« The Transformers (UK) #278 »
"The House that Wheeljack Built!"
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First published	7th July 1990
Cover date	14th July 1990
Writer	Simon Furman
Penciler	Pete Knifton
Inker	Michael Eve
Letterer	Glib
Cover	Jeff Anderson
Continuity	Marvel Comics continuity/Earthforce

Wheeljack discovers you can be too clever by half!

Synopsis

Wheeljack presents the newly built Autobot Earthbase for Earthforce. Grimlock likes it, but Prowl is concerned about the lack of defences. Wheeljack replies that the defences are hidden and produces a remote control. Prowl presses the red button on it and nothing happens... until Wheeljack throws a rock and immediately guns rise from the snow and destroy it. Wheeljack explains that many more defences are hidden in the snow to defend the base. Prowl asks about how strong they are—can they be knocked out? Can they be disabled by destroying the remote? Wheeljack replies that they can't and the only way to deactivate the system is a control panel inside the base.

Prowl points to where Swoop, Jazz, Snarl, Ironhide, Bumblebee, Slingshot, Skydive, Fireflight, Slag, Silverbolt, Sludge, Air Raid, and Sunstreaker are standing. It's a silly question, but he asks anyway "Who exactly is inside the base to operate the control?" Wheeljack realises his slight mistake and Grimlock explodes in rage that they cannot get into their own base.

Realising that this will test the defences, Prowl orders Jazz and Bumblebee to follow him and the Aerialbots to provide air cover whilst the other Autobots do what they can to help. Jazz and Bumblebee shoot out the guns that blast Prowl, then heat seekers follow him. Prowl transforms to robot mode to dodge heat seeking drones and is met by acid spitting bats. Fortunately, the Aerialbots are overhead and shoot the bats down. Prowl enters the base, only to be confronted by electric shock tentacles.

Finally, Prowl reaches the control and deactivates the defences. He radios Grimlock, who is holding Wheeljack upside down, and tells him to tell the inventor that next time he shouldn't do such a good job!

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"Well? What do you think?"
"Good job, Wheeljack! [Smacks him on the back way too hard]
"Unff!"

—Wheeljack experiences the full force of Grimlock's gratitude.

"Okay, but what about the mechanisms themselves? Can they be knocked out? Maybe by destroying the remote?"
"Nope. It only activates the defences. To shut them off, you have to operate a control within the base itself."
[Everyone stares silently at Wheeljack]
"Ah...I almost hate to ask this, Wheeljack, but...who exactly is inside the base to operate the control?"
"Oh..."

—Prowl and Wheeljack

"Uuh! At last! [Over the comm.] Grimlock, read me?"
"[Dangling Wheeljack by his ankle] Me read you, Prowl. You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm okay. The defence grid is down. I've a message for Wheeljack."
"Go ahead. He listening."
"Next time, Wheeljack - don't make such a good job of it!"

—Prowl and Grimlock

Notes

Artwork and technical errors

• TBD

Continuity errors

• Prowl's transformation immediately removes the heat he was generating, in spite of the law of conservation of energy. This sort of thing has happened before.

Continuity notes

• The Survivors are noticeably absent from the story, but they are accounted for in the next issue.

Real-life references

• The title comes from a popular British nursery rhyme ("This is the House that Jack Built"), whose title (and variations thereof) has graced many songs, novels, TV shows, etc.

Back-up material

• Additional Transformers story: "...All Fall Down!"
• Other strips: G.I. Joe the Action Force - "Cut and Freeze Dried" and Combat Colin
• AtoZ: Soundwave and Starscream

Cover

• Issue #278 cover: Prowl and Wheeljack are ambushed, by Jeff Anderson.

• 

  Issue #278

Reprints

• Transformers: Earthforce cover: Grimlock thumps a table — crop of the cover to UK issue #263, by Stephen Baskerville.
• Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 20: End of the Road: Bludgeon (art reused from Dreamwave's More than Meets the Eye profiles) above an interior scene of Grimlock punching through Fangry (from US issue #80), by Andrew Wildman.

• 

  Transformers: Earthforce
  (Titan Books, 2005)

• 

  The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 20: End of the Road
  (Hachette Partworks, 2018)