transform to robot mode, dropping to the ground and continuing their assault on foot. In robot mode, they are just a bit too short to be shot with robot-mode weaponry when on the same level as robot-mode Autobots, so hitting them in midair as they fall is the best bet to destroy them... or just use the momentary pause while they transform to slip by them, which is usually safer.
Jetrons flying in a straight line are destroyed with just one hit; rather than converting to robot mode, they leave behind an upgrade the Autobots can use to temporarily augment their abilities.
Special red Jetrons occasionally appear, flying in a straight line: when shot, they transform to robot mode but then try to fly away in the opposite direction at top speed. Destroying them releases Bumblebee, who escorts Autobots ahead a few zones, bypassing many hazards. These Jetrons only appear in the Temple Ruins and Glacier Zone, though they won't appear in the latter if they are destroyed in the former. Transformers: Mystery of Convoy
The Transformers: Battle to Save the Earth
In this iteration of the Autobot/Decepticon conflict, it seems all the Decepticon possess the Seeker body-type. There are also innumerable amounts of them. The Transformers: Battle to Save the Earth
Transformers: Cybertron Adventures
Transformers: Cybertron Adventures
Transformers: Devastation
Besides Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp, generic coneheaded Seekers were encountered by the Autobots during Megatron's plan to cyberform the Earth.
The standard purple Warrior Seekers were often deployed in sniper positions on high buildings, using blasters and red-beam sniper shots to harass the ground-based Autobots. The red missile-firing Heavy Weapon Seekers launched explosive ordinance from behind energy shields. And the black sword-wielding Elite Seekers specialized in lightning-fast melee combat. Transformers: Devastation
Transformers Roleplaying Game
A combined reconnaissance and attack wing, the Seekers were drawn from the fastest fliers in the Decepticon army and led by the treacherous Air Commander Starscream. The Seekers frequented a lunar base built on the dark side of Earth's Moon; following Unicron's destruction and the rise of the Sweeps within the Decepticon ranks, the two sides largely avoided one another. Decepticon Directive
A group of Seekers were among the forces commanded by the evil Lord MindWaveZ in the Apex. They came into conflict with a group of Autobots, G.I. Joes, and Power Rangers attempting to destroy the Multidimensional Collider holding the realm together. Worlds Collide: Battle for the Multiverse
Toys
The Transformers
- Decepticon Planes (1985)
- The original Seeker mold was the F-15 Diaclone design, noted for its detailed jet mode, extremely limited robot-mode articulation, and the need to remove/add many parts during transformation.
- The mold was initially decorated as Starscream, Skywarp, and Thundercracker. In 1985, Ramjet, Dirge, and Thrust were created out of this mold, each with unique new wing toolings and color schemes. Redecorated retools of the mold also appeared in Generation 2 as Starscream and Ramjet, featuring new accessory soundboxes.
- This mold subsequently has been extensively reissued and redecorated; see Starscream (G1)/toys for a ridiculously long list of examples. The reissues have included the original six characters as well as the retro-Generation-1 character Sunstorm.
- This non-transforming action figure mold was sold as Starscream, and later redecorated as Thundercracker for the European market.
Machine Wars
- Basic (1997)
- A small flipchanger mold, originally intended for Generation 2, was issued as Thundercracker and Skywarp.
Armada
- Max-Con (2002)
- An all-new mold sold at the $20 price point was originally issued as Armada Starscream, redecorated as Armada Thundercracker, and retooled as Armada Skywarp. The retooled version was later issued as the new character Ramjet in the 2003 Universe toyline.
- Super-Con/Deluxe (2003)
- This mold was released as three different decoes of Armada Thrust and as Universe Sunstorm. One deco of Thrust was repurposed as Dirge. This mold is also the basis of the non-toy Beast Wars: Uprising characters Lidar and Sitrep.
Smallest Transforming Transformers
- The Smallest line, issued in Japan in 2003, featured a reduced-scale version of the original Generation 1 Seeker mold.
- It was issued as Starscream, Skywarp, and Thundercracker, and retooled as Thrust.
Robotmasters
- A new Seeker mold was created for Japan's Robotmasters subline. It is based on the original toy, but redesigned at a smaller size and with enhanced articulation.
- It was issued as Starscream (regular and black versions), Skywarp, and Thundercracker.
Energon
- (Deluxe, 2004)
- An all new mold transforming into a jet loosely based on an F22 raptor, this figure was initially released and then redecoed as Starscream, and was later redecoed into Timelines Leozack and Skyquake for their BotCon 2009 "Wings of Honor" "Skyraider" bodies.
Titanium
- A new Seeker mold created for the Titanium Series subline features a Cybertronian-based alternate mode, derived from the characters' appearance in The War Within (itself loosely based on the original pyramid jets seen in "More than Meets the Eye, Part 1".) This mold has been issued as Thundercracker, Starscream, Skywarp (a convention exclusive), Sunstorm, and Thrust (a Target Exclusive).
Cybertron
- Legends of Cybertron (2006)
- A tiny version of the Voyager mold, issued as Armada Starscream, and redecorated as Universe Ramjet, Armada Skywarp, and Sunstorm, and Generation 1 Ramjet and Thrust.
- A small version of the Deluxe mold was available as Thundercracker and was redecoed as Starscream for the Universe toyline.
- Deluxe (2006)
- Though Thundercracker wasn't the same mold as Starscream in this series, his deluxe toy was redecoed as Skywarp. It was later redecoed into the non-Seeker character Divebomb.
- Voyager (2006)
- This mold, based on G1 Starscream's The War Within appearance, was issued as Armada Starscream, and later redecorated as Generation 1 Dirge.
Classics
- Deluxe (2006)
- An all-new mold at the $10 price point, the Classics Seeker design retains the F-15 alternate mode, but with a new transformation scheme and modern articulation.
- Like the original, this mold has been redecorated and retooled numerous times. In addition to the original six Seekers, it has also been issued as Acid Storm, Bitstream, Hotlink, Nacelle, and Sunstorm. In addition to its original release in Classics, the various uses of this mold have occurred in the Henkei!, Universe, Generations, Timelines, Shattered Glass, and United toylines. Versions of this mold have been mass retail releases, store exclusives, specialty exclusives, convention exclusives, and fan club exclusives.
| Classics mold: Seeker | ||
|---|---|---|
Henkei! Henkei! Starscream Ghost Version | ||
Masterpiece
- A larger-scaled, highly complex mold. Issued as Starscream in 2005, with later retools as Skywarp, Thundercracker, and most recently Ghost Starscream, with transparent parts. The mold was heavily retooled in 2012 for another release as Starscream along with redecoes as Sunstorm, Acid Storm, Thundercracker, and Skywarp. It was even more extensively retooled and redecoed in 2016 as Ramjet, Thrust, and Dirge.
| Masterpiece mold: Seeker (MP-3) | ||
|---|---|---|
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Hironori Kobayashi & Shōji Kawamori | ||
| Masterpiece mold: Seeker (MP-11) | ||
|---|---|---|
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Version 1:
Other versions: | ||
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Hironori Kobayashi & Shogo Hasui | ||
- Ver. 2.0
- A second Masterpiece Seeker mold was released in 2021, opting for cartoon accuracy as opposed to the original release's more stylized appearance. So far, Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp's figures have been revealed for the new mold.
| Masterpiece mold: Seeker (MP-52) | ||
|---|---|---|
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See also: MP-3 Starscream | MP-11 Starscream | ||
Transformers (2007)
- Legends
- This Legends-class mold is a highly simplified, low-cost version of Starscream in his F-22 Raptor body. As such, he has a greatly compromised transformation sequence due to the smaller parts count, with limited articulation and detailing. In addition to numerous redecoes sold as Starscream, it was also used to make Revenge of the Fallen Thundercracker.
- Voyager
- The mold used for the Voyager class Starscream figure was retooled and redecoed into Thundercracker (as well as a G1 recolor of Starscream.) For the Revenge of the Fallen line of toys, the original mold and the retool were recolored again as Ramjet and Skywarp respectively.
- Fast Action Battler
- The Fast Action Battlers version of Starscream was recolored into Ramjet in 2007.
Animated
- Legends
- The tiny Legends Class Starscream mold was recolored into clear versions of his (male) clones:
- Voyager
- The Voyager class Starscream from Animated was recolored into a few of his clones:
- Skywarp
- Sunstorm
- Thundercracker (unreleased)
- Activators
- Starscream's Activators mold, a smaller, auto-transforming design based on the larger toy, was (eventually) redecoed into most of his clones:
Transformers (2010)
- Legends
- Legends Class Starscream is a new sculpt based on his Generation 1 jet appearance with many fuselage details borrowed from the Masterpiece version. This sculpt was also used to make Chronicle Thundercracker, Starscream, and Skywarp.
Alternity
- Rather than a jet, this mold transforms into a licensed 1:32 scale Mitsuoka Orochi and features die-cast metal parts and rubber tires, as well as an opening hood, trunk and doors. It was used to make the usual three (as well as non-Seeker Banzai-Tron). In the Alternity storyline, these three are known as Questors. Y'know, quest like seek.
Dark of the Moon
- Deluxe (2011)
- This all-new sculpt transforms into a surprisingly accurate F-22 Raptor while hiding the robot mode parts much better than previous molds. It was first released as Starscream and later redecoed into Thundercracker and Skywarp.
Generations
- Deluxe (2012)
- This mold is based on the Seekers' appearance in War For Cybertron and Fall of Cybertron. Transforming into a jet loosely resembling previous "Tetrajets," it was issued as Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp. The molds simultaneously represent both Aligned incarnations of the characters as well as their IDW counterparts' appearances in the 2005 IDW continuity.
- Legends (2013)
- This mold is based on based on Guido Guidi's Seeker design from IDW's original ongoing series and transforms into a hybrid F15/F22. The mold was originally released as Starscream, and was redecoed into Acid Storm, Thundercracker, and Skywarp.
- Deluxe (2014)
- Armada Starscream, as the name of the figure implies, is an updated representation of Starscream in Armada body. Like the Fall of Cybertron Starscream figure, it also represents Starscream in the 2005 IDW continuity, even including a comic book in which he takes this form. It has been retooled into Jhiaxus, who resembled the Seekers throughout his appearances in the Generation 2 comics. The mold was also retooled into Skywarp and Ramjet. It was also redecoed in colors representing Starscream's Powerlinx form in the cartoon and Takara toyline; this deco was later repurposed as Armada Thundercracker.
Prime: First Edition
- Deluxe (2011)
- The first toy to represent Starscream as he appears in Transformers: Prime, this mold would later be redecoed and retooled into Skywarp and Thundercracker in TakaraTomy's Prime line, as well as Timelines Slipstream.
Robots in Disguise
- Warrior
- This new sculpt incorporates influences from both Animated Starscream and Generation 1 Starscream, specifically the latter's appearance during the coronation scene in the G1 movie. Aside from differing Hasbro and Takara decos, it was also redecoed as Skywarp.
Combiner Wars
- Leader (2015)
- A heavy retool of Generations Jetfire, this figure is sculpted to resemble the same design by Guido Guidi as the Generations Legends-class Seeker mold. Unusually, the retooled version of the mold was initially released as Thundercracker before being later redecoed as Starscream and Skywarp.
War for Cybertron: Siege
- Voyager
- Siege Starscream transforms from a heavily G1-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. Naturally, the Siege Starscream mold has been redecoed into the remaining members of the 1984 Seekers, as well as some previously unreleased characters.
| Siege mold: Starscream | ||
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Version 1:
Version 2:
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War for Cybertron: Earthrise
- Voyager
- The Earthrise Seeker mold is essentially an upscaled version of the Classics Starscream figure; taking inspiration from the 2006 mold's transformation scheme while adding some new points of articulation. Returning to the roots of the original toy, the Earthrise Seeker mold transforms into an F-15 jet and comes with a pair of null-ray accessories. Due to the figure's hollow waist and the nature of its conversion, the Earthrise Seeker mold's planned waist articulation was scrapped. This sculpt was extensively retooled and redecoed multiple times to recreate the Coneheads' distinctive head piece and their individual wing toolings.
| Earthrise mold: Starscream | ||
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Version 1:
Version 2:
Other versions:
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Studio Series
- Voyager
- The Studio Series Seeker mold is based on the Generation 1-inspired design in Bumblebee, transforming from robot to Cybertronian tetrajet in 31 steps, and looks very similar to the unrelated Blitzwing figure from the same toyline. Each figure comes with a cannon, two Null-Ray blasters evocative of the Generation 1 Seeker design, and a cardboard backdrop display depicting a war-torn Cybertron as it appears at the beginning of the film.
- Besides Starscream, this mold has been used to make Thrust, Skywarp, and Thundercracker. Each redeco of this mold can even be repurposed into any of the generic Seekers featured in the film.
War for Cybertron: Kingdom
- Core
- Kingdom Starscream is a roughly Legends-sized mold highly reminiscent of its larger Earthrise counterpart. The accessories packed in with the Core Class Seekers varies with release; as of writing Starscream and Legacy Thundercracker come with the traditional Null-Ray accessories, while Legacy Skywarp comes with a tuning fork-like weapon.
Merchandise
Super Collection Figure
- A small, PVC plastic figure based on the Seekers' animation model design. It was imported from Takara in the 2002 Heroes of Cybertron line.
- It was issued as Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Sunstorm, and as a six-pack of the three original seekers and three generic light purple Air Warriors. It was retooled and redecorated as Ramjet, Thrust, and Dirge.
Titanium Series
- A small, non-transforming die-cast metal figurine, based upon the Generation 1 cartoon appearance of the Seekers was available decoed as either Starscream or Thundercracker.
MyClone
- A super-adorable figurine mold of Starscream was issued for this line, and redecorated as the chase figure Thundercracker. A Coneheads mold was also available, issued as Ramjet and chase figure Dirge, and retooled as Thrust.
Palisades
- Issued in 2005, this six-inch-tall polystone statue with articulated head and arms was sculpted by 3L Creation Group from a design by George Tremarco. It was later redecoed as Skywarp, Sunstorm, Thundercracker, and the Ghost of Starscream.
Robot Heroes
- Another super-adorable figurine of Starscream, this time launching himself into the air. Redecorated as Skywarp and Thundercracker. A Thrust mold from the same line has yet to be redecorated.
3D Battle-Card Game
- This release is a 38-point "Uncommon" piece from the 3D Battle-Card Game composed of punch-out parts from two different cards that can be reconfigured to make a robot or a fighter jet. The parts layout was used to produce Movie versions of Starscream and Thundercracker (as well as non-Seeker characters Dreadwing and Jetfire) in the initial release and Generation 1 Starscream, Skywarp, and Ramjet in the "Energon Wars" expansion set.
Notes
- In the 1990s, Hasbro had more character plans for the Generation 2 Starscream and Ramjet molds that fell through:
- A labeled piece of unused Generation 2 packaging art published in 2011's Transformers Vault gave the name Sandstorm to an unreleased desert camo variant on the Ramjet toy (previously seen in toy mock-up form on eBay).
- A mostly black and grey mock-up of Generation 2 Starscream was also seen from the same source as the Sandstorm mock-up. In 2020, it became known that this mock-up was intended to be named Blackout.
- Another mock-up deco variant of the Starscream toy in jungle colors is also known to exist. As with Blackout and Sandstorm, this may have been intended to be a new character.
- Lastly, another mock-up deco variant of the Ramjet toy in cloud camo is also known to exist. As with all the above mock-up decoes, this may have been intended to be a new character.
- The Transformers fandom has long mused upon the possibility of female Seekers (and produced countless self-insertion characters that are variants on the theme). A piece of Hasbro concept art of what appeared to be a female Seeker design appeared on the BotCon 2005-exclusive cover of Infiltration #0, but the idea didn't fully see fruition until 2008's Animated Slipstream, the first canonical female character to share a body template with a Starscream.
- The Classics Seeker sculpt has been reused and retooled more times than any other mold.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Jetron (ジェットロン Jettoron), Seeker (シーカー Shīkā)
- Mandarin: Sōusuǒ Chě (Taiwan, 搜索者, "Seeker"), Yóují (China, 游击, "Guerrilla Warfare")
- Polish Szperacz ("Seeker")
References
- ↑ alt.toys.transformers thread from 1996 about the origin of "Seeker"
- ↑ J.C. Penney 1984 wishbook (full-page scan)
- ↑ 1984 "Seeker" ads (scans at Roboplastic Apocalypse)
- ↑ Western Auto toy ordering guide at TFW2005.
- ↑ First UK toy catalog (scan at Transformers @ The Moon)
- ↑ "Milton Bradley Transformers" at TF-1.com.
- ↑ Starscream and Ramjet's European Generation 2 packaging (photo at Cobra Island Toys)
- ↑ Transformers Armada: The Awakening DK Readers book.
