Skydive (Predator)

Skydive is a Decepticon Predator from the Generation 1 continuity family.

Pink as a pistol.

Skydive is the Predators' resident scientific advisor, and loves studying the science of warfare. He's cold, calculating, and so vindictive that even his fellow Predators don't fully trust him.

Fiction

Predator Air Attack!

Battle TRANS-formation!

As the Turbomaster Breakneck raced back to his base to warn of an impending Decepticon attack, Skydive and the other aerial Predators followed behind, allowing the unwitting Autobot to show them the way to their target. Predator Air Attack!

2005 IDW continuity

Skydive served under the command of Turmoil when their second-in-command Deadlock abandoned his post. Drift #1 Until this moment, he and Drift were considered friends.

Many years later, after the war was seemingly over, Skydive was targeted by Bombshell in his attempts to create the perfect combiner by dominating the minds of individuals. Before the Dawn Unfortunately Bombshell found the Predator's mind to be "divisive", unsuitable for the experiments, and ended up murdering him instead. Dirge found his body in Cybertron's waste reclamation tunnels, and Prowl began an investigation into Skydive's death. Little progress was made, as Dirge's mind had been sabotaged by a cerebro-shell, preventing him from revealing the culprit. During the investigation, Prowl mistook Skydive for the Aerialbot of the same name. Twice. Devisive

Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity

The Multiforce fought the Predators in the Skomiloch Territories after they were displaced from their native time by a dimensional shock. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/06/01

Toys

The Transformers

• Skydive (Predator, 1992)

• Accessories: Missile launcher, 3 missiles
• Known designers: Takio Ejima (TakaraTomy)

Released in the eighth year of the European-market Transformers toyline (the final one to use the original faction symbols), Predator Skydive transforms in to a Northrop YF-23 fighter jet. He is equipped with a standard Predator missile launcher, usable in both modes; mounted on his underside in jet mode, or as a hand-held blaster in robot mode. Unlike the other Predators, Skydive has no dedicated hole for the launcher in jet mode, and simply holds it in either robot fist. Each wing has a peg to mount his remaining missiles. He features the "Megavisor" gimmick that lets him attach to Skyquake and Stalker, showing an image through those toys' viewfinders. Skydive's slide shows an image of all four smaller Turbomasters in car mode: Boss, Flash, Hurricane, and Scorch.

Due to a combination of design and Gold Plastic Syndrome, the Predator launchers are quite delicate. It's best never to load one of the launchers while it is in the hand of a Predator—the post is most likely to just snap right off. The trigger is also likely to snap off due to relying on on the plastic bending as opposed to being hinged.

This mold was also available in Japan as the Jet Corps member Dark Jet; while the core toys are identical, the two releases have slightly-different missiles which are broadly the same but have ton of molding detail differences.

• More information on Skydive at TFU.info

Notes

• Skydive's packaging art was recolored to serve as the art for Machine Wars Skywarp and Thundercracker.
• Unusually, Skydive's alternate French name for the Canadian market, "Parachuto", is consistent with the French name used for both the Canadian Generation 1 and Generation 2 releases of his Aerialbot namesake.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Skydive (スカイダイブ Sukaidaibu)
• Dutch: Hyena
• French: Parachuto (Canada), Hyena (Europe)
• Italian: Pyton