Impactor (G1)

Impactor is an Autobot or Decepticon from the Generation 1 continuity family.

Madeup leader of the nobody squad.

Impactor is the legendary former leader of the Wreckers, an elite Autobot strike team, and as such is a deadly force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. His body is covered with weaponry, from the tank cannon on his shoulder, to the missiles hidden in his chest,^[1] to the handgun strapped to his leg, and finally his signature harpoon weapon that replaces his right hand. His audacity and resolve is what puts him in the history books, for better or for worse.

Impactor's first officer, Springer, is inevitably his replacement, once terrible things occur. Springer's feelings regarding his filling of Impactor's immense shoes are always a source of angst. Just when Springer thinks these emotions are dealt with and buried, Impactor somehow returns to mix things up again.

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

Marvel The Transformers comics

Macabre who?

After the departure of Optimus Prime, Megatron and their troops from the war, Emirate Xaaron assigned the Wreckers to assassinate the warlord Trannis, who came into power in Megatron's absence. Impactor was chosen to lead this team. Though the assassination attempt was successful, other leaders quickly sprung up to take Trannis' place.

Impactor carries a gun barrel around for those (*ahem*, Xaaron) who invade his personal space.

Though Impactor was dedicated to his troops, he was not so dedicated to his superiors, and was not above directly insulting them. Emirate Xaaron took this attitude in stride, and could give as well as he received. Impactor referred to the Autobot resistance leader as a "wily old buzzard," as he was often surprised by Xaaron's blunt yet indirect ways of making his point and getting what he wanted. Despite this, their difficulties masked a genuine friendship.

Countless years later, after Optimus Prime and his Autobots had awoken on Earth, Impactor and the Wreckers were responsible for executing Operation: Volcano, a planned ambush of the Decepticons' fiercest warriors using Xaaron as bait. Ultra Magnus was assigned to the Wreckers to help them bolster their ranks for the mission, but he was quickly needed to travel to Earth to investigate the disappearance of Optimus Prime. Impactor's commitment to the mission wavered and he at first refused to deploy his team without Magnus there as back-up, but he changed his mind after a conversation with Xaaron. Impactor's doubts were further quelled when Xaaron convinced him that Springer, Broadside, and Sandstorm were an adequate replacement for Magnus, which Xaaron accomplished by having them disguise themselves as Decepticons and beat Impactor up. Operation: Volcano was once again on track.

My brains!!!

Xaaron, the bait for the Wreckers' trap, was placed according to plan, but suddenly Megatron called his warriors to Earth, overriding all other commands, including the planned ambush on Xaaron. Disappointed that their trap was ruined, the Wreckers let down their guard long enough to allow an assassin named Macabre, ignoring Megatron's orders, to fire upon Xaaron. Impactor was the first to react and pushed Xaaron out of the way, taking the shots meant for the Autobot underground resistance leader. Immediately, the other Wreckers turned and fired upon Macabre, killing him, but Impactor was fatally wounded. With his last words he named Springer the next leader of the Wreckers before dying in Xaaron's arms, again calling him a "wily old buzzard." Target: 2006

Impactor's death would haunt several other Autobots for some time to come. Though he sought to deny it, Ultra Magnus felt guilty for not returning to Cybertron in time, and this led to his taking an excessive approach when dealing with Optimus Prime, whom intelligence reports stated was a traitor. Under Fire! Subsequently, Magnus found a fight with Megatron proved the opportunity to release his pent-up aggression over Impactor's death. Resurrection! Even after that, the sight of a volcano on Earth left him uneasy, and cause him to flashback to Impactor's death. Burning Sky!

Myyyyy...braiiiiins...

Springer was also severely affected by Impactor's death, and felt inadequate in the shadow of his legacy. So when a rogue Autobot scientist named Flame discovered a way to reanimate dead Transformers, Springer was crippled from action when he was met with the reanimated corpse of Impactor. After being captured by the zombies' controller, the mad scientist Flame, the Wreckers were put in an underground cell, guarded by their former team leader. Managing to find his courage once more, Springer made use of his leaping abilities to escape, but Impactor grabbed a hold of him, dragging him outside of the cell as well. Springer reluctantly fought his predecessor until he managed to jar Impactor into remembering his past life. Confused, Impactor wandered away while Springer pursued his mission to foil Flame's machinations. Legion of the Lost! Eventually, Impactor shambled into Flame's inner sanctum, where the rest of the Autobots were facing off both against the crazed scientist, and what remained of his zombie horde. As Flame lunged for Xaaron, Impactor launched his harpoon, impaling Flame through the forehead and killing him. But though Flame had now been dealt with, his machines were overloading, threatening to take the whole planet with them in a chain reaction. The only means to shut them down was to enter a control room bathed in deadly radiation. Though Xaaron had initially planned to sacrifice himself, Impactor took his place, arguing he was already dead anyways. In his second death, Impactor saved Cybertron once more. Meltdown!

Transformers '84

Impactor participated in the defense of Iacon when newly minted Decepticon leader Straxus launched an all-out assault on the city's walls. Secrets & Lies #2

Impactor and Roadbuster later met with Ultra Magnus and gave him a pep talk when the Autobot commander doubted his ability to measure up to the departed Optimus Prime. Impactor also heard of Magnus' need of a "wrecking crew" and assembled a new team to aid Punch in sabotaging Project Dreadnought. Secrets & Lies #3

The Wreckers deployed on their first mission and encountered Abominus defending the Project Dreadnought staging site. Impactor came up with the team's rallying call on the fly and Abominus was soon forced to disassemble and take the Wreckers on individually. In the ensuing brawl, Impactor lost his hand to Sinnertwin's jaws, but managed to fire off the harpoon gun he had been holding inside one of the Terrorcon's mouths. The Wreckers ultimately saw to the destruction of Project Dreadnought and retreated, establishing their fearsome reputation as the war raged on for years. Secrets & Lies #4

2005 IDW continuity

First appearance: Last Stand of the Wreckers #1

"Let's see: 'I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness. Starving, hysterical, naked...' Nah, it's never gonna catch on, Megs."

Impactor was constructed cold before the war. The Divided Self He worked as a miner near Nova Point, and befriended a fellow mine grunt, Megatron there. The two became best friends^[2] despite their differences, and were together when miners were shipped to Luna 2 when Cybertron's need for energy rose. Chaos Theory #1 Shockwaves Impactor thought Megatron's nonviolent solutions to Cybertron's class warfare were cute, and reminded him that there would always be a pecking order, no matter how large or small the equation. Megatron's naïveté was underscored when the lowly Rung was ganged up on by a much larger pair of military cadets and tossed across their table. Impactor, drunk, got up to deal with them the only way he thought mattered. Megatron was put off by the violence and stayed out of the fight, but was arrested anyway; Impactor was taken to Deltaran Medical Facility, but not before he'd torn the cadet's legs off and shoved them into a garbage grinder. Chaos Theory #1 Elegant Chaos Part 2: Stet

When Whirl was arrested for the beating he gave Megatron during the latter's brief incarceration, Impactor ended up being his cellmate on Garrus-1. Impactor proceeded to beat up Whirl to the brink of fade-out, leaving him in critical condition. Patternism

At some point after war broke out, Impactor joined the Wreckers, when they were not yet the war heroes they would come to be known as, but merely a rumor. Zero Point During this time, he was approached by Prowl who had formed a partnership with the depraved scientist Mesothulas. In exchange for releasing his friend Roadbuster from prison early, Impactor would take down Mesothulas and destroy everything they had built together. Clad in a suit of early Anti-rad armor, Impactor did just that, shoving the scientist into his own experimental weapon and annihilating Mesothulas's various weapons. Impactor found, however, that neither he nor Prowl could bring themselves to kill Mesothulas's pet project: an artificial Cybertronian named Ostaros. Instead, they enlisted him as an Autobot under the name "Springer". Sins of the Wreckers #3 Sins of the Wreckers #5 Impactor and Prowl agreed that Springer would be best off serving under Kup, as neither of them considered themselves to be decent role models for the young 'bot. Requiem of the Wreckers

Only extraordinary Decepticons get to brag about kicking Impactor in the face.

He battled Black Shadow in the 11th iteration of the team, under the command of Crest. Rules of Disengagement He would go on to become leader of the Wreckers in turn and still holds the record as their longest-serving member to present day. It was he who coined the phrase "Wreck and Rule!" while saving Xaaron at the Sonic Canyons. Last Stand of the Wreckers #2 He left an impact on Springer at Sherma Bridge, when he took control of a flaming Decepticon shuttle pod by disposing of its headless pilot, landing it safely. The incident would inspire Springer to sign up for the Wreckers reservists. Zero Point In a minor incident at the Vosian Citadel, Impactor also unknowingly inspired Ironfist to become a major Wreckers fanboy and hagiographer. Bullets

Welcome to the Just-Us League.

Much later, Impactor personally approached Springer at Toxic Sludge Swamps to recruit him into the 17th line-up of the Wreckers. With his entrance, he took down eight hidden Decepticons. Springer was impressed but didn't realise at the time that it was all a scripted part of the Wreckers mythology and that Impactor never gave him a choice. Dead Men's Boots A different recollection of this encounter had Impactor recruit Springer after watching him take down a Decepticon supply drone. When Springer showed up for his first day as a Wrecker with Kup in tow, Impactor and the entire team greeted the two. Impactor poked a little fun at Springer's obvious attachment to Kup and when the old-timer departed without a word of farewell for the lad, he assured Springer that he'd take care of him. Requiem of the Wreckers

Impactor took Springer under his wing from that point, and the two shared a close bond not much unlike brothers. He even nicknamed Springer "my little green circuit booster" after the effect he had on him with his speeches. But during Impactor's leadership as the war got dirtier and dirtier, so did the Wreckers. His Wreckers were barely Autobots at that point—they would abuse prisoners, cause unnecessary pain unto their enemies and kill Decepticons even when not needed. When Megatron responded with Squadron X, that sent Impactor into a single-minded rage. As any Autobot would, he hated Squadron X but for him it was personal as he saw an echo of the Wreckers in the team. Impactor then proceeded to chase the enemy team across nine star systems, ignoring significant war events such as the Black Epoch, the Simanzi Massacre, the Crucible, and the "Rise of the Dethroner". Zero Point

He gave it a shot; turns out that two hands are for chumps.

He was among the Autobots fighting atop a Decepticon warcruiser during the Battle for Hell's Point, The Gloaming where he picked up the nickname "Kiloton" for the number of Decepticons he slaughtered during the battle. Over time, his mental state became increasingly unstable, something both his superiors and his fellow Wreckers chose to ignore. Impactor was inspired to replace his hand with a harpoon weapon after a run-in with a dimension-hopping "freelance peacekeeping agent". After a long string of suicide missions, Impactor became an alarmingly obsessed individual, especially regarding Squadron X as he felt indirectly responsible for the atrocities they had committed. Impactor's psych-screening

As described in Ironfist's The Wreckers' Air Attack, Impactor met his old friend Megatron at the Manganese Mountains where they fought on a drilling platform. Eventually, Impactor lost his hand, chin, and had Megatron's fusion cannon pressed to his head. Before giving the killing blow, Megatron gave a poetic speech of Impactor's coming death. Even with no power to lift his harpoon, Impactor replied by scratching the words "NOT MORE POETRY" on the platform, and gave Megatron pause (That moment, at least, appears to be entirely factual as Fisitron is unaware of why these "random" words affected Megatron). In that window of opportunity, Springer used a sky sled to knock Megatron down, sending him to fall thousands of feet into the Mountains.

After gathering his mouth, Impactor proceeded to inform Springer what they'd have to do in four minutes: save Xaaron, rescue Sandstorm from his antimatter duplicate, deactivate Bludgeon's necrocannon and stop the platform they were on from crashing into a nucleon reactor. Springer was unsure if they could manage all that in the given time so Impactor told him that they actually had two minutes, but assured him that he had a plan. Years later Roadbuster would consider this account full of embellishments and fabrications, but said the essence was true. Zero Point

They were like that when I got here!

After chasing Squadron X across the galaxy, the Wreckers' rivalry with them came to an end on the planet Pova. The Wreckers found themselves in a bad way after Impactor's first officer, Springer, was trapped under some collapsed rubble. Despite Springer's pleas, Impactor used Springer's own body as a shield against Squadron X's advancing troops, firing through it. This helped turn the tide, and the Wreckers rounded up all of Squadron X for transport offworld. Unfortunately, Prowl told Impactor that Pova was neutral territory, and that he was ordered to set them free or else the Autobots would face diplomatic repercussions. Impactor snapped, and personally executed every member of Squadron X while they were restrained. Last Stand of the Wreckers #5

When the Wreckers were on their way back from Pova, they stopped at G'th Semane. Springer made a call to Autobot High Command, and turned Impactor in for the massacre. The mech he talked to had been waiting for the opportunity to arrest Impactor for hundreds of years. Impactor passively detached his harpoon and went without a fight, much to Springer's surprise. Zero Point

Springer testified against Impactor, and the disgraced Wreckers leader was imprisoned on Garrus-9. A cover story for what happened on Pova was released which involved Springer suggesting Impactor fire through his torso and Squadron X later escaping their restraints, necessitating their deaths. Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 4 As extra punishment for refusing to show remorse for what he'd done, Impactor was not granted the mercy of spark removal, and instead was imprisoned normally. In jail, they called him "the Autobot that went too far". Last Stand of the Wreckers #2 As Impactor was dragged to his cell, Springer said something he didn't want to hear, something he would dwell upon for the length of his incarceration: Squadron X deserved to die, but that didn't give Impactor the right to kill them. Last Stand of the Wreckers #5

Give him a hand, folks!

Twenty years later, Overlord seized control of G-9, and Springer's Wreckers were sent to liberate it. Springer was trying hard not to think of Impactor. Last Stand of the Wreckers #1 However, the Decepticon Snare, wanting Overlord gone, released Impactor from his cell in the hope he could escape the planet and get help. Last Stand of the Wreckers #2 As the Wreckers arrived at Garrus-9, a decrepit Decepticon dropship blocked their path. It exploded before their eyes, but not before the battered form of Impactor ejected from the craft. Appearing before the shocked Wreckers, Impactor sneered, requesting to be let aboard. Last Stand of the Wreckers #1

He filled the new Wreckers in on the situation and how he'd escaped, while continuing to clash with Springer. He not only refused to recognize that his former soldier was now in charge, he snarled that he used to think Springer would've done the same thing Impactor himself did on Pova... and was now sickened that Springer wouldn't. Conflict aside, Springer knew Impactor was needed for the mission. Given a new harpoon, he was placed in Springer's drop-team and deployed to G-9... and he recognized, with visible glumness, the name of their secondary objective, "Aequitas".

Descending towards G-9 in two ejected escape pods, they met with tough Decepticon resistance. Despite their maneuvering, Impactor's ship was the first to go down, though the other wasn't far behind. Last Stand of the Wreckers #2 After their crash-landing, Impactor led them towards where the Autobot prisoners were being held. Cell Block G was directly below him, best he recalled, but Twin Twist's drilling only sent them tumbling into a large, empty chamber. At the bottom, Impactor found the twisted remains of Kick-Off, whom he regarded as one of the few guards who treated G-9's prisoners with respect. Their presence in this chamber signaled G-9's defenses, and after he, Springer, and Twin Twist were electrocuted, they woke up strapped to tables in the care of Stalker. A sadist, Stalker grabbed his tools of torture and gleefully went to work on them. Last Stand of the Wreckers #3

He makes that same face when he doesn't want to eat his peas.

Unlike Springer and Twin Twist, Impactor had grown used to the Decepticons' methods in the time since their takeover of G-9, so he alone managed to stay online during Stalker's "work". Twin Twist was looking terrible and mangled, and Springer had just woken up when he and Impactor began talking about their murky past. Impactor accused Springer of betraying the Wreckers with the testimony against him, while Springer was surprised to learn that Impactor still had no remorse for what he'd done. So long as Impactor refused to realize that he'd done wrong, their feelings were at an impasse.

Stalker returned with a new torture device but his work on Twin Twist was interrupted when his brother Topspin sacrificed his own life elsewhere, extinguishing both sparks. Disappointed, Stalker turned his attentions to Impactor, but was again interrupted. Kup, Guzzle, and the turncoat Decepticon Snare blasted into Stalker's lair. Snare was mortally wounded in the following skirmish, and Stalker was killed. As Snare lay dying, Impactor questioned him, wondering why the Decepticon had saved them. Snare told them that Overlord was on his way and asked that he himself be killed, which Impactor did curtly before Snare could finish his final words.

True to Snare's last warning, Overlord arrived with a boom. Unknown to them, elsewhere, the other half of the Wreckers had completed their objective by hacking the supercomputer judge Aequitas and downloading it into Ironfist's brain. They were surrounded by Decepticons whom they could easily deal with if they simply signaled all the deterrence chips in their heads, killing them. But they knew this would also kill Impactor, who was also an ex-prisoner, and so his and their fate came to a vote. Perceptor voted for killing him for the sake of many, Pyro voted against, and...Ironfist, Impactor's greatest fanboy and new host to Aequitas's judgment of Impactor, came to the sad realization that his hero very much deserved to die. Last Stand of the Wreckers #4

Surprise! He's a tank. Surprise! He's gonna kick your ass.

Fortunately for Impactor (and the Wreckers), Verity Carlo convinced the others to spare Impactor. After Overlord pulled Guzzle apart and used the pieces to put Kup down, Impactor removed Overlord's eye with his harpoon. In response, Overlord stomped Impactor into the ground, forcing him offline. When Impactor came to, Overlord had been reduced to a flaming skeleton facing only the fragile Verity Carlo. Impactor blasted Overlord's arm off and attacked him, but Overlord had lost the will to fight, as he'd learned that Megatron had perished, robbing Overlord of his final showdown with him. Overlord beckoned Impactor to kill him, but Impactor refused. In honor of Springer, whom Impactor thought had died, the former Wreckers commander promised that Overlord would serve trial as a criminal, and himself finally came to terms with the crimes he committed on Pova.

Impactor was pardoned in exchange for his help retaking Garrus-9, and he immediately left for parts unknown on a shuttle with the repaired Guzzle. Last Stand of the Wreckers #5

Things didn't go well for the new pair: Guzzle became increasingly violent and obsessed with racking up a bodycount, something that struck Impactor too close to home, and which got him captured in a rescue mission against Decepticon Harvesters. The fact Impactor cared about Guzzle and the alien hostages enough to rescue them was a sign that he was improving... but when the hostages were killed, Impactor allowed himself to succumb to bloodlust once more, realising to his horror that he could not escape it. Escape

Eventually, Impactor balked and had Guzzle imprisoned at Debris for butchering prisoners, something that a raging Guzzle felt was hypocritical. All Impactor could now do was wile away his days with Roadbuster, lamenting the state of the Wreckers and their lack of purpose. Roadbuster comforted Impactor by pointing out he didn't join the killing and was trying to care for a comrade. Such caring was a point of contention between the two as Impactor felt it was wrong for his teammate to keep Springer alive, after years of no mental activity, and tried to drag Debris administrator Hubcap into the debate.

Shortly after, Springer did in fact regain consciousness: just in time for the Wreckers to be gathered once again to try and rescue a captured Prowl. Sins of the Wreckers #1

It's a tank-eat-bear world.

On Earth, Impactor and the Wreckers found Prowl's old collaborator Arcee hunting for him, after he went missing en route to Verity Carlo and her copy of the Aequitas data slug. When a "rabbit" stole the data slug, Impactor and Guzzle took off after the creature, but soon encountered several Chimeracons, robots in disguise as Earth creatures. While Guzzle took on Polar Claw, Carnivac disabled Springer with his paralyzing outlier ability. Impactor came to Springer's aid, and Carnivac introduced himself as the leader of Mayhem, a rogue group intent on toppling the corrupt power structures created by the Autobots and Decepticons alike. Carnivac extended an offer to join them, being familiar with Impactor's reputation as a maverick. Impactor refused, particularly unimpressed with Carnivac's indifference when Guzzle killed Polar Claw right in front of them. Carnivac departed and Impactor and the recovered Springer were left to handle the raging Guzzle, who had ingested some of Polar Claw's spilled fuel and was being hideously mutated by its effects. Rendezvousing with the others nearby as they took on more members of Mayhem, Impactor and Springer let Guzzle loose on the massive Chimeracon known as Tidal Wave. Surmising that Prowl was being held inside him, Springer led a squad into Tidal Wave as Impactor, Kup, and Guzzle remained outside to draw fire and divert their other attackers. Sins of the Wreckers #2

Becoming stuck in mid-transformation, Tidal Wave was ordered to retreat. Impactor was intent on following, but Kup elaborated on the mind-link Prowl had installed in him, eliciting an angry response. Kup forwarded a message Prowl sent through it and upon hearing a mention of the "Noisemaze", Impactor immediately knew who they were dealing with, filling him with dread. Without wasting any time, he told Kup they must return to Debris. Once they were back on the space station and with Guzzle recharging, Impactor began digging up his own pre-made grave in the Wreckers' mausoleum. He explained to Kup what the Noisemaze was and the two brainstormed a method of countering the pocket dimension's mind-warping effects. Impactor then revealed he had hidden a gate to the Noisemaze in the grave. Sins of the Wreckers #3

With Tarantulas now holding the other Wreckers prisoner along with Prowl, Impactor prepared a rescue plan. He had to knock Kup out cold in order for the old-timer to send a warning message to Prowl through their mind-link. Impactor then used his long-hidden gate to breach the Noisemaze with Debris itself, intending to destabilize the entire dimension with the massive space station. He made sure Kup and Guzzle understood the plan and the three tooled-up, leaping into battle with Mayhem's Chimeracons, who Tarantulas fielded to defend him. The giant Tidal Wave breached the Noisemaze as well, exacerbating its collapse as Impactor singled out Carnivac for a one-on-one fight. Carnivac again attempted to seduce Impactor to his side, but Impactor wasn't having it, gaining the upper hand in their scuffle. However, the two were forced to stop when the towering Tidal Wave loomed over them, intent on getting in on some of the action. Impactor found himself solidly punted by Tidal Wave's massive foot straight into the Tor- Tarantulas' lair at the heart of the Noisemaze.

Inside, Impactor watched from the shadows as Prowl leveled a gun at the traitorous Hubcap, intent on silencing him and protecting the sensitive data the communications specialist had accrued. Prowl was ultimately swayed not to shoot Hubcap, but Impactor felt keeping the traitor around was too great a security risk and that the deaths of his comrades would've been for nothing if that data was leaked. Shooting Hubcap through the chest, he cynically declared that guys like Prowl would always have someone like Impactor around to do the dirty work when they faltered.

Soon the escaped Springer and the others caught up to them, and Impactor took responsibility up-front for eliminating Hubcap. Noticing that Roadbuster was missing from the group, Impactor immediately knew what that meant for his old comrade and took a moment with Springer to lament the loss of their friend. The group began to hatch a plan to destroy the Noisemaze and Tor for good, hitting upon the idea of forcing Tidal Wave to transform. The gravimetric crunch of such a massive Transformer doing so would destabilize the maze to a critical point, and Impactor suggested adding the super-fuel Obtenteum to the mix. The team headed to the room with the main Obtenteum supply stored in a giant column, and Impactor and Springer immediately moved to pilfer some and lay explosives to destroy the rest. Sins of the Wreckers #4

Tarantulas appeared before the group, the giant spider growing further in size and initiating a contraction of the Tor so he could escape with his experiments intact. As the others engaged him, Springer weighed their options and told Impactor to get the rest out as he ensured the destruction of Tarantulas' lair. Impactor protested, but Springer gave Impactor the order to remotely blow the charges if he was unable to escape in time. Impactor harpooned over the giant Tarantulas as Springer and Arcee cut the web the spider was perched on. Tarantulas prevented himself from falling by growing yet larger and grabbed Verity, but Impactor and the others quickly wrested her free from the spider's clutches. Impactor took a moment to reveal that HE was the one who originally chucked Mesothulas into the Noisemaze, not Prowl as Tarantulas had first assumed. Learning this, Tarantulas came to the conclusion that Prowl hadn't done away with Ostaros either, and demanded to know what had happened to his beloved creation. After hearing Springer's voice signal Impactor and noting a meaningful look between Impactor and Prowl at this, Tarantulas instinctively realized that Ostaros was in fact present at the moment and moved to reunite with him. Impactor ordered Prowl and Verity out of the Tor as Arcee intercepted Tarantulas and sliced his giant spider head off. Impactor then used the decapitated head to halt the Tor's contraction via Tarantulas' retinal scanner.

We have years--as many as we need... years-- to train and study and plan... This will be a good life... good enough.

After Prowl and the others outside successfully got Tidal Wave juiced up on Obtentium and forcefully-transformed, the Noisemaze began to violently collapse. The decapitated Tarantulas suddenly recovered and leaped down the Obtentium column before Impactor and Arcee could stop him. Impactor wanted to pursue but received another message from Springer, ordering him to stay the course and follow his last command. Arcee reassured the torn Impactor that Springer knew what he was doing and the two exited the Tor, with Impactor choosing to have faith in his former subordinate. Once outside, Springer's signals stopped, and a sorrowful Impactor ultimately had to blow the charges and destroy the Tor. Jumping aboard Debris, Impactor and Arcee found a wrathful Guzzle preparing to execute Prowl and Kup, and Impactor was forced to neutralize his former companion with a harpoon through the head. Thankfully, Prowl insisted on going back into the collapsing Noisemaze one last time, and a surviving Springer was successfully rescued, much to Impactor's relief. In the aftermath, Impactor decided to take Carnivac up on his offer to join Mayhem, and the two began to plot the group's future. Sins of the Wreckers #5

Impactor was mistakenly remembered to be in queue to board the Lost Light before its maiden launch by Red Alert. Last Light When Kup was equipped with a rocket pack for travel to the Moon, he stated in elation, "If only Impactor and the guys could see me now!" Enter the Shadow Impactor would feature in Thundercracker's screenplay, generically portrayed as an Autobot thug who helped beat up Scrounge alongside Ultra Magnus and Ironhide. Starscream: The Movie

As Impactor and Carnivac pushed forward with their plans for Mayhem, Impactor began to take the leading role in the organization, much to Carnivac's chagrin. They concocted a scheme to ruin human/Cybertronian relations by framing an Autobot for murdering a prominent human politician. To that end, Impactor reformatted his alternate mode and went undercover in the President of the United States' motorcade. Carnivac used his absence to reassert his own authority over Mayhem and went forward with their frame-up plan without Impactor's knowledge, spitefully choosing Springer as the Autobot they would utilize. Having gotten an invitation from Springer to talk in the wake of Kup's death, Impactor stumbled upon Carnivac's plot in motion. Carnivac used his outlier powers to control Springer like a puppet and assassinate the politician Megan Guiglione. However, "Megan" turned out to be Overlord in disguise, using Tarantulas' Chimeracon tech to assume a human form. Overlord revealed himself and attacked Springer, forcing the other undercover members of Mayhem present to intervene. Impactor arrived on the scene to find his Mayhem colleagues slaughtered, and Overlord fleeing after taking Verity Carlo prisoner. Tending to the paralyzed Springer, Impactor called Carnivac out of hiding, furious that things had spiraled so far out of control. Carnivac, weakened from controlling Springer, tried to explain himself but Impactor didn't want his excuses. Impactor told him that they would return to their base so both Carnivac and Springer could recover... and then Carnivac would DIE at Impactor's hand.

Back at Mayhem's base, Impactor put Springer in a CR chamber and kept vigil over him. Suddenly, the enraged Triple Changer woke up and burst out of the chamber, throttling Impactor and blaming him for the situation. Impactor tried to shift the blame to Carnivac and when the former Decepticon entered the room, Impactor slugged him and demanded answers. Carnivac revealed the full extent of Impactor's involvement in Mayhem's frame-up plan, much to Springer's horror, although Impactor protested that it wasn't supposed to be Springer who would be the fall guy. Springer buried the disgust he was feeling at the moment, intending to track down and rescue Verity from Overlord. He looked to Impactor for support and guilt-stricken, Impactor chose to accompany him. The two found Verity in the company of not only Overlord, but Tarantulas, with whom Overlord had formed an alliance. Impactor nailed Overlord's left eye with a wired harpoon shot and engaged the Phase Sixer as Springer confronted Tarantulas and ensured Verity's safety. Overlord tossed Impactor down a deep crevasse in Tarantulas' new lair, but the falling Impactor managed to tangle Overlord's legs up with another harpoon shot. Springer slammed into Overlord and sent the three tumbling down into the darkness, with Overlord's firepower collapsing some of the surrounding rock on top of them.

Buried in rubble and separated from Overlord at the moment, Impactor took the time to briefly reminisce about how he and Springer first met. Impactor acknowledged that Kup was the reason Springer became such a good person, and admitted it might have been better if he never brought Springer into the murky world of the Wreckers at all. Suddenly, the recovered Overlord began to approach and Impactor told Springer he had one last thing to do as a Wrecker; re-enact what happened on Pova between them, but with the roles reversed. Springer was to shoot through the still-trapped Impactor for a surprise attack on Overlord. When the unsuspecting Phase Sixer stood before his pinned prey and smugly asked for some last words, Impactor only had one response- WRECK AND RULE. Springer fired through his friend's chest, stunning Overlord and knocking him over before bursting through Impactor's flaming wreckage in vehicle mode. Heading back up to Verity with a furious Overlord in pursuit, Springer ruefully eulogized Impactor by calling him "a wily old buzzard." Requiem of the Wreckers

Wings Universe

Impactor led the Wreckers during their campaign against Squadron X on Frellus IV. There, he willingly sacrificed members of the Hasmata in order to flee from Squadron X's siege. Impactor and the Wreckers then stole Squadron X's ship to escape the planet. Tornado - Decepticon Saboteur, 2014/05/15

Of Masters and Mayhem

"Do you expect me to talk?"
"No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die."

Impactor was the leader of the Wreckers, with missions such as Operation: Volcano, the Battle of Hell's Point, and the Garrus 9 Incursion being the stuff of legend among Autobots and Decepticons alike. Impactor's profile in Club magazine #68

During Operation Cybaxx, Impactor and the Wreckers tracked down High Circuitmaster Boltax, who had preserved his consciousness inside the knowledge base known as the Underbase. The secrecy of their mission put them at odds with another Autobot team running Operation: Dark Star, and led to numerous rumors and false retellings of the operation. Boltax was recovered, under the codename of Cybaxx, and incorporated into the Technobots' merger Computron to feed the knowledge of the Underbase into Computron's data processing abilities.

Despite his reputation as a stone killer, Impactor remembered the deaths of all his men and those they were forced to kill in the line of duty. The Wreckers once had a recorder named Fisitron who attempted to alleviate the weight of Impactor's actions by creating his own thorough chronicle of the Wreckers' history. When Fisitron died, Impactor wore his data disc around his neck as a reminder. Lively Pursuit

The story of Impactor and his Wreckers was cut short, however, when Cybertron was left ravaged by Decepticon combiner Thunder Mayhem. Vowing revenge, Impactor set out across the planet to build a new team with which to destroy the apocalyptic gestalt. Impactor's profile in Club magazine #68

His first recruit was the spy Punch, who Impactor found critically injured in the ruins of an Autobot outpost on Gargoid The Truth We Make and then took to Paradron for medical care. Impactor was initially outraged that Lifeline could only save one of Punch's robot forms, but after storming out, he had second thoughts. Insight It was also on Paradron that Impactor installed some medical equipment with lethal capabilities into himself. Impactor's profile in Club magazine #68

After the spy awoke, he gave Impactor the shocking news that Punch had been the fiction and Counterpunch the true identity all along. The Wrecker leader was angry at this long-term deception, but put this aside to make Counterpunch an offer: join him the Wreckers and stop the monster that destroyed Cybertron. The Truth We Make

Impactor and Counterpunch subsequently followed a distress signal to a mysterious planet where they found found a small group of Cybertronians who had taken on bestial alternate modes. After donating a universal translator from Paradron to help the "Raptoricons" clear up their relations with the planet's local lifeforms, Impactor recruited their newest associate, Decepticon geochemist Fractyl, to the Wreckers. Life Finds a Way

Next, Impactor tracked down a data trail indicating a Decepticon research bunker may have shut down before the final fallout with Thunder Mayhem, leaving a test subject inside. Sure enough, the Wreckers discovered Toxitron, still trapped in stasis from his vain attempt to escape. After reviewing the records on Toxitron, Impactor decided to free him from his stasis and offer him the choice to join the Wreckers. Fortunately for all, Toxitron accepted. The Toxic Transformer

Building off the design schematics from the former Wreckers engineer, Ironclad, Impactor hoped to create his own Wreckers combiner to oppose Thunder Mayhem. To that end, two more Wreckers were found and recruited, named Alpha Bravo and Offroad, who had already been fitted as reserve members of the Aerialbots and Stunticons. Fractyl also reasoned out the means of creating a Matrix from the Greenergon he found on Chicxulania, introducing it into Toxitron's system as the central component to supercharge the Wreckers combiner. During the surgery, however, Impactor also introduced a failsafe compound of thiotimoline into Toxitron's body, which would react violently to the toxic materials in the test subject's body if necessary.

To test their new form, Impactor brought Counterpunch, Fractyl, Toxitron, Alpha Bravo, and Offroad to a Mecannibal nest. Sure enough, the Greenergon-powered goliath named Wreckage was an unstoppable foe. However, Wreckage proved to have no self-control when it came to wrecking, and would wreck anything in his line of sight. Impactor only barely survived Wreckage turning his sights on the Wreckers leader, until Alpha Bravo forced a separation. Shellshocked by the mental merger, Alpha Bravo killed Offroad to prevent Wreckage from ever forming again, and was killed in turn by Toxitron. Deadly Aim

Impactor was prepared to give up when the Wreckers received a distress call from Cybertron. They met the former Autobot gunner named Bluestreak, who had encountered Impactor during Operation: Dark Star. Bluestreak had been approached by aliens named the Teklaans who claimed they could revive Cybertron, but needed living sparks to rekindle the lives of the lost population. Bluestreak initially turned Impactor and the Wreckers over to the Teklaans, but soon learned their terraforming process would ultimately destroy Cybertron all over again in a few generations.

As the Wreckers escaped confinement, Impactor got Bluestreak into a reconstruction lab where they applied Ironclad's upgrades to themselves. After that, they rejoined the other Wreckers and successfully recreated Wreckage. With greater focus on the mission than before thanks to the inclusion of Impactor, Wreckage destroyed the Teklaans' ship and disassembled on command. The Wreckers were now complete, and they had the combiner power to face Thunder Mayhem. Lively Pursuit

Impactor and the Wreckers received a signal tracking Thunder Mayhem to the planet Earth. Pandora's Gift There they teamed up with Optimus Prime, Megatron, and the humans and Mega Pretenders of another reality to battle Thunder Mayhem. The human Elizabeth used her power to channel Wreckage's energies and shatter the Matrix of Malice, forcing the evil combiner apart. Impactor and the Wreckers took the Mayhem Attack Squad into custody following that exchange. Finale

War for Cybertron Trilogy continuity

War for Cybertron Trilogy marketing material

Impactor was a Ground Command Special Ops Captain while with the Autobots, Siege toy packaging but a Ground Force Infantry Sergeant while with the Decepticons. Fan Vote Battle 3-pack toy packaging Nevertheless, his function was a Wrecker. Siege webpage^[3] During the war for Cybertron, Impactor received and analyzed a possible coded message saying "Wreck and rule" from the Sonic Canyons, which were known for their deafening sound and dangerous environment. Siege Teletraan-1 Data Files

War for Cybertron Trilogy cartoon

Voice actor: Brook Chalmers (English), Shinnosuke Ogami (Japanese), Frédéric Souterelle (French), Hanns Jörg Krumpholz (German), Anderson Coutinho (Portuguese), Ricardo Tejedo (Latin-American Spanish), Rafael Azcárraga (Castilian Spanish), Massimo Bitossi (Italian)

Wotta revoltin' development!

Predetermined to work in the Energon Mines under the oppressive old order of Cybertron, Impactor swore an oath to himself to protect the people of Cybertron, one that he considered more important than any factional allegiance.

When Megatron murdered Alpha Trion and split from Optimus Prime & Ultra Magnus, Impactor joined the Decepticons, harboring an intense distrust of the Autobots due to their upper-class origins, while Megatron had been right there alongside him in the mines. Siege episode 3

Impactor led a squad of Decepticons in ambushing the Autobots, who had been lured to Iacon under fabricated intel that the Allspark was resting there. Though he managed to shoot a hole right through Cog's chest, an attempt to hit Optimus Prime with his wired harpoon saw the Autobot leader turn the tables on him. Impactor was trapped when a downed Seeker accidentally dropped a building on him. With Impactor assumed dead, Barricade took command of the unit and then took the blame when he had to report to Megatron, who was rather upset to learn that a valued soldier like Impactor had fallen. Siege episode 2

Megatron would subsequently use Impactor's death at the hands of the Autobots to garner sympathy for the Decepticons and exacerbate anti-Autobot sentiments, broadcasting across Cybertron to lament the loss of such a loyal soldier. However, as it turned out, Impactor had survived the attack, albeit barely. Fortunately, he was uncovered by the neutral medic Ratchet, who patched him up and put him to work helping out around his hidden clinic, as was the condition for his repairs. Impactor took to the role gladly out of genuine gratitude for Ratchet's help, assisting the other patients - even Autobots - without complaint.

When Wheeljack brought Optimus Prime to Ratchet's clinic to ask for his help in fixing the space bridge they'd discovered, Impactor saw the impatient Mirage pull his gun on Ratchet and rushed in to tackle Mirage to the ground, as well as chastising him for his elitist attitude and ignorance to the plight of the lower classes.

When Ratchet agreed to repair the space bridge, he told Impactor to stay at the clinic and work with the stronger bots there to keep the place safe, but Impactor decided instead to join Ratchet on the mission to ensure his safety, partly out of gratitude for his repairs and partly because of his personal oath.

This alliance with the Autobots was an uneasy one, with Elita-1 demanding he remove his personal comm before he be allowed into the Autobot headquarters, something Ratchet considered barbaric. Impactor, however, consented, as a show of sincerity, informing the Autobots that he believes in protecting the people of Cybertron, not allegiance to factions. He disconnected his comm, but since it still broadcasted his signal, Jetfire and Skywarp were able to track it and discover the location of Autobot Command. Siege episode 3

"You - urk! - always were...a cranky...old...gizzard..."

At Autobot Command, Impactor and Ratchet assisted Red Alert in his medical duties until the space bridge repair team was deployed. Impactor lamented Megatron's turn to abject tyranny, believing that the Megatron he knew would never have gone this far. Tensions between Mirage & Impactor continued at the site of the space bridge, with the Autobot accusing Impactor of setting them up when the local Seeker patrol arrived earlier than expected. Impactor was able to quickly ease any doubts of his allegiance when he immediately knocked Ratchet out of the way of the Seekers' fire, taking a shot in the shoulder for his friend. Siege episode 4 When Ratchet later successfully repaired the space bridge, Mirage extended his praise to Impactor for all his help, having seemingly come around to the Decepticon. Siege episode 5

With the Autobots' entire communications grid downed due to Shockwave's virus, the space bridge repair team was left cut off from command. Impactor was unfazed, telling the Autobots they'd simply have to hold the Decepticon forces off themselves. During the battle for the space bridge, Starscream attempted to gun down Ratchet before he could activate it. Impactor once again put his body between the medic and gunfire, this time taking a fatal shot for his friend. Thanking Ratchet for all he had done for him, Impactor died in the medic's arms. Siege episode 6

Generations Selects Special Comic

He had a lot of trouble with Terrorcons in 2020.

Impactor was among the Autobots disabled by the anti-electron-infused gas emitted by Blot. Abominus comic 1

2019 IDW continuity

Thunderclash considered Impactor to be a trusted ally and included him in a list of potential recruits for a new team of Wreckers. Tread & Circuits Part 4

Games

Transformers Legends

Impactor was the leader of the fearless Wreckers squad which liberated Garrus-9 from the grip of Dreadwind and the Air Strike Patrol, though they destroyed most of the facility in the process. The Wreckers

Transformers: Earth Wars

Once leader of the legendary Wreckers, Impactor is now a de-factioned 'bot without allegiance. 'He went too far' was how the tribunal put it, after Impactor brutally suppressed a scavenger attack on the colony world of Velocitron. But Impactor was unapologetic, accusing his accusers of not being willing to do what needs to be done. He left before the verdict, and now plies the trade of a mercenary - fighting wars without borders.

From the tank cannon on his shoulder to the signature harpoon weapon that replaced his right hand (bitten off by a Sharkticon), Impactor is a one-bot wrecking crew in his own right. Impactor bio

After arriving on Earth and meeting with Springer and Sandstorm, Bludgeon and Octopunch interrupted their meeting. Bludgeon praised Impactor for his actions on Velocitron, and offered to give him a position on the Mayhem Attack Squad for 10,000 Shanix. Impactor agreed over Springer's objection, ultimately crying "Show Me The Shanix!" Impactor's arrival (Decepticon)

• Class: Special
• Lowest Star Rating: 2 stars
• Ability: Energon Mineblaster - For 10 seconds, your laser causes damage. You generate a shield attracting defenses and absorbing a percentage of the damage you receive. Every time you get hit, your laser damage increases by 1%.
  • Cost: 5 ability points, +2 for reuses.

Impactor at Transformers: Earth Wars Wiki

Transformers Roleplaying Game

Impactor was a tough Autobot. The Enigma of Combination

Toys

Combiner Wars

Now I finally have a toy; maybe people will stop buying up those third-party Wreckers, right?
...right?

• Impactor (TFSS 4.0, 2016)

• Accessories: Clamp weapon, combiner hand/foot, 2 swords, blaster, small pistol

Part of the Figure Subscription Service 4.0, Combiner Wars Impactor is a retool of Deluxe Class Rook with a new head. He transforms into an armored reconnaissance vehicle (reminiscent to a Type 87 ARV), and can also form an arm or leg for any compatible Combiner Wars-style Voyager figure (or into one of Legends Godbomber's legs). However, he is intended to form one of Wreckage's arms.

One of his hands is unpainted purple so as to replicate the character's traditional one-handed appearance. He includes the mold's 5 mm clamp weapon, along with redecoes of Generations Arcee's four accessories. Of those, the swords are intended to be used to recreate Impactor's traditional harpoon-hand, whilst the larger pistol is decoed to resemble his shoulder cannon. Although Impactor can use a standard Combiner Wars style combiner hand/foot for his arm mode, his clamp weapon can instead be substituted to represent Wreckage's harpoon-hand.

Impactor was released alongside Bluestreak.

The original version of this mold was redecoed into Unite Warriors Wandering Roller, slightly retooled into BotCon 2016 Predacon Tarantulas, heavily retooled into Combiner Wars Swindle and Hound, and even further retooled into Unite Warriors Nosecone. Additionally, this mold also served as the model for the non-toy Shattered Glass version of X-Brawn.

War for Cybertron: Siege

Look, now I'm available at general retail! Won't you please stop buying third-party versions of me? ...please?

• Impactor (Deluxe Class, 2019)

• Hasbro ID number: WFC-S42
• TakaraTomy ID number: SG-36
• TakaraTomy Release Date: November 23, 2019
• Hidden message code: WRECKERS
• Accessories: "HP Energon Mineblaster" rifle, "Trilithium Drill"
• Known designers: AJ Piejko-Brown (packaging)

In accordance with his victory in the 2018 War for Cybertron Trilogy Hasbro fan poll, Impactor received a new figure in Siege, thematically matched up against Mirage. As his first non-retool figure, Impactor is styled after his Marvel appearance and transforms into a Cybertronian 4-treaded battle tank with a working turret.

Impactor comes with 2 accessories: the HP Energon Mineblaster and the Trilithium Drill. The former also forms his tank barrel in vehicle mode, while the latter is styled after his classic harpoon. Unlike most Siege toys, Impactor's two weapons are not designed to be combined into a larger weapon. He features multiple C.O.M.B.A.T. System weapon ports to attach weapons, enabling custom configurations in bot and vehicle modes. Both of Impactor's hands can be also flipped around to reveal two such ports. In robot mode, one can insert his Trilithium Drill in one of those ports to give him his trademark harpoon hand.

The figure is noticeably tall for a Deluxe figure, rivaling the height of Ironhide from the same line. As part of the Siege line, Impactor features battle damage paint applications, specifically above his treads and mine plow. The Autobot insignia on his chest is uncolored, filled by the base plastic colors of the figure.

Some figures have been reported coming with instruction sheets that list the weapon names in Cybertronian, for no apparent reason.

Impactor's torso and legs can transform independently of each other. As such, it is possible to make either a tank turret standing on his legs or his upper body rolling on a tank hull.

Exercise caution while transforming the waist section: The unpaintable waist's upper cavity may clash and chip off the hip's painted front stomach after repeated transformations. Due to the weak connection, the cover panel/5mm port on Impactor's nape is not strong enough to support heavy Weaponizer backpacks. Both the TakaraTomy and Hasbro's secondary stock photos depict his Trilithium Drill as a handheld weapon.

This mold was retooled into Collaborative Frankentron and also serves as the basis for the Dome Guards from the Netflix cartoon.

Hey, I have an IDW-accurate head again! Buy me a third time!

• Fan Vote Battle 3-Pack (Multi-pack, 2019)

• ID number: WFC-S56
• Accessories: "HP Energon Mineblaster" rifle, harpoon
• Known designers: AJ Piejko-Brown (packaging)

Released as part of a three-pack with Holo Mirage and Powerdasher Aragon, "Decepticon Impactor" is a redeco/retool of the figure above, featuring a new IDW-accurate head. While the plastic colors remain unchanged, he features a lot of additional paint operations, including black and yellow hazard stripes on his shoulder and upper chest, the silver "scratch" effects on Impactor's legs use a completely new layout, and most of the remaining paint operations that retain their layout differ in color one way or another. Also, as the toy's official name implies, the general retail version's purple Autobot insignia has been replaced with a Decepticon insignia for this version.

His instructions do not call out his harpoon accessory specifically (nor does it show it as a wrist-attachment weapon), but do note that it combines with his shoulder-cannon to form the "Earthbreaker Cannon".

This set was an Amazon exclusive in the United States, Canada, and Europe, but was available at general retail in Hasbro's Asian markets such as Hong Kong, released before the original figure above.

War for Cybertron Trilogy

p a i n

• Autobot Impactor (Deluxe Class, 2020)

• TakaraTomy ID number: WFC-15
• TakaraTomy release date: March 27, 2021
• Accessories: "HP Energon Mineblaster" rifle, "Trilithium Drill"

This version of Impactor is a slathered redeco of the mass-retail release of Siege Impactor, featuring darker colors and a considerable amount of additional "weathering effect" paint operations meant to make him resemble his appearance on the Netflix War for Cybertron Trilogy cartoon. However, he retains the non-screen-accurate Autobot insignia of the original figure. Interestingly, the layout for the tampographed "scratch" details on his legs are recycled from the general retail Siege release, although the color for those details has been changed from silver to yellow. He also features two considerably different shades of yellow, which mostly affects the legs and is supposed to give his alternate mode a more "weathered" look, but it causes a rather jarring contrast between the two parts of his shoulder joints.

This contained a portion of a cardstock background of Teletraan I. Impactor's part has tabs E and M, and slot F.

Promotional stock photos oddly mirror flip his tank mode.

Impactor was released in the second wave of Walmart-exclusive War for Cybertron Trilogy figures, promoting the Earthrise season of the cartoon despite the character having already died in the Siege season.

Legacy

So every time I get redecoed, I get a different head?

• Comic Universe Impactor & Spindle (2-pack, 2022)

• Accessories: "HP Energon Mineblaster" rifle, "Trilithium Drill", cannon barrel
• Known designers: Mark Maher (Hasbro), Shogo Hasui (TakaraTomy), Hirofumi Ichikawa (detailing)

Part of the Legacy Wreck N' Rule Collection, "Comic Universe Impactor" is a redeco and retool of his Siege mold with a new Marvel comic-inspired head (now following the comic's style in addition to design), chest, and two-part shoulder cannon; the barrel of the cannon is now a separate accessory. His colors are richer, with his yellow becoming much more golden in color and his purples more magenta. His chest faction insignia is now that of the Wreckers, and the legs completely omit the tampographed "scratch" details of the previous releases.

All of the packs in the Wreck N' Rule Collection contain a piece of a buildable cardboard Wrecker hammer; Impactor came with the main body of the hammer. The inner boxes are also designed to be stacked together to form a display mural.

In the United States, Impactor was only available in the Amazon Wreck N' Rule Collection, as part of a two-pack with Spindle; this two-pack was the first set revealed, on May 9, 2022. Despite being originally slated for a November release, this pack began shipping out in late July 2022, after the three single-packs that had been revealed later.

Merchandise

Transformers Trading Card Game

• Captain Impactor, Special Ops-Wrecker (2019)
  • Wave 4: War for Cybertron: Siege II
  • Rarity: CT
  • Card Number: T02/T52
  • Stars: 7

Captain Impactor, Special Ops-Wrecker is one of 52 character cards released in Wave 4 of the Transformers Trading Card Game, War for Cybertron: Siege II.

The card's artwork is based on the mass-retail version of the Siege Impactor toy, with the Bot Mode art being reused from the toy's packaging art, and with original Alt Mode artwork (lines by Ken Christiansen).

Notes

• According to Dreadwind in issue #221's letters page, Impactor transformed into an "earth-boring vehicle, and then a pile of scrap. HAH!"^[5] In the letter page to issue #238, Dreadwind clarified that he transformed into a drill tank but didn't have an Earth mode.^[6] Blaster was somehow even more dismissive, as quoted above, and later told a reader that Impactor "transformed into a pile of traumatised mechanoid fragments."^[7] In IDW's Last Stand of the Wreckers, he transformed into a non-drill tank. Later still, but earlier in IDW's timeline, he gained a drill replacement for his hand.
• In the Marvel comics, Impactor's right hand can be interchanged for a harpoon. This emulates the wrist-launcher gimmick found in many Diaclone-based toys. He is frequently seen carrying a club which looks an awful lot like a gun barrel, and which may be a gun attachment for his right arm; but being Impactor, he only ever uses it to smack guys around.
• Impactor was the one Wrecker in Last Stand who was never going to die!^[8]
• More than Meets the Eye #19 revealed that all the Aequitas defendants were "constructed cold": their sparks taken from the Matrix itself and slapped into a body. That same issue also said Impactor was a Point One Percenter, i.e. not constructed cold, causing some confusion until James Roberts confirmed that was a mistake.^[9] The trade paperback snips Impactor's name from the Point One line.
• In IDW's original Generation 1 continuity, Impactor was once a friend of Megatron, and later gains the nickname Kiloton. In reference to this, Ask Vector Prime christened Megatron's unnamed friend from the G-2 manga "Kiloton".

Foreign names

• Japanese: Impactor (インパクター Inpakutā)
• Mandarin: Zhuàng Zhēn (China, 撞针, "Firing Pin")

References