Nautilator
Nautilator is a fictional character from the Transformers series. He is a Seacon Targetmaster who turns into a lobster monster who was introduced in 1988. Nautilator should not be confused with Lobclaw, an identical looking Seacon drone from the Masterforce series.
Contents
Transformers: Generation 1
Nautilator is a Scramble City style combiner, able to form a limb of any Scramble City gestalt robot or combining with Metroplex or Metrotitan, but most commonly forming a limb of Piranacon. He forms the right leg of Piranacon on the toy instructions.[1] He also form one of the guns for Scramble 7. Like all the Targetmaster Seacon limbs he can also form a weapon.
Fictional biography
Generation 1: A stumbling, bumbling amphibious foul-up. Often gets caught in the undertow and has to be hauled out by his fellow Seacons. Quick to blame others for his mistakes. Equipped with geological sensors that register underwater fuel deposits. Armed with triple crusher cannon that shoots energon bands which trap their target and then tighten until the target has been reduced to rubble. Nautilator transforms to heat-seeking torpedo cannon in weapons mode. Combines with fellow Seacons to form Piranacon.
Timelines: Nautilator has often found himself feeling like an outsider. Despite being part of the Seacon team, he lacks many of the underwater skills needed to be effective in many marine assaults. Having been left out of much of the stegfit program, Nautilator finally seems intent on making a real contribution to the team. His new upgraded "coral cannon" Targetmaster mode fires bolts of parasitic crystalline growths. This new function has made him an asset to the team, though he still finds himself on the receiving end of a rescue from time to time.
Transformers: Despite his name, Decepticon Nautilator lacks nautical know-how, often losing his way on underwater missions. As powerful as he is in his lobster mode, he tends to get a little crabby with his fellow Seacons, blaming them for his mistakes in the deeps. Though they grumble about his attitude and poor navigation skills, they're always willing to haul him ashore with whatever prize he's wrested from the ocean floor.
Animated series
Nautilator did not appear in any Transformers animated series, although his look-alike Lobclaw drones appeared in the Transformers: Super-God Masterforce series. The Seacons did appear in animated form in a commercial for the Seacons, Sparkabots and Firecons which aired in 1988.[2]
Comics
Condor Verlag
In a story called "Memories of Bumblebee" from Transformers Comic-Magazin issue #15 by German comic publisher Condor Verlag Bumblebee views a recording of Optimus Prime where he identifies Autobots and Decepticons in battle using the Ark's computer. The Seacons are among those he displays.[3]
Devil's Due Publishing
The Seacons would return in the third Devil's Due crossover between G.I. Joe and the Transformers. Without Megatron or Shockwave's steadying influence the Decepticons had fallen apart in a series of internecine conflicts. One such was the Seacons taking on the Predacons. The Predacons seemingly had the upper hand, forcing Nautilator to flee into the water. The Seacons emerged as Piranacon and battled Predaking, until interrupted by a strange, tiny figure: Serpentor, a human military cyborg built with Megatron's memories. Using these memories to convince both combiners to join him, they then participate (along with the Stunticons) in the ambush that kills Bumblebee. They were then Serpentor's principal weapon, along with Predaking and Menasor, in the attack on Capital City, where the three of them defeated Omega Supreme. Several Predacons would die in the attack. Unfortunately Piranacon wouldn't have time to enjoy his victory, as he was deactivated by an out-of-control Sixshot smashing into his face. The Seacons would survive, but Nautilator was killed when the G.I. Joe ninja Snake Eyes uses his mental powers to convince the Stunticon Breakdown to shoot him.
Dreamwave Productions
Each of the Seacons had a biography printed in issue #5 of the Dreamwave Productions Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye series.
Fun Publications
The Seacons appear in At Fight's End by Fun Publications. Under Megatron's orders the Seacons pretend to be loyal to Bludgeon the and frame the Terrorcons for betraying him. Once Bludgeon is distracted the Seacons form Piranacon and attack Bludgeon, finishing him off with Tentakil's mass-compression cannon weapon mode.[4]
Nautilator appears in "Beast Wars Shattered Glass Chapter One: Shattered Time" by Fun Publications. In this story Ultra Magnus and the Autobots aboard the Graviton battle Megatron and the Decepticons aboard the Talon. Both ships are pulled through a vortex into the past of Shattered Glass Earth. They crash and the planet and Tentakil and Nautilator are sent on a scouting mission, where dangerous energon levels cause them to lock into stasis. Helpless, they are killed by a stampede of buffalo.[5]
IDW Publishing
In Infestation 2: Transformers Nautilator was among the Decepticons awakened to serve the elder gods in the north Atlantic.[6]
Marvel Comics
Note: Stories exclusive to the Marvel UK Transformers comics appear in italics.
With the US Transformers animated series having come to a close the previous year, it fell to the comic book series from Marvel Comics to provided supporting fiction roles for the Seacons. However, their comic book debut came not in the pages of the US title, but in its sister across the Atlantic, the UK's official Transformers comic, which interspliced its own stories with the US material.
The Seacons were brought to Earth by Shockwave to put their undersea adeptness to use fortifying the Decepticons’ sub-aquatic island headquarters. Outfitted with Earth modes by Shockwave, the Seacons were going about their task when they met with their first challenge, which also proved to be one of their greatest – they were ordered to defend the island against the insane, time-traveling future Decepticon, Galvatron. The Seacons gave a good account of themselves, merging into Piranacon (misspelled "Pirranacon" in the story) for extra power, but ultimately, the team was defeated by their stronger adversary, only for Galvatron to reveal that he had not planned an attack at all, merely wishing to talk. Now, however, he claimed that Shockwave had made an enemy of him – although it was all part of a plan to destabilize his leadership. Seeking a weapon that could truly combat Galvatron, Shockwave sought out the former Decepticon leader, Megatron, who had been missing in action for some time. When what was believed to be his body (but was, in actuality, a clone of him) was located in the Thames river by entrepreneur Richard Branson, Overbite (called Jawbreaker in his UK appearances) was dispatched with some of the Decepticon jets to bring the body to Shockwave. Snaptrap subsequently repaired the clone’s physical damage, and aided Shockwave in using the psycho-probe to brainwash it into his service.
Following this, the Seacons made their US title debut, having departed from Shockwave's service and now under the command of Ratbat, the leader of the primary Earth-based Decepticon force. Ratbat had relocated the Decepticons' island base to the Florida Keys, disguising it as a holiday resort named "Club Con" to allow the Seacons to search the seabed for a sunken pirate ship, the treasure chest of which contained two Autobot tapes, Grandslam and Raindance. The recovery mission was successful, but the tapes were then stolen by the Autobot Blaster, and the holiday makers on the island had their peace and quiet rudely interrupted as the Seacons erupted from the ocean and attacked, searching for Blaster. In the ensuing battle, Blaster sent the tapes back to the depths of the oceans, encouraging the Seacons to call off the attack and head after them.[7]
The tapes, it was revealed, were sent to Earth centuries ago to warn the Autobots there of the approaching threat posed by the Underbase, a massive space-born information storehouse that could convey infinite power. However, first Ratbat's forces had to deal with a rival group of Decepticons under Scorponok, who had been called to Earth by Starscream, and the Seacons' combined mode of Piranacon was put to use in an attempt to destroy his ship. Conflict soon broke out between the two groups. Unfortunately the whole thing had been a ruse by Starscream, who managed to attain the Underbase's power, turning on Autobot and Decepticon alike and attempting to conquer Earth. The Seacons joined in the attempted defense of New York, striking at Starscream from the East River, but were all deactivated by the cosmically-powered villain.
Transformers: Mosaic
Nautilator appeared in the Transformers: Mosaic story "Swimming Lessons" by Matt Marshall.[8]
Toys
- Generation 1 Seacon Nautilator (1988)
- Came with a gun and a 3-piece stand for his Targetmaster mode. Nautilator was sold in 1988 by itself.
- Timelines Piranacon (2008)
- Nautilator was sold in 2008 with the other Seacons as a giftset. A Transformers Collectors Club exclusive.
- Transformers Decepticon Piranacon (2010)
- A commemorative gift box of the Seacons.
- Reprolabels Generation 1 Piranacon
- A set of replacement labels for the Generation 1 Seacons.[9]
- Reprolabels Upgrade Set X8
- A set of labels to enhance the Generation 1 Seacons.[10]
- Reprolabels TFCC Piranacon
- A set of replacement labels for the Timelines Seacons.[11]
References
- ↑ http://www.botchthecrab.com/archive/instructions/decepticon/1988/instr_piranacon.jpg
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nF4m8wtJwY
- ↑ Robert Mann (w). "Memories of Bumblebee" Transformers Comic-Magazin 15 (June 1991), Condor Verlag
- ↑ Pete Sinclair & Jesse Wittenrich (2009). At Fight's End. The Transformers Collector’s Club.
- ↑ Benson Yee, Pete Sinclair & Matt Frank (w), Matt Frank (p), Matt Frank (i), Thomas Deer (col), Jesse Wittenrich (let), Pete Sinclair (ed). "Beast Wars Shattered Glass Chapter One: Shattered Time" The Transformers Collectors Club 49 (February/March 2013), Fun Publications
- ↑ Chuck Dixon (w), Guido Guidi (p), John Wycough (i), Joana Lafuente (col), Chris Mowry (let), Bobby Curnow (ed). Infestation 2: The Transformers 1 (February 2011), IDW Publishing
- ↑ "Transformers" #47 (December 1988)
- ↑ http://transformers-mosaic.deviantart.com/art/Swimming-Lessons-167233434?offset=30
- ↑ http://www.reprolabels.com/Decepticons/piranacon.php
- ↑ http://www.reprolabels.com/Upgrades/upgradex8.php
- ↑ http://www.reprolabels.com/Misc/tfccpiranacon.php
External links
- 1988 toys
- 2008 toys
- 2010 toys
- Classicverse Transformers characters
- Combiners (Transformers)
- Condor Verlag characters
- Decepticons
- Devil's Due Publishing characters
- Dreamwave Productions characters
- Fictional characters introduced in 1988
- Fictional characters with superhuman durability
- Fictional characters with superhuman longevity
- Fictional characters with superhuman strength
- Fictional soldiers
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