Slapdash is a ditz. Being a likable ditz is the only thing that has kept his fellow Autobots from abandoning him on the battlefield during one of his mishaps. When charging into combat, he'll often forget to bring his gun, to fill up his tank, or even to notify his partner Lube that they're going on a mission, leaving himself unable even to transform. On the other hand, he often manages to bumble his way successfully through a battle, demonstrating the kind of sheer luck reserved only for the idiots.
In any case, he has excellent taste in Earth television. Miami Metal Clamp is his favorite show.
- French name (Canada): Distrait
Fiction[]
Marvel Comics continuity[]
Generation One[]
Absent-minded Slapdash left his not-standing-in-character model stance at home.
While two Earth Autobots named Blaster and Grimlock settled their differences in a crater on Earth's moon, Slapdash, Joyride and Getaway remained behind on the Steelhaven as a skeleton crew to guard the ship from attack. When the Decepticons did attack, Goldbug commandeered the Steelhaven and its small crew to return to Nebulos, in the hopes of rebuilding the legendary Optimus Prime as a true leader to oversee all Autobots. Totaled!
They ran into difficulties on Nebulos, however. The inhabitants were less than cooperative and had poisoned their fuel supplies since Fortress Maximus's crew had left in order to prevent further Transformers involvement on their world. What's worse, a pair of crooked Nebulans had made an alliance with two Decepticon bandits and made them uniquely immune to the poison fuel, putting Nebulos at their mercy. Slapdash and the others tried to fight back against the Decepticons, but were running dangerously low on fuel due to their long journey and proved no match for their Powermaster opponents. But after seeing the Autobots' determination to revive their leader Optimus Prime at any cost, the Nebulan scientist Hi-Q and his research staff decided to help save the Autobots and underwent the Powermaster process themselves. Slapdash was binary-bonded to Lube, one of Hi-Q's top assistants. After successfully driving off the Decepticon Powermasters with their new strength, the Autobots and their binary-bonded partners all chose to leave Nebulos and return to Earth, with Optimus Prime once more functional. People Power
Slapdash frequently demonstrated his sloppiness while active on Earth. He, like, totally forgot to bring Lube along for a key defensive mission, leaving himself stuck in vehicle mode and of little use to his fellow Powermasters, except as a decoy for Decepticon target practice. For sure. Prime Bomb! On another occasion, he proved almost useful in underwater combat when he accidentally landed on one Seacons while falling to the ocean floor and backhanded another into unconsciousness without even realizing what was happening. Dreadwing Down!
Slapdash was one of several Autobots who, under Optimus Prime's command, responded to the Micromaster Air Strike Patrol's attack on MacDill Air Force Base. The Resurrection Gambit! When Prime realized that this was a diversion orchestrated by an unknown party, he ordered Slapdash and the others back on board the All-Terrain Turbo-Transport which brought them there. All the Familiar Faces!
Generation 2[]
Phew, the 1984 guys survived.
Slapdash battled the Cybertronian army on planet Ethos alongside Joyride and Hound. His flaming wreckage could be seen at the end of the battle, possibly meaning he died. Escalation!
Dreamwave Comics continuity[]
During the Age of Internment, Slapdash participated in an attempt to capture one of the Aerospace Extermination Squadron that Megatron had cloned using Quintesson technology. The War Within: The Age of Wrath
Toys[]
Generation One[]
- Slapdash (Powermaster, 1988)
- Accessories: "Lube" Powermaster partner, laser gun, engine block, spoiler
He forgot to bring knees, again
- Slapdash transforms into a yellow Formula-1 styled race car with blue highlights. Like all Powermasters, Slapdash is "locked" in his vehicle form until his Powermaster engine Lube is inserted into the engine socket (or until you push down the relevant buttons in said socket) revealed by removing a large yellow engine block cover on the rear of his car mode.
- Unlike the other Autobot Powermaster cars, Lube plugs into what becomes Slapdash's robot mode chest, providing a very different look compared to the standard representation of the character, which features the yellow engine block in this position. The toy's instructions indicate you can "cheat" to achieve this look by not using his engine and that the cover and Lube are effectively interchangeable once Slapdash is transformed. Slapdash's spoiler plugs into his back and is designed to be able hold whichever item is not attached to his chest at the time.
- This toy was sold in Japan as Road King.
Notes[]
THEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY'VE got the power to survive!
- A commercial for the Powermasters which included Slapdash also advertised "People Power!," the Marvel Comics issue in which he had his first major appearance. It is the only time the American character model is animated.