Runamuck (G1)

Runamuck is a Decepticon Battlecharger from the Generation 1 continuity family.

Damnit Pantera, this beer is warm!

Runamuck and Runabout are the Battlechargers, a nearly inseparable pair of hooligans. Runamuck in particular likes to make things explode, heh heh, and loves a good wreck. He has been known to wander around junkyards, fascinated by the carnage of twisted metal and shattered glass. This only makes him want to blow more enemies into heaps of slag. Heh heh, slag. He does not consider it beneath him to indulge in petty acts of vandalism, and thinks a good insult sprayed on a clean wall is a Decepticon victory, heh heh.

As a Battlecharger, he's well-equipped to do it. He'll speed up crowded highways at his 180 MPH top speed (at which he can go up to 600 miles), smashing everything in his path, without regard to his fenders. Then he transforms into robot mode (in less than half a second) to use his prized tool of wholesale destruction—a friction rifle.

This terrible weapon does little damage, but it leaves a field around his target that enhances molecular heating from friction. With the slightest move, a catastrophic buildup of thermal energy bursts his foe asunder in a shower of burned metal fragments and smoke. The field wears off in five minutes, if the target is able to stay absolutely still for that long. Usually they just end up as a big mess. Runamuck loves a big mess, heh heh.

Runamuck is also equipped with short-range rocket boosters to help him jump over obstacles, but strangely enough, he is terrified of heights.

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

Marvel The Transformers comics

My car is really fast... it kicks a lotta ass... it runs on gas... I drive it on the grass...

The Battlechargers were summoned to Earth from Cybertron by Megatron, who wanted a dramatic way to announce his challenge to Optimus Prime for a fight to the death. The two immediately ignored their orders, and began to raise a bit of random highway havoc. Encountering Prowl, the two dropped firetraps and wrecked piles of cars behind them. Unable to stop them quietly on his own terms, Prowl grew angry and... was halted by Optimus Prime, who was dismayed with his recklessness.^[2] ...Perchance to Dream During a break in the mayhem, they rested in a parking lot and saw a defiant youngster expressing his disgust of family vacations through graffiti. His dad angrily escorted him back to the station wagon, and their holiday trip resumed. The Battlechargers, impressed by the boy's disregard for authority, began following the family on a road trip through the U.S., defacing any monuments they happened upon (such as Mount Rushmore, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, and the Washington Monument). They wrote insults and jokes in a Cybertronian language, thus attracting the attention of RAAT, which had already captured thirteen Autobots.

RAAT caught up with them in Philadelphia, where Circuit Breaker engaged them in a battle that nearly killed the graffiti-inclined boy. Because of her disregard for civilian safety, Circuit Breaker was temporarily stripped of her command and ordered to stay out of action. Itching for revenge, she found her only allies to be the partially-disassembled Autobots in her RAAT lab. She didn't have time to rebuild them all properly, but she knew she could jury-rig them together into a single form which she could partially control. However, she needed the Autobots' consent, and they only agreed to do it if she would release them afterward. She agreed, and she soon fought an aerial battle with the two Decepticons at the Statue of Liberty (where, incidentally, they had written "humans are wimps" in poor English). The two hooligans met quick defeat at the hands of her makeshift gestalt, their charred bodies sent plunging into the harbor. Decepticon Graffiti! Optimus, worried, watched multiple screens showing the latest attacks by Decepticon arrivals from Cybertron, and saw that Runamuck and Runabout were only the most recent to endanger human life.Prey!

Some contradictory accounts followed. One placed Runamuck alongside Ratbat's crew, aiding in his facade that presented the Decepticons' island base as a tropical resort for humans. Runamuck was advertised on television as part of the island's smiling welcoming party. Another account placed Runamack helping the Autobot Blaster in a training session before he infiltrated said island base. Best to not think too hard about either. Club Con!

That big guy, like, kicked the little guys' asses.

When Shockwave wanted to wrest control of the Earth-based Decepticons from Scorponok, the Battlechargers joined his motley band of rebels. Surrender! They attacked Scorponok's New Jersey base, collapsing it onto itself. Starscream then urged his comrades to help him dig out whatever survivors there might be to offer them a choice; join them or be destroyed. Unfortunately, the first to be excavated was Scorponok. Runamuck, Mindwipe, Runabout, and Triggerhappy tried to gun him down together, but their laser fire proved ineffective against Scorponok's ultra-dense armor. The enemy leader easily tackled all four of them at once, taking them out of the ensuing battle. ...All This and Civil War 2 Just as said battle ended, the combatants were transported to Cybertron by Primus, who was gathering his Transformer children to stand against the demigod Unicron. The pair were in attendance as Primus spoke to the assembled Transformers through the body of Emirate Xaaron, though Runamuck was more concerned about some Autobots they'd recently angered as Runabout screwed his kibble back on. The Void! Runamuck was a casualty in the ensuing planet-wide battle, his wrecked vehicle mode (oddly emblazoned with an Autobot symbol) was shown amongst the fallen. Still Life!

Earthforce

During the Decepticon Civil War, Runamuck sided against Megatron and joined Shockwave's team. When Shockwave heard the Dinobots had been revived without the Creation Matrix, he and his men attacked Grimlock's crew in an attempt to beat the secret of their resurrection out of them. Runamuck managed to set Swoop's wing on fire with his friction rifle, but just a second later Grimlock decked him with a thunder-lizard punch, taking him out of the fight. Two Steps Back!

When the fighting between Megatron's and Shockwave's forces reached a height neither faction leader was comfortable with, they called for an Enclave to negotiate an alliance. Runamuck attended the festivities, only for some Autobot saboteurs to fake an assassination attempt on Megatron. A giant brawl ensued, and Runamuck got the stuffing beat out of him. The Bad Guy's Ball!

When Megatron lost a global warming satellite to the Autobots, along with its poison gas canisters, Shockwave sent the Battlechargers out to retrieve it for his own purposes. They ran into Dead End and Drag Strip at the crash site, and got into a fight over who would take possession of the rocket and its contents. Little did they know the Autobot Prowl had already removed and neutralized the rocket's contents, making their tussle utterly pointless' Life in the Slow Lane Later, after the Decepticon factions unified, Runabout and Runamuck were seen attacking the Autobot Earthbase with the full Decepticon force but they ultimately failed to gain any ground and retreated. Divide and Conquer!

Rhythms of Darkness!

In an alternate future in 2009, Runamuck was among the warriors defending the Decepticon Powerbase against a desperate assault launched by the last seven remaining Autobots. He was shot down by a charging Inferno. Rhythms of Darkness!

Marvel Generation 2 comic

Yay, I'm alive! Probably forev—

Despite his apparent death, Runamuck was with the other Decepticons when they ran into Jhiaxus's Cybertronians. He was among the first casualties of a battle that nearly cost even the new-and-improved Megatron his life. New Dawn

Regeneration One

During Scorponok's Gene Key fiasco, Runamuck was defending the Civil Defense Hub when the remaining free Autobots besieged and took control of it. Natural Selection, Part Five

Later, Ultra Magnus had Prowl, Red Alert and Streetwise out hunting for Soundwave's Neo-Decepticons but they had apparently gone to ground, leaving only "small fry" like Runamuck still visibly active. Having insulted him to his face, the Autobots arrested him anyway, leading him away in cuffs. Destiny, Part Three

Transformers '84

Early in the war on Cybertron, Runamuck was part of a Decepticon assault alongside Chop Shop, Barrage, Ransack, Blitzwing, Octane, Runabout, Venom, and the Autobot double agent Counterpunch. Secrets & Lies #1

Generation 1 cartoon continuity

The Transformers cartoon

Voice actor: Roger Behr (English), Tomomichi Nishimura (Japanese), Carlos Marques (Portuguese, "Chaos"), Isaac Schneider (Portuguese, "Ghost in the Machine")

Heh heh. FIRE. FIRE!

Runamuck first appeared attacking Kup and some other Autobots investigating a decimated Earth Defense Command station that had crashed on Goo. Riding Blast Off, Runamuck strafed the Autobots with a death crystal shooter. (The station had been destroyed by death crystals, so it's possible that was Runamuck's work as well.) The Autobots engaged the duo in a short space battle that ended when Runamuck blew up a comet with the death crystals, delaying the Autobots long enough to get away. Chaos

OW! AHH!! Cut it out, fartknocker!

He was next seen guarding Trypticon's city mode on Chaar with Runabout. They were attacked by Scourge and the ghost of Starscream, who wanted to steal one of Trypticon's eyes for Unicron. Starscream possessed Runabout, shot Runamuck, then ran into a wall, knocking Runabout unconscious. Runamuck, however, was able to sound an alarm, and Dirge, Thrust, and Astrotrain arrived to help. Scourge got Trypticon's eye, and Starscream possessed Astrotrain and escaped. Later, under Unicron's orders, Starscream returned to Chaar and took control of Trypticon, not knowing that Dirge, Thrust, and the Battlechargers were inside. Starscream used Trypticon to bring Unicron's head down Cybertron's surface, but Thrust sabotaged Trypticon from within before Starscream could connect Unicron to the planet. Starscream came out of Trypticon and demanded that Unicron give him a corporeal form so he could complete the connections. Just as Unicron did so, Autobot-planted explosives detonated and sent Unicron's head back into orbit. Starscream was also flung into outer space, where Galvatron began pursuing him. Trypticon (and the Decepticons inside him) were probably thrown into space as well. Although the Battlechargers were not seen again, Trypticon and the others were, so they most likely did survive. Ghost in the Machine

Legends comic

Runabout and Runamuck were among the Decepticons who attacked the Autobot base in the 1980s to steal the Transform Super Cog. Using their car modes, the duo barreled through the Autobot defenders, entered the base and seized the cog only to be defeated by Topspin and Twin Twist. Slugslinger's Ambition

Wings Universe

The lads discuss Winger.

Runabout and Runamuck were present during the battle that led to the destruction of Menasor and Defensor. Generation 2: Redux At some other time, the pair were hanging out with the equally-delinquent pair of Jetstorm and Deluge when a giant Autobot and his Quintesson cohort wandered into their territory. While Jetstorm and Deluge jumped the Autobot, Runabout and Runamuck tortured the Quintesson. But as Runamuck was pressing his foot down on the Quintesson's head, he surprised to learn just how strong his would-be victim's tentacles were. A short moment later, all four Decepticons were defeated, left brutally embarrassed. The Coming Storm: Part 1

At some point between various upgrades, the quick-transformation feature from Runamuck's frame was abandoned in order to boost his armament and resistance to harm. Both Battlechargers were also offered a flight mode but turned it down. Runamuck often forgot this final detail, and would jump off of buildings and cliffs in an effort to take to the air. Runamuck's profile in Club magazine #43

After having been absent from Cybertron for a very long time, Jhiaxus made a secret return. He enlisted Runabout and Runamuck in filling him in on what he had missed, and the pair gave him a very amusing, yet sufficiently informative, recollection of the events of the Battle of Autobot City and Cybertron's first contact with Nebulos. The information convinced Jhiaxus that this would be the perfect time to rebuild his Cybertronian Empire. A Flash Forward

The two Battlechargers were dispatched to find some personality components, and in the process discovered a stasis hibernation pod which opened to reveal Side Burn. A Flash Forward, Part 2 They took the amnesiac Side Burn him back to Jhiaxus, after which they all headed to Nebulos, where Jhiaxus had Runamuck and Runabout kidnap Hi-Q. A Flash Forward, Part 3 After they arrived on Qre, the pair engaged in some racing with Side Burn. A Flash Forward, Part 4 When Side Burn's advances were rebuffed by Nightracer, Runamuck suggested giving her some space, but Side Burn followed Runabout's advice to follow her instead. The Battlechargers trailed behind him. A Flash Forward, Part 5 Following Jhiaxus's defeat, Side Burn promised the pair leniency, and indeed after the pair returned to Earth with the Autobots, Hi-Q said he wouldn't press charges. A Flash Forward, Part 6

Generations Selects Special Comic

In 2011, Runamuck was one of the Decepticons fighting against the resurrection of Unicron. Finale

In 2050, the allied Autobots and Decepticons opposed the Dinobots on behalf of the Selectors. Runamuck rode his old friend Blast Off as the army charged into battle. Volcanicus comic 2

Battle Beneath the Ice

One day, the Battlecharger duo was sent to destroy the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, but Runamuck's fear of heights prevented him from even driving onto it. Runabout was taken out of by Hot Rod, Slingshot, and Skydive, who soon came bearing down on Runamuck. The battle was televised on the news and recorded by Jeff Grey, who later discussed it with Hot Rod during a chance meeting. Battle Beneath the Ice

Dreamwave Generation One continuity

Aaa, this guy sucks! Change the channel, Runabout!

After the death of Sentinel Prime, Runamuck participated in the destruction of Altihex. The War Within #1 When Optimus and Megatron got caught up in their first battle, the Battlechargers joined Motormaster and Swindle in disabling Laserbeak and helping Starscream assume control over Megatron's plans. The War Within #4 Runamuck continued to follow Starscream when, roughly a million years later, Megatron was lost in a space bridge accident and the Decepticons split into several factions. Runamuck and Runabout joined up with Starscream's new group of Predacons. They remained defiant even when the other Decepticon factions were prepared to sign a peace treaty with the Autobots and staged an attack on the ceremony at Tyger Pax. They were repulsed. Violently. The Age of Wrath But then, Megatron returned to Cybertron, backed by an Aerospace Extermination Squadron army. With these drones, he quickly took over the planet and unified the Decepticon forces. With Cybertron now under Decepticon control, Runamuck was put to work as one of the guards in Internment Camp Pi, overlooking the slave Autobot workforce. The Age of Wrath Pt.2

In the modern era, Runamuck and Runabout were serving Shockwave "under the table" as assassins. When the Triple Changer Sandstorm removed Optimus Prime from his cell, the Battlechargers followed them into the Old Slave Trails and made an attempt on Prime's life. Sandstorm was killed, but Runamuck was captured and held prisoner by Hot Rod and Kup's resistance movement. Passive Aggression He apparently broke free and joined back up with Runabout after the Autobots resumed control of Cybertron. The two of them were scrounging around for fresh energon and a hideout to avoid Autobot patrols when they stumbled upon one of Shockwave's hidden bases. While Runamuck amused himself by lighting Mini-spies on fire, Runabout accidentally activated one of Shockwave's cloning experiments, Sunstorm, whose massive energon radiation overloaded the Battlechargers' circuitry, frying them reeeaaal good. Night of the Combaticons Prowl later watched footage of this incident while trying to unravel Shockwave's schemes. The Omega Effect

When last seen, Runamuck and Runabout had been found by the Protectobots and First Aid was tending to their damaged bodies as they were taken into custody. Black Sunshine

2005 IDW continuity

First appearance: Infiltration #0

"Heh-heh... he said 'Kaaa-on'!"

Runamuck was one of many bots to come from distant regions of Cybertron to attend Megatron's speeches and demonstrations of power as the Decepticon faction begun to take shape. Megatron Origin #3 When Megatron gave the order to burn Kaon to the ground after having done away with the Senate, Runamuck was the first to leap forward in order to carry out his leader's orders. Megatron Origin #4 Early in the war, Runamuck was present as Drift was accepted into the ranks of the Decepticons. Drift #2

Following the fall of Zeta Prime's government, he was among the Decepticons who hunted down and arrested Autobots resisting Megatron's rule. Transformation When the captured Autobots staged a prison break, Runamuck, Runabout and Reflector tried and failed to stop them. Rise The Battlechargers were later present in Kaon when Scorponok announced he was the new leader of the Decepticons. Wreckage

At some point in time, Runamuck fought against the Dynobots alongside Ravage and Soundwave and were thoroughly trounced for their efforts. Spotlight: Grimlock

Headliners! At last!

Four million years later, Runamuck was part of the Decepticon insurgent cell that had operated covertly on Earth for at least four years, working to destabilise Earth's governing organisations and create global anarchy. He, Runabout and Thundercracker were assigned by Starscream to intercept the human Stoker and retrieve his SM-40 palmtop PC, containing data on their Nebraska operation. Infiltration #0 The team caught up with and killed Stoker outside Phoenix, AZ, by which time Verity Carlo had already stolen the SM-40. Their attempts to retrieve it from Verity and Ratchet disregarded their cover: they appeared in full public view both in primary mode Infiltration #1 and in a secondary alternate mode, where the panels of their sports-car disguises split apart to reveal weapons and ram-plates. While pursuing Ratchet, both Battlechargers were run off the road by a semi-trailer. Infiltration #2

Runamuck bore witness to Megatron's disciplinary actions towards Starscream and sided with Megatron after Starscream's botched rebellion. Infiltration #6 Despite his part in Starscream's mutiny, Runamuck was quickly forgiven and returned to active duty. Escalation #1 Escalation #2

Runamuck moved to Latveria with the rest of the Decepticons to spark a war between the nations of Latveria and Symkaria using the Psycho-Prism. He was the first of Megatron's warriors to be turbocharged by Spider-Man's radioactive blood, and subsequently attacked the allied Autobots and Avengers in mirror response mode with the rest of his teammates. Man and Machine, Part Two Runamuck was taken out of the fight in short order, after he was blasted by the newly arrived Iron Man and sliced up by Wolverine. Man and Machine, Part Three The badly-damaged Runamuck subsequently fled via an emergency warp-out. Man and Machine, Part Four

"I somehow expected the last thing I ever see to be a more pleasing sight..."

Runamuck was cowering in a nearby room while Megatron and Sixshot were arguing in the Decepticon's base on Earth. Devastation #1 Unfortunately, Runamuck was brutally off-lined when the Reapers attacked the Decepticon command bunker in Oregon. Upset after Runabout was electrocuted until he exploded, Runamuck was soon decapitated and then had his errant head crushed by a large boulder. Their fellow Decepticons cared little for the Battlechargers' demise; Astrotrain wrote them off as "acceptable losses." Devastation #5 Devastation #6

In 2017 when Joe Colton and Scarlett discussed the Cybertronian influence on Earth, they reviewed Ratchet's initial fight with the Battlechargers. Secret Raiders

G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers

As part of Serpent O.R.'s forces, Runamuck tried (and failed) to prevent the escape of a group of Autobots and Joes from the New Decepticon Army's headquarters. When Runamuck refused to surrender the captive Optimus Prime's location, Grimlock tore off his arm and promised that his head would be next. Runamuck became more cooperative. The Art of War #5

Lil Formers

In order to avoid getting punished for his latest failure, Runamuck had Frenzy paint him black, so as to pass for Runabout. Lil Formers

Transformers: The Ultimate Pop-Up Universe

Runamuck followed Megatron to Earth in his quest for the AllSpark. There, he encountered Omega Supreme. Not much of a match against the Autobot titan, Runamuck crawled away from the battle as Omega occupied himself with Dirge. The Ultimate Pop-Up Universe

2019 IDW continuity

First appearance: Transformers #19

When Soundwave increased recruitment in the Ascenticon Guard, Runamuck was among the new members. All Fall Down Runamuck as part of a coordinated terrorist attack on the Senate itself and easily overpowered Senate Guard members Pipes and Chainclaw. After the Senate Guardsmen were taken care of by Clench's infiltration troopers, Strika ordered Runamuck and Runabout to watch over them. We Have Deceived You

Runamuck and Runabout went to Iacon came across Wheeljack and question his allegiance, when he admitted he doesn't know anything about the Decepticon faction. The duo attacked him before Streetwise and Slapdash arrived and force them to retreat. Prime Runamuck was part of a crowd of Decepticons who watched Termagax denounce them (and Megatron in particular) for twisting her ideals. Awakenings

Runabout and Runamuck joined a cadre of Decepticons in assuming control of the Iacon energy stores. Hunt Next, they assisted Strika's Heavies when they attacked the Forge Pyramid looking for Titansparks. Titans The pair were scouting near the Deep Wastes when they heard a howling sound. Fearing old ghost stories, they fled back to Iacon and gave a quivering report to the incredulous Starscream. I Have No Mouth And I Must Starscream

The duo briefly appeared again as Jumpstream's out-of-control teleporting abilities carried her all over Cybertron. Test Flight I When the Decepticons learned the location of Termagax and the Enigma of Combination, Runabout and Runamuck were part of the battalion Sixshot assembled to claim their prizes. Sea of Rust II Despite fierce fighting on both sides, though, the Enigma was lost to the Sea of Rust. Enigmatic

Runabout and Runamuck assembled with Strika's army of Decepticons to invade the Autobot-occupied Crystal City. The siege went well at first until the unexpected return of Lodestar, the last Titan. A Dust of Crystals Fearing the Titan's power, much of the Decepticon army except for the very brave or foolhardy fled from Lodestar. The Landscape of Fear

Runamuck was present when Megatron and the Decepticons confronted the Autobots with an imploder on their way to Darkmount. As the battle moved to that last city, the Decepticons drove the Autobots off of Cybertron in their Ark. Runamuck helped take several Autobot prisoners into custody in the aftermath. Fate of Cybertron

War for Cybertron Trilogy marketing material

After Cybertron fell, the Decepticons closely followed the Autobots through space, in pursuit of the AllSpark. Runamuck was a Ground Force Black Ops Raider, Earthrise toy packaging whose function was a shock trooper. His primary objective was causing chaos and destruction, and his primary weapon was the Friction rifle. Earthrise webpage^[1] While on a mission to infiltrate the Autobot ship, the Ark, Runamuck and his brother Runabout were separated. Runabout was left behind while Runamuck hid in the Ark’s cargo hold. He could only speak in half sentences without Runabout to finish them for him. Fan First Friday^[3]

Commercials

Megatron ordered Runamuck and Runabout to attack Ultra Magnus and his Autobots as they spoiled an Energon-gathering mission. Battlechargers commercial

Games

Transformers Legends

Runamuck was part of a convoy led by Motormaster which attempted to deliver the final component for a super weapon to Decepticon HQ. The Aerialbots successfully intercepted them right as they neared their goal, and the four Decepticons had to destroy the weapon to keep it out of Autobot hands. Eagle Eyes Runamuck was among the Decepticons who joined with the Quintessons in an attempt to destroy the Autobots. Five Faces of Darkness: Part 2 He was also part of a group of Decepticons including Dreadwind and the Air Strike Patrol which conquered and held Garrus-9 until the Wreckers liberated the facility. The Wreckers

Transformers: Battle Tactics

Runamuck participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was a Rare character who could be recruited after collecting 70 units of Cybermetal, 30 units of Transmetal, and 20 exclusive cores. Transformers: Battle Tactics

Toys

The Transformers

Look, ma, no hands!

• Runamuck (Battlecharger, 1986)

• Accessories: friction rifle
• Known designers: Hideaki Yoke (TakaraTomy), Takashi Matsuda (initial concept)

One of the two Battlecharger toys released in 1986, Runamuck transforms into a Pontiac Firebird 3rd Generation sports car. An autotransformer, he uses a pull-back motor to propel him forward in both car and robot modes, though starting in car mode triggers his transformation to robot after he rolls forward a short distance. Due to the autotransformation engineering, Runamuck is entirely a brick, featuring no articulation whatsoever, or even arms. As such, his weapon can only be plugged into what is presented as his shoulder.

Though this mold is very similar to fellow Battlecharger Runabout, it is highly unlikely one is actually a retool of the other since they had simultaneous production.

For reasons unknown, the Battlechargers were not released in the Takara Transformers toyline, rare for a Takara-engineered toy at the time.

• More information on Runamuck at TFU.info

Timelines

Heh heh heh, you said "jack."

• Runamuck (Deluxe Class, 2012)

• Accessories: pistol, 2 side-pipes/shoulder-cannons

Timelines Runamuck is a retool of Generations Wheeljack (itself a retool of Turbo Tracks) with a new head designed by Dan Khanna to amalgamate Runabout and Runamuck's original headsculpts.^[4] He transforms into a sports car of made-up model, though it kind of resembles a Chevy Corvette with a heavily-modified front end. He can also assume a third "flying car" mode by folding down the car doors and flipping out wing extensions. His pistol can be hand-held, or become a shoulder-mounted gun through the use of the c joint clip on its back. His two side-pipes can attach to the c joint bars on his upper body as well to form shoulder-mounted cannons, or be held in his hands by the barrels as wrenches.

Runamuck is the 2012 Transformers Collectors' Club free figure, mailed to new or returning club members who got their registration in before March 16, 2012. This date, however, was extended to March 21, 2012 due to the setup of their new payment system.

This mold (with the new head) was also used to make the Club-exclusive Over-Run.

• More information on Timlines Runamuck at TFU.info

Kre-O

His spoiler tastes great on a cracker!

• Decepticon Runamuck (Kreon Micro-Changer, 2014)

• Collection: Age of Extinction Collection 2
• Accessories: Logo brick, blaster

Part of the sixth regular assortment of blind-bagged Kre-O Micro-Changers, Runamuck is a Kreon mini-figure that can be rebuilt into a sports car. While clearly based on the Generation 1 Battlecharger, the details of his deco are much more based on the live-action movie style of bot. He sports Ratchet's helmet.

Unlike prior Micro-Changer assortments, this series does not have any sort identification code for the bags' actual contents, meaning you'd best be good at the feel-through-the-bag method.

This assortment was originally slated to be a Toys"R"Us exclusive, but US stores dropped the line before its release. It was still available in Canada, Australia and Chinese/Asian markets. In 2015, the Collection appeared in US Dollar Tree stores, with a price tag of a whopping $1 a pop. They didn't last long.

War for Cybertron: Earthrise

For the last time, my alt mode is not a secret agent's submarine! If you dare put me in water, I will shoot you!

• Runamuck (Deluxe Class, 2020)

• Hasbro ID number: WFC-E37
• TakaraTomy ID number: ER EX-14
• TakaraTomy release date: December 19, 2020
• Accessories: blaster
• Known designers: Ittoku Kuwazu (TakaraTomy), Hirofumi Ichikawa (detailing)

Part of the third and final wave of War for Cybertron: Earthrise Deluxe Class toys, Runamuck transforms into an 80's sportscar somewhat reminiscent of a Lotus Esprit X180 in 16 steps. Like most War for Cybertron Trilogy toys, Runamuck is C.O.M.B.A.T. System compatible with multiple 3 mm posts for use with "blast effects" and 5 mm holes to mount accessories. In order to be accurate to the original toy, there are 5 mm holes at the top of each shoulder to mount his gun, as well as faux wheels at the back of his feet, albeit unpainted. To achieve a proportional chest with the rest of his body, his robot mode chest uses a faux car roof.

Replicating a switcheroo from the Battlechargers' original character models, Runamuck's gun is based on Runabout's "high-energy particle beam rifle" (although the TakaraTomy stock photography seen at right instead shows a blaster based on Runamuck's own "friction rifle"). In practice, that friction rifle accessory is actually supplied with Earthrise Runabout, albeit almost entirely painted Runabout-red.

In a 2019 fan poll, Runamuck (with the accompanying image misspelled as Runamok^[5]) received more votes than Gnaw, Needlenose, or Shrapnel, and thus the Battlecharger received a figure in this toyline.^[6]

Befitting his status as the Fan Vote figure, Runamuck comes with the end destination of all ships on the map: Earth.

Unsurprisingly, this mold was retooled into Runabout, with a new head and additional weapon.

Merchandise

Transformers Trading Card Game

• Raider Runamuck, Infantry-Soldier (2019)
  • Wave 3: War for Cybertron: Siege I
  • Rarity: CT
  • Card Number: T37/T48
  • Stars: 10

Raider Runamuck, Infantry-Soldier is one of forty-eight double-sided character cards available in Wave 3 of the Transformers Trading Card Game, War for Cybertron: Siege I.

The line-art for the card is reused from the Transformers Legends mobile game, with updated colors to match the style used in the War for Cybertron: Siege toyline packaging art.

• Raider Runamuck, Infantry-Soldier (2019)
  • Wave 3P
  • Rarity: CT
  • Card Number: P8/2019
  • Stars: 10

A reprint of Raider Runamuck, Infantry-Soldier was made available as an in-store play promo card for the release of Wave 4: War for Cybertron: Siege II. The card is identical to the original release, printed with gold-foil on the Robot Mode side.

Notes

"You think we'd like Steve-O more if we were black?"

• In the 1986 Hasbro Pre-Toy Fair catalog, Runamuck's car mode had a dark grey exterior. However, Runamuck's robot mode is represented by... another Runabout!
• Runamuck's original character model gives him Runabout's weapon (and vice versa), which would later influence the Battlechargers' Earthrise toys (see above).
• In the Marvel Comics continuity, Runamuck is introduced as having a recurring verbal tic, wherein he would always punctuate (and sometimes begin) his brief sentences with a stuttering "heh heh". This led to him (and by extension Runabout) in the early-to-mid 90s being equalled to the then newly popular MTV show Beavis & Butt-head, a show featuring two delinquent teenage boys known for their crass humor, uneducated minds and propensity for vandalism and destruction, all while making seemingly uncontrollable and uncalled for stuttering laughter.
• Over the decades, Runamuck's cohort Runabout has suffered many years of trademark-unavailability, leading to a 2005 Runabout homage in Transformers: Cybertron having to be named Runamuck instead. In 2024, this came back around as Earth Wars Runamuck (largely based on the 2012 Timelines toy) received a pay-to-unlock cosmetic skin based on Cybertron Runamuck (see below).

Foreign names

• Japanese: Runamuck (ラナマック Ranamakku)
• French: Furioso (Canada)
• Italian: Velenix
• Russian: Dynamic (Динамик Dinamik)
• Hungarian: Ámokfutó (Amok Runner)

Gallery

• 

  Wings Universe appearance

• 

  Earth Wars skin based on Cybertron Runamuck

References