Protectobot (G1)
From Transformers Wiki
| The name or term "Protectobot" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Protectobot (disambiguation). |
- The Protectobots are an Autobot subgroup from the Generation 1 continuity family.
The Protectobots are a team of emergency, rescue and law enforcement bots dedicated to the protection of humans and their homes. To this end, they will respond to any manner of mundane human emergency and help in any way they can.
They can combine to form the giant Defensor, who embodies the team's ideals of protecting human life.
The original team of Protectobots consists of:
- The energetic team leader Hot Spot (sometimes also known as Hot Zone)
- The savvy Streetwise (sometimes also known as Streetstar or Streetsmart)
- The bad boy Blades
- The easygoing Groove
- The compassionate First Aid
There are also four lesser-known Protectobots who serve with the team in special circumstances:
- The durable Rook who sometimes replaces Groove
- The dry-humored Medix who sometimes replaces First Aid
- The powerful Heatrock
- The airborne Skyfeather
Heatrock and Skyfeather also allow the formation of Gaia Guardian and God Guardian.
Contents |
Fiction
Generation 1 cartoon continuity
The Transformers cartoon
The Protectobots operated out of their own headquarters on Earth, away from Autobot Headquarters.
When the Insecticons attacked an inhabited city on Earth, Optimus Prime called upon the Protectobots to evacuate the civilians caught in the crossfire. Later, as Earth's orbit was diverted to the Sun by the Combaticons, the Protectobots raced around the world rescuing people trapped by fire, putting out infernos and trying to cool the population down by putting them inside meat lockers. The Revenge of Bruticus
After the Combaticons had been brought to heel by Megatron, they attacked a major city for no apparent reason. Defensor arrived and totally blew up Bruticus with one shot. Later, the Protectobots saved some window-washers from a burning skyscraper, and helped douse the flames. Later still, the Protectobots were ordered to help defend Autobot Headquarters from a Decepticon attack. They merged into Defensor and activated his useless force field, which almost immediately deactivated, allowing the Decepticons to blast Defensor back into his component parts. B.O.T.
Japanese cartoon continuity
Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers story pages
Transformers 2010 story pages
The Protectobots were constructed as a response to the recent threat of the Combaticons. Transformers 2010 Part 1
The Headmasters cartoon
In 2011, Galvatron attacked Cybertron looking to take control of Vector Sigma. Hot Spot and Blades were on the front lines defending Cybertron against the Combaticons. Four Warriors Come out of the Sky As Defensor, the Protectobots continued battling on Cybertron for some time alongside Raiden and Superion. The Mystery of Planet Master Later, they assembled on Earth at Ultra Magnus's command. Their mission was to stop the Decepticons from interfering with Hot Rod and the Headmasters, who were searching for the hidden location of the Matrix of Leadership. On a security sweep, the Protectobots ran across their old foes, the Combaticons, and went into battle. The two teams quickly assumed their combined forms as Bruticus and Defensor, as the fighting escalated. Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime
When Galvatron made another strike on Cybertron, this time to steal the super-metal Cybertonuron, the Protectobots assembled before the space bridge on Earth to be transported into battle. Seeking out the Combaticons on the battlefield, the Protectobots soon formed Defensor and fought once more with Bruticus. Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 1 Defensor and Bruticus's battle continued as Defensor delivered a devastating smash to Bruticus's back. For at least part of the battle, the two teams disassembled, as Hot Spot and Blades were seen firing upon the aerial Combaticons. Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 2
Hot Spot and the Protectobots were dispatched to Peru with the Trainbots when a volcano erupted, leaving a mountainside village in dire peril. Their rescue mission was blocked by the Predacons. Hot Spot was ready to tear into the enemy, but Shouki insisted the Protectobots proceed on to the village to protect the innocent lives. Hot Spot relented, but the Protectobots nevertheless failed to reach the village. They were intercepted by the Decepticons' second wave, the Headmasters. True to his devout pacifism, First Aid was not seen engaging in battle until the Protectobots formed Defensor. This left them grouped together and vulnerable, however, to an underhanded attack. Defensor was taken out of action by Mindwipe's paralysis ray, which was strong enough to force the Protectobots apart and leave them completely immobilized. The Dormant Volcano Mysteriously Erupts
The Protectobots were part of a strike team that flew to the moon to disrupt Scorponok's gathering of Decepticons. They immediately formed Defensor upon entering the battle. Return of the Immortal Emperor When the planet Sandra sent out a distress call asking for energy, the Autobots of Earth responded. While they were loading the Trainbots full of supplies, however, Galvatron and the Decepticons arrived to take the energy for themselves. The Protectobots fought back against the enemy, and formed Defensor to counter Devastator on the battlefield. SOS from Planet Sandra
After the death of Ultra Magnus, the Autobots were desperately trying to pick up the slack during Sixshot's campaign of destruction around the globe. Hot Spot and the Protectobots assembled as Defensor to go out and confront Sixshot at one of the attack sites, but they apparently didn't fare too well. The Emperor of Destruction Vanishes on an Iceberg When the Decepticons seemingly abandoned Earth, the Protectobots assisted Spike in rebuilding the planet after the enemy's departure. On one occasion, they located Sixshot's old command base. By combining into Defensor, the Protectobots helped Raiden and Computron obliterate the base, wiping out all trace of the Decepticons' presence. Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 1) Defensor was later seen helping to repair the Battleship Maximus on the planet Master. Operation: Destroy the Decepticons
Following a lengthy period of inactivity, the Decepticons renewed their attacks on Earth. With Fortress still off in space, Spike Witwicky dispatched the Protectobots to attend to the threats. In Canberra, Australia, the Protectobots confronted Bruticus at one of Scorponok's new Death Towers. Although they combined into Defensor, the Protectobots were beaten severely by Bruticus. The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 1) As Defensor, the Protectobots participated in the Autobots final battle with Scorponok's Decepticons at the North Pole. They lent their energies to the Headmasters' Head Formation to revitalize Fortress Maximus at the critical moment. The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 2)
Wings Universe
The Protectobots existed in some form on Cybertron nine million years ago, and apparently got into drinking contests with the Constructicons at faction neutral bars. A Team Effort
In 2007, after Cybertron entered its new Golden Age, the war between the Autobots and Decepticons still raged in space and on Earth. A battle between Defensor and Menasor led to the permanent deactivation of most of the Protectobots: only Streetwise was left remaining. Some time later, after the Autobots learned of the mysterious abilities of forestonite, Streetwise and Pyro expressed hope that the substance might be capable of reviving the other Protectobots. Generation 2: Redux
Ask Vector Prime
The Protectobots once lived on the colony world of Archon, but as the colony slowly began to fail they succumbed to stasis lock. They remained that way until Omega Supreme chanced across the ruins of the planet and brought them back to Earth. The only way to revive them was through an energon infusion; the Aerialbots volunteered for the process. The Protectobots made a complete recovery and then some: the transfusion had given them the ability to combine! Optimus Prime gave them their own headquarters in Central City, hoping that city life would help them acclimatize to life on Earth while also providing the metropolis with an extra degree of protection. Ask Vector Prime, 21/9/2015
Marvel Comics continuity
Marvel The Transformers comics
The Protectobots were first shown in a vision given to Buster Witwicky and Optimus Prime by the Matrix. After seeing the vision Prime ordered the creation of both teams of Autobots seen in it, the Protectobots and Aerialbots. Second Generation!
The Protectobots' first known mission involved accompanying Optimus Prime to stop the Decepticons from stealing a hydrothermocline from Energy Futures Industries. They eventually battled the Decepticons within a computer game called Multi-World, wherein they trounced the Combaticons with some help from the game's native inhabitants, then as Defensor killed Megatron by dropping them both off a bridge. Megatron cheated, however, and was able to re-create himself in the game. Optimus Prime defeated him for good, but in the real world decided that he'd lost the game as he harmed the video game's natives in doing so. As the game's terms called for the losing leader to be destroyed in the real world, Prime was blown to bits, and the stunned Protectobots hauled his remains back to the Ark in silence. Afterdeath!
The Protectobots later were sent by Grimlock to track down the "traitorous" Blaster and Goldbug. Goldbug was captured by humans, but Blaster was secured after a fight with the Combaticons. Used Autobots A second battle followed as the Protectobots returned to the Ark; as Defensor, the Protectobots were defeated, and saved only because Blaster was freed by some human children. Moved by his example, the Protectobots freed Blaster, and watched as he took the children for a ride in space aboard the captive Blast Off. Child's Play
Streetwise subsequently battled Starscream on Earth during Christmas 1987. Stargazing
First Aid was shown as having been deactivated, lying in stasis aboard the Ark. The Greatest Gift of All!
Transformers Comic-Magazin
Marvel Generation 2 comic
The Protectobots seem to have been split up; Hot Spot led an assortment of other (non-Protectobot) Autobots on a mission to stop Megatron on Earth, Final Transformations which ended with his self-destruction to avoid capture by Cobra. All or Nothing!
Meanwhile, the rest of the team was under Grimlock's command as he took on the second-generation Cybertronians. They joined a mission to destroy the Cybertronian flagship Twilight; Grimlock hadn't quite thought things through, however, and the mission ended with the Autobots held captive. A subsequent rescue mission by Optimus Prime freed the Autobots. Devices and Desires!
Groove later joined the Aerialbots, Hot Rod, and the Dinobots in a training exercise on a deep space asteroid. The Power and the Glory Blades suffered rotor damage when he was shot by Rumble on Earth, as part of a Grimlock-led assault force against Megatron's Decepticons to back up Optimus Prime's truce-seeking mission. The Gathering Darkness
Dreamwave Generation One continuity
As one of the powerful and contested combiner teams, the Protectobots were supposed to remain neutral. However, when the Ultracons recruited Devastator and turned him loose on their enemies, the Protectobots felt they had no choice but to respond. As Defensor, they counter-attacked the Constructicon combiner, but the fragile industrial area around them was being destroyed. Eventually, they succeeded in taking down Devastator as individuals, through careful teamwork.
After the battle, the team tried to figure out why their combined form still wasn't living up to his intellectual potential. Before they could find an answer, the Chaos Trinity attacked the team's secret base. Hot Spot was unwilling to use Defensor, afraid of a repeat of what had happened before. The team was defeated, and Hot Spot taken prisoner. War Within: The Dark Ages
2005 IDW continuity
Though some of them had worked together in the past, First Aid, Hot Spot, Streetwise, Groove, and Blades first came together as five crew members of the Lost Light who accompanied Mirage back to Cybertron to witness the momentous first contact with Caminus. Since their mission statement was to protect Mirage, Streetwise jokingly dubbed the team the "Protectobots". The Possible Light Shortly after arriving on Cybertron, they bore witness to a battle between Superion and Prowl-Devastator and were noticed by Starscream who, in dire need of another combiner on Cybertron's side, exposed them to the energies of the Enigma of Combination. The confused team (now suddenly joined by a sixth guy called Rook) spontaneously joined into the new combiner Defensor, who helped defeat Devastator before joining Superion by Starscream's side. Mistakes and Mayhem
Some time later after the conclusion of the "Combiner Wars", Optimus Prime and Tracks saw Mirage and the Protectobots off as they departed Cybertron to return to the Lost Light. The Transgressors The shuttle was severely damaged during its voyage to the ship, but they were able to make a controlled crash landing in one of the Lost Light's shuttle bays. What they didn't know, however, was that the ship had been taken over by Getaway and his ilk - the Protectobots and Mirage attempted to escape after discovering what Getaway had done to the place, but were apprehended and placed in memory loops. Full Circle Getaway somehow found out about the Protectobots' newfound ability to combine, and manipulated Atomizer into killing Rook to deal with both the threat of Defensor and Atomizer's wavering conviction. The remaining Protectobots, Mirage, and Thunderclash were later awakened by Riptide and decided to leave the ship, but were forced to take Ambulon's corpse as a substitute leg for Defensor when they discovered Getaway and his security team were there first. Defensor tore through the security team, but was soon cut down back into his components by Getaway's "new hire" Star Saber and blasted down by the security team. First Aid, the sole Protectobot left standing, barely escaped with his life along with Riptide and Thunderclash when Star Saber was distracted from killing him by Atomizer jumping him and repeatedly shooting him with the nudge gun. Journey's End
Apparently their injuries weren't as bad as they seemed, as all five Protectobots (minus Rook) appeared alive and well as they attended Ultra Magnus' parting toast during the Lost Light's victory lap. How To Say Goodbye And Mean It: Part 2
Beast Wars: Uprising
The Protectobots, like the Aerialbots and the Constructicons, were convinced by Hot Rod to downsize to Micromaster bodies. Micro-Aggressions
Games
Transformers Legends
During a Decepticon attack on a major human city, Ratchet, Inferno, and the Protectobots launched rescue operations. Unfortunately their efforts were hampered by Thundercracker and Dirge, who unleashed all manner of sonic attacks on them. To the Rescue
Transformers Roleplaying Game
The Protectobots were a team of Autobots who worked closely with human emergency services. Like the Constructicons, the team maintained a large roster of substitute Protectobots who could fill in for an indisposed member. The Enigma of Combination
Toys
The Transformers
- The Protectobots are fairly standard Scramble City-style toys: four simple, small figures who form the limbs of the combined form, sold carded at the $5 price point, and one larger leader who forms the central torso, sold boxed at $12. All five can combine to form Defensor.
- Unlike the Aerialbots and Stunticons who slightly preceded them, the smaller Protectobots do not share a standard transformation scheme. All feature shoulder swivels as their only notable articulation; some have knee joints, but they are rendered useless by their fused uni-feet. Three of them do have an odd fist design, with the post-hole on the side rather than the top; their guns feature L-shaped grips to compensate. All four small members of the team come with add-on weapons for their vehicle modes. They share a color palette dominated by whites, reds, light grays, and black.
- The team is also notable for having a small amount of kibble storage — Defensor's chest plates can attach to Hot Spot in vehicle mode, and the combiner's head is integral to Hot Spot.
- The Protectobot molds were later slightly redecorated to make Guard City.
- Knockoffs of the team are quite common. Almost universally, they feature Hot Spot in red, perhaps emulating the later Guard City version of the molds. Not quite so universally, they give creative new names to the team, such as Motorcycle, Patrol Wagon, and Whirlbird. Reduced-scale knockoffs of the team have also been seen.
Generation 2
- The Protectobots were to be released as part of the second wave of combiners in the Generation 2 toyline, and naturally would have been able to form Defensor. However, this entire wave was ultimately canceled for unknown reasons.
 Proceed on your way to oblivion. |
Universe (2008)
Classic Series
- Autobot Blades (Voyager Class, 2008)
- Part of the second wave of 2008 Universe Voyager Class toys, "Autobot Blades" is a redeco of Cybertron Evac, transforming into a Eurocopter Dauphin rescue helicopter. This mold was also used to make Universe (2008) Springer and Timelines/Shattered Glass Galvatron.
- Aerial Rivals (Multi-pack, 2008)
- This Target-exclusive 5-pack includes Blades, a redeco of the Legends of Cybertron version of Evac.
- Special Team Leaders (Legends multi-pack, 2008)
- This Target-exclusive 5-pack includes "Hot Zone" (renamed for trademark reasons), a redeco of the Legends-class Cybertron Optimus Prime. He was only available in a Target-exclusive box set with Hun-Grrr, Razorclaw, Silverbolt, and Scattorshot.
Titanium Series
- A redeco of 2001 Robots in Disguise Optimus Prime. This thematically calls back to the unreleased OTFCC Universe Defensor, but otherwise doesn't resemble its deco.
Timelines
- Generation 2: Redux (BotCon 2010 box set)
- Streetstar (Deluxe)
- "Streetstar" (renamed for trademark reasons) is a Generation 2-themed redeco of 2008 Universe Prowl. He is sold as part of the BotCon 2010 boxed set, alongside Breakdown, Autobot Spark, Clench, and Sky-Byte.
Generations
- Protectobot Hot Spot (Voyager, 2012)
- Hot Spot, having reclaimed his name, is a retool of Universe Inferno exclusive to Asian markets and Toys"R"Us stores in the U.S.
Combiner Wars
- Known designers: John Warden (Hasbro), Shogo Hasui (TakaraTomy), Joe Kyde (deco artist)
- New versions of the Protectobots were released as part of the Combiner Wars subline of Generations. Hot Spot forms the torso and combines with Streetwise, First Aid, Blades, and new member Rook to form Defensor. Groove, downsized to Legends class for scale issues, can form Defensor's chestplate.
- As a part of the third and fourth wave promotion in Hasbro's Asian markets, a free sticker sheet for the Protectobots and Optimus Maximus was given out when purchasing any four Deluxe Class toys from those waves. As such, Defensor was given Generation 1 toy-esque stickers for the owner to apply if they wanted.[1] These sticker sheets did not include stickers for either version of Groove, however.
- Another Groove figure was released as part of the May Mayhem exclusive run, this time in Deluxe size to replace Rook and complete the original Protectobots roster. Exclusive to BotCon 2016, the customization class figure could be turned into one of many different kinds of Ratchet, or Medix. While both were advertised to be part of the obscure combiner Modulus, Medix's bio established him to be a backup member of Defensor. G2 Ratchet's bio, meanwhile, established he could have been part of a G2 Defensor (which still doesn't exist). It is recommended not to use Shattered Glass Ratchet, however.
Unite Warriors
- Protectobot Combined Warrior Guardian (giftset, December 12, 2015)
- ID number: UW-03
- English name: Autobot Protectobots Combiner Defensor
- Known designers: Hisashi Yuki (TakaraTomy)
- Takara's iteration of Combiner Wars Defensor, Unite Warriors Guardian, was released as a TakaraTomy Mall exclusive and in a gift set. This included the five original Protectobots, with Groove (as a new Deluxe-sized mold) included instead of Rook and the Legends-sized Groove. The Deluxe Groove would also be retooled slightly for his "May Mayhem" release in the US. Defensor's deco, while cartoon-accurate, skips over some of the intricate molded detail on his chest and legs.
Merchandise
G Guardian
- Graze (Candy toy, 2012)
- First Aid (Candy toy, 2012)
- Groove (Candy toy, 2012)
- Heatrock (Candy toy, 2012)
- Skyfeather (Candy toy, 2012)
- Streetwise (Candy toy, 2012)
- Gaia Guardian can only be assembled by purchasing all six of his components individually. Each component is a snap-together model kit sold with a piece of (awful) gum. A hole in each box allows the buyer to get a look at the number of the kit inside.
Gum Plus
- Hot Spot (Candy toy, 2012)
- Hot Spot is part of the fifth series of Kabaya's "Gum Plus Transformers" series of small model kits with bonus vile gum. He can combine with the figures from the G Guardian series to form Guardian or God Guardian.
Notes
- The Protectobots' sudden, unexplained appearance in the animated series is a result of the information on the characters not being delivered to the production staff before the second season's final run of plots were decided upon. Consequently, the team could not be given an "origin" episode, but they were nonetheless inserted into the events of "The Revenge of Bruticus" and "B.O.T." without explanation for where they came from in order to appease Hasbro.[2]
- Even the team's voices are indicative of their last-minute addition to the show; where the Aerialbots, Stunticons, and Combaticons are almost all played by new actors who were not previously part of the show's cast, the Protectobots are collectively voiced by Peter Cullen, Frank Welker, Chris Latta, Michael Bell, and Dan Gilvezan, five of the show's most prominent pre-existing cast members. Evidently, there was no time (or, we might wager, inclination on the part of the production staff) to go through the casting process and recruit new talent for the roles.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Protectobot (プロテクトボット Purotekutobotto)
- Hungarian: Védőrobot ("Protector-robot")
- Polish: Obronobot(Robot Obronny) (TM Semic Comic "Protectobot,Protector-robot")
References
- ↑ Protectobot and Optimus Maximus sticker promotion on TFW2005
- ↑ Page 138 of the series bible.
