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"No, I mean take a submarine!"
No, I mean take a submarine!

Excessive humor or sarcasm is interfering with the delivery of information on this page, and it needs to be de-snarked.  If you disagree, discuss this issue on its talk page.

Sarcasm warning: Bitter facetiousness to follow.


Broadside is an Autobot Triple Changer who premiered in 1986. Besides his robot mode, Broadside transforms into a jet fighter and an aircraft carrier. The alternate modes of a jet and a naval ship are ironic, considering that the character's "Tech Specs" reveal that he has acrophobia (the fear of heights) and kinetosis (motion sickness or, in the character's case, seasickness).

The alternate modes are also curious considering their size disparities of a jet fighter (specifically, the F/A-18 Hornet) which has a reported overall length of about 60ft (18m) and a "1200 ft aircraft carrier" (which would be longer than any present active aircraft carrier). Even for the science fiction setting of the franchise, such a disparity in size of the alternate modes is considered incredulous by the Transformer fandom and has brought about a degree of criticism and ridicule concerning the character.


Italian name: Mistral
French name (Canada): Navalo
Hungarian name: Deltás ("Muscly") but also Sortűz ("Fusillade")

Gallery[]

Fiction[]

Marvel Comics continuity[]

Generation One[]

Note: Events from the UK-only comics are in italics.
Triplechangerstarget2006

No colors yet. That comes later.

Broadside and his fellow Triple Changers were late recruits into Operation: Volcano by Emirate Xaaron, taking the place of Ultra Magnus in the battle scenario. Their introduction into the Wreckers was marred with tragedy, however, as their leader Impactor was killed when Volcano finally went down. Broadside's fellow Triple Changer Springer succeeded Impactor as squad leader. Target 2006

Broadside served on several missions with the Wreckers, battling zombie robots in Kalis and engaging the future Decepticon Galvatron on Earth. City of Fear! Wrecking Havoc That last mission nearly proved to be a disaster, however, when the Wreckers blindly portal-jumped into a battle with Galvatron, only to find themselves in the middle of a populated human city, surrounded by potential civilian casualties. In order to guard against future problems such as that, Xaaron assigned Broadside, Inferno and Sandstorm to Earth full time as an advance guard, gathering information on the planet so that they would be better prepared for the next battle with Galvatron. Firebug! The three Autobots engaged in some rather comical situations while on Earth, including fighting a cute-but-dangerous Firebug, and nearly causing a panic when they tried to celebrate Christmas with a bunch of humans. Cold Comfort and Joy!

Broadsidetotaled

In the UK, I was replaced by some other dude!

Broadside was somehow present to watch Blaster and Grimlock duke it out on the Moon. Totaled!

The trio's mission became serious once the timestorm raging at both ends of Galvatron's time-jump began to tear apart the fabric of the universe. Xaaron had isolated Galvatron—and his time-tossed minions Scourge and Cyclonus—as the source of the distortion, and sent the full contingent of Wreckers to Earth, complete with unexpected back-up from their Decepticon counterparts, the Mayhem Attack Squad. Broadside balked at the idea, but honestly...they needed all the help they could get. Even that wasn't enough, however, against the combined might of Galvatron and Megatron. The twin titans tore through the Wreckers and Mayhems without mercy: at the end of the so-called "Time Wars", less than half of the warriors were left alive. Time Wars

Broadsidesurvivors

That's a sidekick, not a broadside!

Cut off from any supplies or assistance from Cybertron, Broadside, Springer and Inferno felt left behind and abandoned to their fate on Earth. In order to survive, they formed a new group aptly known as the "Survivors" with the limbo-lost Autobot Skids and the remaining Mayhems, Carnivac and Catilla. Survivors Unfortunately, the Mayhems' former superiors on Cybertron didn't take kindly to this apparent mutiny, and assembled a new Mayhem Attack Squad to assassinate the traitors. Their first strike led to Catilla's death, and Carnivac ran off on his own afterwards to seek vengeance. A Savage Place!

Note: Broadside's appearance on the Moon in US #41 is his only appearance in the American Generation One comics. In the UK, he was edited into a generic because in their continuity, he was elsewhere with the Wreckers.
Marvel UK future timelines[]

In 2510, Broadside was fighting alongside Springer and the Wreckers when they fired the very last shots of the war between the Autobots and the Decepticons. Of course, a war between the Autobots and the Autobots started up almost immediately thereafter, so it was a pretty quick shore leave. Peace

Earthforce[]
Note: These stories do not fit into the normal Marvel continuity. See Earthforce for details.

In order to take on the Mayhems effectively, Broadside and the other Survivors joined up with Grimlock's Earthforce, and came to Carnivac's rescue just in the nick of time. Where Wolf? Later on, the Earth-based Decepticons under Starscream and Soundwave attempted to divide the Autobots' attention, staging a full-scale assault on Earthbase while Starscream secured a tanker full of fuel in the meantime. While the main Earthforce defended their base, however, the Survivors fought back Starscream's energy-stealing attempt. Broadside used his rarely seen carrier-mode to transport his fellow Survivors into battle on the high seas against Starscream, and the Seeker was driven off without much effort. Divide and Conquer!

Generation 2[]

Broadsideg2

Wonder if his aircraft carrier mode has more guns strapped to it, too.

"Oh, yes. The building - and occupants - are toast! Maximum points!"
―Broadside, armed to the teeth and entirely too happy about it, "War Without End!"

Broadside served with Sideswipe, Hound and Blades as part of a team of Firestormers under Grimlock's command. They attacked their enemy with so much zeal, that Grimlock had to remind them what side they're on. Broadside and his Firestormers team were the first to uncover the existence of Jhiaxus and his Cybertronian Empire and alert Optimus Prime to its threat. However, Jhiaxus' command ship, the Twilight blasted them from orbit and kept Broadside and the others prisoner until Optimus Prime and Grimlock managed to set them free and escape. War Without End! Broadside continued serving as a soldier throughout the Autobots conflict with the Cybertronians. He was last seen fighting alongside Springer and several other veteran Autobots on the planet Ethos. Escalation!

American cartoon continuity[]

Voice actor: Bill Martin (English), Masashi Ebara (Japanese)
Broadsidegrimlocksnewbrain

Seriously, I'm huge.

When Teletraan II casually brought up in conversation that Trypticon, the Decepticons' largest weapon of mass destruction, had not been destroyed as everyone thought, Rodimus Prime sent Broadside and Seaspray out to investigate the site where Trypticon fell into the sea. Sure enough, they found no body, but instead a trail of massive footprints leading back towards land. Once the Autobots tracked Trypticon down to the Socialist Democratic Federated Republic of Carbombya, Broadside transported the Autobot strike force in by the coast. Thief in the Night

Broadsidecrushesdevastator

Best use of size changing ever.

During a strike against a new Constructicon weapon asteroid, the Autobots and Decepticons alike were interrupted by a powerful harmonic discharge. Ultra Magnus, Blaster and Broadside broke away from the main battle to prevent Galvatron and Soundwave from taking control of the harmony for their own evil ends. Although Soundwave did manage to temporarily copy the harmony onto his tapes, Blaster erased the recording and the Autobots were able to drive off the Decepticons. Carnage in C-Minor

Broadside was among the Autobots attending the unveiling of a generator on Cybertron when the Decepticon anti-electron attack was unleashed. Grimlock's New Brain

At a time when the Decepticons were carrying out a series of assaults on the nation of Japan, Broadside confronted Devastator and Predaking in the waters near a fishing village. Broadside nearly capsized a small boat due to the waves generated by their fight, but he managed to stabilize the craft before returning to battle. After which the Constructicons retreated in their individual robot modes (perhaps the massive waves made the attacking combiners separate). The Burden Hardest to Bear

Japanese cartoon continuity[]

The Headmasters cartoon[]

Broadside appeared briefly fighting alongside Springer and Sandstorm in defense of Autobot City on Earth. Four Warriors Come out of the Sky

Note: Broadside had a troubled history in the cartoon continuity. His jet model was used as a generic ship before his first appearance, by the Autobots in Five Faces of Darkness and the Decepticons in The Killing Jar. He appeared in both his prototype and toy design robot modes in the series, as seen in Carnage in C-Minor and Grimlock's New Brain, respectively. Furthermore, Broadside was consistently depicted as either larger or MUCH larger than the average Transformer in the American episodes, yet for his Japanese Headmasters appearance he was basically the same size as his fellow Triple Changers.

Dreamwave Generation One comics continuity[]

Broadsidewarwithin

They shrink me later.

During the first arc of Optimus Prime's tenure as leader of the Autobots, Broadside was an enormous warrior, as tall as the special combiner teams, and supposedly nearly as powerful. He helped defend the Autobot capital of Iacon, alongside Vibes. The War Within

A few thousand years after that, Broadside, now the size of a standard Transformer, was a member of the Wreckers fighting for control of the Tagan Heights region. Most notably, he organized the evacuation of his team when Devastator and Defensor were decimating the area. Possibly, Broadside had himself reduced after the signing of the Crisis Intervention Accords to keep his combat status nominal. The War Within: The Dark Ages

In the modern era, Broadside was one of the Autobots upgraded into a Triple Changer by Shockwave's new process, after the Autobots and Decepticons negotiated a truce following the Great Shutdown. Along with his fellow former Wrecker Sandstorm, Broadside served as part of Shockwave's Triple Changer Strike Force alongside the Decepticons Astrotrain, Octane and Blitzwing. But, while Shockwave was making many promises of a new world order where Autobots and Decepticons could live forever in peace, Broadside eventually concluded he could not be trusted. As a result, Broadside and Sandstorm made contact with Smokescreen and Tracks in the Autobot resistance, and began reporting of Shockwave's activities.

Broadsidewarandpeace

Toldja.

The Triple Changer Strike Force accompanied Shockwave to Earth, where they took into custody the castaway Transformers from the Ark and the Nemesis who had been cut off from developments on Cybertron for the last four million years. As soon as they got the chance, Broadside and Sandstorm freed the Ark's crew from imprisonment, and took them to meet Smokescreen's unit to plan an uprising against the Decepticon rule. The insurrection went off successfully, and the Autobots reclaimed control of Cybertron from Shockwave. War and Peace

Note: Broadside was consistently based on his toy design in Dreamwave continuity. Also, according to his DW "More Than Meets the Eye" bio, Broadside was cured of his acrophobia and seasickness when Shockwave turned him into a Triple Changer, but he still complains about both anyway.

IDW comics continuity[]

SpotlightBlaster GetawayKupHufferBroadside

Seriously, doesn't he have anything better to do than sit around and be mis-colored?

Broadside was there. He saw it happen. The conquest of Kaon. The fall of a Prime. The beginning of the Great War. Broadside was there, and amazingly well armed for such a "peaceful" period, though perhaps he took a clue from Sentinel Prime. Either way, the huge old bot was one of the survivors who managed to evacuate before Megatron's takeover. Megatron Origin

Around four hundred years ago, Broadside was attempting to defend Autobot territory on Cybertron from Decepticon expansion. He was part of a unit alongside Kup, Getaway and Huffer shortly after the Battle of Thunderhead Pass, stuck in the trenches on what was left of Cybertron after Thunderwing stomped through it. Spotlight: Blaster

Stormbringer2 Wrecker fliers

Oh, he flies through the air, with a touch of unease...

In the present, Broadside was a member of the elite combat unit "The Wreckers". He was assaulting the Decepticon Seige Armature on Varas Centralas alongside Whirl and Sandstorm when Springer received orders from Optimus Prime to pull out and return to Cybertron. Stormbringer issue 2 After Optimus and the Wreckers quickly crushed Bludgeon's cult, Broadside reported that Thunderwing was coming back. Stormbringer issue 3 When Thunderwing touched down on Cybertron, Broadside, Scoop and Roadbuster operated as advance recon, watching as the monstrous Pretender slowly erupted into a rage as memories of his past flooded what was left of his mind. Broadside had to pick up Scoop and run for it as Thunderwing unleashed a massive wave of energy. After Twin Twist managed to get himself into trouble, Broadside's team were tasked with getting his attention, but were blown away with a mighty clap of his hands. After recovering from having a pocket of gas detonated from underneath them, Broadside and the remaining Autobots fought alongside two squads of Decepticons and reprogrammed Centurion droids to help defeat Thunderwing. Stormbringer issue 4

Broadside continued with the Wreckers for another couple years after the Thunderwing Incident, and ended up fighting the giant pretender AGAIN during the whole Expansion incident. Spotlight: Doubledealer At some point, Broadside, along with a number of other Autobots, was captured by a Decepticon battle group and held captive aboard their ship. That is until the rest of the Wreckers, and their erstwhile guide Drift, rescued the lot. Spotlight Drift Apparently, that was the final straw for Broadside as he hasn't been seen working with the Wreckers since.

Eventually he transferred to the Earth detachment working under Commander Bumblebee. As a combat gunship he took part in the secret Korea affair, only to get flattened by an unconscious scientist on accident. Considering this luck and what the other Wreckers were facing, he probably left at the right time. Transformers Ongoing issue 10

Note: Broadside as he appeared in IDW's stories thus far does not seem to have the cartoon version's phobias. But then, there isn't really time to complain when a homicidal Pretender is trying to kill you.

Toys[]

Generation One[]

G1 Broadside toy

Retail version of toy.

  • Broadside (Triple Changer, 1986)
    • Japanese ID number: C-85
    • Accessories: Plasma pulse gun, Vibro-axe, 2 missiles
Broadside transforms into an aircraft carrier and an aircraft-carrier-sized F/A-18 Hornet jet fighter. He carries a rifle and a (comparably) small axe as weapons in robot mode. Two non-firing missiles attach to his wings in jet mode.

Notes[]

Proto broadside

Awesome...no wait, the opposite.

Broadsidecharactermodels

And sometimes the one on the left was colored like the one on the right!

  • Broadside has the distinction of having two animated character models, one based on a prototype toy that apparently went just short of production for some reason, and one based on the actual toy. The prototype design—which could be seen in a European toy catalog, at right—was rendered in animated form only in "Carnage in C-Minor" and the commercial for the 1986 Triple Changer toys, where it featured a different color scheme that appeared to be derived from the actual finished toy (lacking the prototype toy's blue). The prototype design also appeared in the 1986 package art mural, and was consistently used for Broadside's Marvel Comics appearances, colored to resemble the prototype toy, blue and all.
  • Broadside made an animated appearance in a television commercial for the Autobot Triple Changers (Sandstorm and himself) and the new Decepticon Triple Changer, Octane. Created as a counterforce to Astrotrain and Blitzwing, both Broadside and Sandstorm were animated transforming from robot to both altmodes and back again. Broadside appeared in the character model based on his original prototype in the colors of his final toy.
  • According to "Carnage in C-Minor", Broadside has quite a temper when it comes to his paint job.
  • His Italian name, "Mistral", refers to north-west wind. In Italy, all autobot triple changers were renamed using names of winds.
  • In the American cartoon, plus in both Dreamwave and IDW comics, Broadside has been portrayed as a relatively large warrior, likely because one of his altmodes is an aircraft carrier. (In Dreamwave's case, however, he was large only in The War Within series and was "normal-sized" in the modern era.)
  • Broadside is the only Generation One Triplechanger who doesn't have an alt mode that can travel on land.

External links[]

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