Dropkick (Movie)
From Transformers Wiki
| This article is about the movieverse individual/drones. For the Generation 1 drones, see Dropkick (G1). |
- Dropkick is a Decepticon and also a bunch of mass-produced drones used by both sides from the Movie continuity family.
Dropkick really doesn't like being on Earth, but he wasn't given much choice. If he had his way, he'd be back on Cybertron right now, sitting alone in the dark and feeling angry. He doesn't really "get" why folks are so interested in the AllSpark or why the Autobots are making things so hard for him... but at least once the Decepticons get what they want, he'll have plenty of things to blow up and humans to liquefy, and his partner-in-crime Shatter gives him plenty of opportunities to do so.
| “ | The humans are multiplying. Please, let me kill some. | ” |
| —Dropkick, Bumblebee | ||
Contents |
Fiction
Titan movie comics
In a divergent timeline, the Decepticons succeeded at Mission City and conquered the United States. Dropkick was Megatron's right-hand man in the occupation of Earth. The other Decepticons heard Megatron's orders through him. Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 1 Having gone way down in the world after Starscream seized command, Dropkick ended up acting as "escort" to ensure Bumblebee would leave human areas. In a final "up yours", Bumblebee led Dropkick in a high-speed chase which saw the Decepticon damaged and humiliated. Revolution Part 1
IDW movie comics
Soundwave dispatched Dropkick and Incinerator to Florida, where they completely destroyed an American military base before scanning suitable Earth forms. Alliance #3 Their victory was short-lived, as soon afterwards, the Autobots and their human allies tracked the Decepticons down and systematically destroyed them one by one. Dropkick was defeated by Optimus Prime and was finished off by NEST soldiers. Alliance #4
The Veiled Threat
Dropkick was one of a number of Decepticons who responded to Starscream's signal and came to Earth. He admired the alternate form he'd chosen for its primitive elegance. After Starscream enlisted the help of the Human Accessory Force, Dropkick helped them raid a Zambian dam construction site, confronting Major Ghiwa, whom he was disappointed to realize was not armed, and therefore not much sport. He tried to do a trick with a piece of fencing to entrap the Major, but it didn't work as he'd hoped.
When Autobots responded to the Decepticon activities, Dropkick, Macerator and Payload lured them into the Zambezi River. Dropkick attempted to keep Ratchet distracted as they were pulled downstream towards Victoria Falls, but the plan didn't work as well as hoped, and he retreated with a damaged arm. The Decepticon trio next went to cause havoc at Kariba dam. The Autobots, however, followed them. Optimus rammed Macerator and Dropkick, the latter of whom found himself wrestling with Ironhide. After Macerator was terminated by Optimus, and Payload was lost in the waters released from the dam, Starscream ordered Dropkick to retreat. Dropkick fled, though not without being stung by Kaminari Ishihara's EMP gun. The Veiled Threat
Bumblebee film
- Voice actor: Justin Theroux (English), Daiki Hamano (Japanese), Darko Bozovic (European French), Marc-André Bélanger (Canadian French), Lutz Schnell (German), Ramón Canals (Spain Spanish), Alex Montiel (Latin-American Spanish), Simone D'Andrea (Italian), Samay Raj Thakkar (Hindi), Guilherme Lopes (Portuguese), Zeki Atlı (Turkish)
Dropkick was among the Decepticons under the command of Shockwave and Soundwave in their conquest for Cybertron in Megatron's absence. After Optimus Prime was attacked by Ravage, Dropkick and the other Decepticons closed in to attack the Autobot leader. Following the apparent failure of the Autobot resistance effort, Dropkick was paired with Shatter and the two began hunting Autobots who escaped the planet.
By 1987, Dropkick assisted Shatter in following Autobot lieutenant Cliffjumper to one of Saturn's moons, where they tortured him in an attempt to learn the whereabouts of Optimus Prime. Though the Autobot refused to co-operate, they received a signal from Autobot scout B-127 on the nearby planet Earth, prompting the pair to change course for the planet, but not before Dropkick vertically bisected Cliffjumper, killing him instantaneously.
Upon their arrival near a trailer park, Dropkick acquired a muscle car alternate mode and killed a random human, expressing his disappointment with the primitive indigenous species yet taking pleasure in how they "popped." The two then headed towards the West Coast in the direction of B-127's signal, with Dropkick picking up a Bell AH-1 SuperCobra alt mode whilst driving through Texas. They were then intercepted by Agent Jack Burns and his team of Sector Seven agents, accompanied by Dr. Powell. Dropkick wanted to dispose of the humans when Shatter came up with the idea of them masquerading as a "Decepticon peacekeeping patrol" pursuing the "dangerous escaped criminal" B-127, which he begrudgingly went along with. The Decepticons were escorted to a Sector Seven outpost and given limited access to their satellites, thus creating a global system of interconnected computer networks to track B-127.
BREAK. THOSE. Chains that bi-
oh.
A brief Energon surge in California attracted the Decepticons' attention, and they accompanied Sector Seven in capturing B-127, now calling himself "Bumblebee". Dropkick tortured Bumblebee to find out Prime's location, when he accidentally triggered a video message from the Autobot leader revealing his plans to retreat to Earth from Cybertron. Before departing to inform their comrades on Cybertron of this information via a radio tower at a nearby harbor, Dropkick killed Powell (who overheard their conversation and informed Burns of the Decepticons' true colors) and left the critically injured Bumblebee for dead.
While Shatter was busy transmitting the message to Cybertron, Bumblebee appeared and opened fire on the radio tower, provoking Dropkick to engage the scout. During their fight, Bumblebee's human friend sneaked her way towards the radio tower. Once Bumblebee gained the upper hand, Dropkick assumed his helicopter mode only for his propeller to become ensnared in a discarded chain wielded by Bumblebee. Dropkick transformed into robot mode in a failed attempt to escape, which forced the chain to wind under his armor as his parts shifted between modes. He mocked Bumblebee's "little chains", but before he could finish the sentence, the Autobot yanked the chain hard, dismembering him and rupturing his internals, causing him to explode; his burning, decapitated head landed beside the Autobot scout's feet. Bumblebee
Bumblebee Vol. 2 Retro Pop Highway figure online description
| “ | The movie-inspired details are exactly what I've been hunting for. | ” |
| —Dropkick, Rolling Decepticon | ||
Dropkick's positive opinion on the movie-inspired details on the Bumblebee Vol. 2 Retro Pop Highway figure was published on Rolling Decepticon.[1]
Games
Transformers: The Game (console)
Hordes of identical Dropkick units are used by both the Autobot and Decepticon armies. Decepticons are blue like Blowpipe with a lens-face, while Autobot versions are red like Salvage and have a facemask with individual optics. They are protected from most artillery by energy shields in robot mode (Blackout's EMP bombs can penetrate the shields & damages them easily), and are fond of throwing stuff at foes rather than getting in with melee attacks.
Dropkicks are most commonly found in urban missions, but pop up for certain sub-missions in other areas as well. Transformers The Game (console)
Battle for the Allspark
Dropkick units had equal Attack & Speed abilities with a strong Defense skill. Battle for the Allspark
Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark (3DS)
Toys
Transformers (2007)
- Dropkick (Deluxe Class, 2007)
- TakaraTomy ID number: MD-18
- Accessories: Bed cover/ claw weapon
- Known designers: Takashi Kunihiro (TakaraTomy)
- Released in the sixth wave of Transformers Deluxes, Dropkick transforms into an unlicensed pick-up truck that resembles a Chevrolet Silverado. His hood and roof feature a fairly cleverly done gigantic Decepticon symbol. His flatbed cover conceals a giant claw deployed from the tailgate by a sliding knob on top. This assembly becomes a hand-held weapon for his robot mode. He also has (non-firing) twin blasters on the underside of each forearm in robot mode.
- Unlike most of the other figures based on mass-produced drones seen in Transformers The Game, Dropkick does not use the Decepticon "lens-face", instead going with a new design (it is also not the Autobot face from the game, but it is similar).
- This mold was later redecoed as the Autobots Salvage and Revenge of the Fallen Blowpipe.
Bumblebee
- Dropkick (Power Series, 2018)
- Standing at approximately 5-inches, Bumblebee Energon Igniters Power Dropkick transforms into a blue and black muscle car loosely based on the first generation Chevrolet Camaro (rather than the AMC Javelin mode he has in the film). As with other Power Series figures, he can interact with the Cores of larger Energon Igniters toys. Note that his stock photography is slightly mistransformed, with the arms not completely tabbed in for vehicle mode.
- This mold was also used for the simultaneously released Energon Igniters Power Hot Rod and was later retooled into Shatter.
- Dropkick (Nitro Series, 2019)
- Accessories: Igniter Core
- Bumblebee Energon Igniters Nitro Dropkick is an approximately Voyager Class-sized mold that transforms into an attack helicopter. Like other Energon Igniters, he comes with a core that he can interact with, as well as being able to interact with the cores that come with other figures in the line.
Studio Series
- Dropkick (Deluxe Class, 2018)
- Part of the fourth wave of Studio Series Deluxes, Dropkick transforms from robot to an officially-licensed Bell AH-1 SuperCobra attack helicopter and back. Similar to his fellow triple changers, he only transforms into two of his three modes. Dropkick's robot mode has knee accents to imitate car taillights and back "wings" to imitate car doors. However, his car kibble in robot mode is missing, making this one of the less screen-accurate Studio Series toys and one of the possible reasons for this toy becoming a shelfwarmer.
- The figure comes with two guns and a cardboard backdrop display depicting the aerial dogfight scene that... never actually happened in the movie. Rather, the blurb implies this was meant to be where Dropkick and Shatter fly in on Bumblebee after discovering his energon signal. The backdrop reuses assets from Studio Series Thundercracker's backdrop.
- A post on his right arm prevents his tail kibble from folding as flat as on the other arm in robot mode.
- Stock photos for Dropkick show him with very light blues, but the final toy uses accurate shades. The toy's CG render show paint apps on the thighs and a Decepticon symbol not present on the final release. Regardless, the toy's deco is inaccurate to the movie's helicopter deco due to the addition of the skull flag and missing blue along the entire bottom half of the aircraft (see image in #Notes below).
- This figure was extensively retooled into Studio Series Drift.
- Dropkick (Deluxe Class, 2019)
- Movie: Bumblebee
- Hasbro ID number: 46
- TakaraTomy name: Dropkick 2
- TakaraTomy ID number: SS-36
- TakaraTomy release date: August 31, 2019
- Accessories: Liquification gun, "Decepticon Arrival" backdrop
- Released in the seventh wave of Studio Series, this version of Dropkick transforms from a robot accurate to his pre-Triple Changer body into his 1974 AMC Javelin muscle car alternate mode in 26 steps. He comes with the gun he uses to liquefy humans in the film and a cardboard backdrop display depicting his and Shatter's arrival on Earth. The gun can be stored in vehicle mode by clipping it onto the rear of the car, though this can cause paint chipping over time.
- It has been reported on multiple copies that due to a molding error on the mushroom peg, his right thigh swivel is difficult and in some instances, downright impossible to be used without popping his right leg off from the loose ball joint.
- Despite the grooves on top of his head being painted in promotional images, they are unpainted on the figure itself. Amusingly, his CG render has his left hand clipping through his gun, as well as additional paint apps on the feet that did not make it to the final toy.
Movie Edition
- Dropkick (Tiny Turbo Changer, 2018)
- Series: 4
- Bag Code: D
- Released in Series 4 of Tiny Turbo Changers, Dropkick is a blue and black redeco of the Series 2 Cogman figure, changing from robot to an unlicensed approximation of an Aston Martin DB11 in a few steps.
- Chopper Mode Dropkick (Tiny Turbo Changer, 2018)
- Series: 4
- Bag Code: G
- Also released in Series 4 of Tiny Turbo Changers, Chopper Mode Dropkick is a blue redeco of the Series 1 Blackout figure, changing from robot to an unlicensed approximation of the MH53 Pave-Low Helicopter.
- This mold was also used to make Chopter.
Buzzworthy Bumblebee
- Bumblebee VS Dropkick (Battle Pack, 2021)
- Series: Studio Series
- Movie: Bumblebee
- ID number: 46BB
- Accessories: Liquification gun, "Showdown by the Docks" backdrop
- Buzzworthy Bumblebee Dropkick is a re-issue of the second Studio Series figure, released in a battle pack with the Volkswagen Beetle mode Bumblebee figure from the same line. Though the pack itself is inspired by their showdown in Bumblebee, Dropkick is depicted in his initial pre-Triple Changer body.
Merchandise
3D Battle-Card Game
- Dropkick (3D Battle Card, 2007)
- Card number:
- In the 3D Battle-Card Game, Dropkick is on the Decepticon side. Pieces punched out from two different cards can be assembled to form a pickup truck or a robot, while a third double-sided card gives its stats and attacks for each mode. The credit for the card's artist, Lucio Parrillo, doesn't capitalise his surname. He (it?) uses the same parts layout as Movie Ironhide and Generation 1 Skids (or Movie Skids).
Killerbody
- Dropkick (High-end Baby Figurine, 2019)
- Accessories: Stand
- Released by Killerbody, this non-converting super deformed car mode Dropkick features a shaking head, light-up eyes, shoulder articulation and a Bluetooth speaker stand.
- Bumblebee (Mask) & Dropkick (Dual Set, 2019)
- Accessories: Stand
- This Dropkick was also released in a 2-pack with Bumblebee (Mask).
- Dropkick (War Version) (High-end Baby Figurine, 2019)
- Accessories: Stand
- This version of Dropkick comes in his Triple Changer body and has the same features as above, except for the stand which is now non-functional.
- Bumblebee (Broadsword) & Dropkick (War Version) (Dual Set, 2019)
- Accessories: Stand
- This Dropkick was also released in a 2-pack with Bumblebee (Broadsword).
Notes
- There has been no official word on whether Bumblebee Dropkick was inspired by the character from the 2007 movie toyline — but they're both blue-and-grey Decepticon grunts from the live-action movie continuity who grumble and moan about being on Earth, so for the purposes of the wiki we're considering them to be the same character.
- Dropkick's partner, Shatter, similarly seems to share conceptual DNA with another 2007 movie character, which lends some credence to the idea that the pair were at least partially inspired by those characters.
- Dropkick's name is derived from a professional wrestling maneuver in which a wrestler jumps up and lands a kick with both feet, often knocking their opponent to the ground.
2007 toyline
- Artist Ken Christiansen designed Dropkick, along with the other new characters in the Transformers - The Game and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - The Game video games.
- Dropkick's card art shows him with windshield wipers on his visor. They are probably to wipe away his tears.
- Dropkick appears on several covers for IDW Publishing's The Reign of Starscream comic despite not actually appearing in the story itself.
Bumblebee
- In the film and the first Studio Series toy, Dropkick's helicopter model is depicted as a Bell AH-1W SuperCobra with two blades. However, his robot mode kibble is actually from a Bell AH-1Z Viper, with four blades (with bright yellow stripes) and different turbine sections, placed on his lower back.
- Dropkick's car mode features his aircraft mode's ejector seat warning triangles, even before he scans the helicopter.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Dropkick (ドロップキック Doroppukikku)
References
External links
- Dropkick concepts and final rendering on Ken Christiansen's blog.
