Rotorstorm (G1)

Rotorstorm is an Autobot Turbomaster from the Generation 1 continuity family.

For years he was just another super-powerful, super-intelligent, super-heroic European Autobot with no weakness... or personality. Thank Primus for Roche and Roberts!

The only airborne Turbomaster, Rotorstorm (aka Storm^[1]) is a major asset to the team... and he wants you to know it. He'll tell you he's a ruthless, powerful, and fearless fighter, and that he's respected even by Decepticons for his brilliant strategies and blinding speed. While making quick-witted quips about your progenitor to assure that he's the center of attention, he'll tell you that any moment now the Wreckers will be knocking on his door. That he's everyone's favorite Autobot.

He'll remind you he also possesses advanced technology that lets him eavesdrop on Decepticon communications and an extra "Dodge" sense (rather like that human with the magic outfit) that warns him of impending danger, letting him guide his ground-based comrades out of harm's way. He'll tell you he's a force to be reckoned with.

And it's all true.

But this impervious and attention-seeking persona is a mask for Rotorstorm, one he puts on to inspire and motivate his team. If he has any weaknesses, it's that he feels burdened by the legend of himself he's created. Most mechs don't know the real Rotorstorm behind the mask, but if you ask him about the Simanzi Massacre, you'll find him. His jokes will stop, and he'll stare at the floor.^[2]

Fiction

Predator Air Attack!

Fill in inappropriate comments about Stalker's mother, kids!

Rotorstorm swooped down on the Decepticon ranks attacking the Autobot base, and proceeded to fight Stalker one-on-one. Predator Air Attack!

2005 IDW continuity

First appearance: Megatron Origin #2; Last Stand of the Wreckers #1 (modern era)

Pre-war, when Senator Ratbat updated himself on his current projects he could briefly see Rotorstorm on his monitor. Megatron Origin #2 Soon after he was created, Rotorstorm was enrolled in the Iaconian Aerial Academy. It was not a good time for him: he was viciously bullied by his instructor Jetstream. Bullets Rotorstorm bio

After war broke out in full force, Rotorstorm was part of the Polyhex border force. During the Simanzi Massacre, he was with Ultra Magnus as they tried to evade a squad of Cybernoughts; Magnus was blasted by one, but Rotorstorm's quick reflexes allowed him to escape in copter mode. The Gloaming Later in the battle, he saved the 9th Battalion and was given the Novic Medal for Outstanding Valor for it... but was left haunted and was consumed with doubts due to the carnage he'd witnessed. To compensate, he created a brasher cover personality. He applied for and then rejected Wrecker membership and took up a teaching job at IAA instead. On return to the frontline, he single-handedly repelled an attack at Thunderhead Pass. Rotorstorm bio

Many years later, following The Surge, his courageous leadership of a platoon saved Karashi Delta from the Decepticons. Bullets As a result, and having unknowingly been on the reserve list for a long time, Rotorstorm bio he was approached by Springer for recruitment into the Wreckers, with Springer claiming that he was on the top of the list, something that suited Rotorstorm's false confident personality just fine. In reality, this was a scripted line Springer said to all recruits. Dead Men's Boots

Before being collected, he amused himself by blowing up the Igue-Moor Fuel Depot with his fellows (practice, honest!) and harassing the local Autobot foreman Dipstick. Once the four were on board Ultra Magnus's ship, he was surprised to find the human Verity Carlo was part of the mission, and belittled her presence. During the transit to Garrus-9, he broke the silence by pointing out fellow Wrecker Pyro looked an awful lot like Optimus Prime... Last Stand of the Wreckers #1

After the legendary-but-scandalized Impactor (a former commander of the Wreckers) was brought on board following his escape from Garrus-9, Rotorstorm and the other new Wreckers were banished temporarily so the "grown-ups" could talk it through. Rotorstorm helped Pyro brainstorm a motto, with little success.

Soon the time came to plan the Wreckers' invasion of Garrus-9. In order to overwhelm the planet's forcefield, two ships needed to hit the force field's weak points at exactly the same time. Rotorstorm was asked to put his considerable skills to use ("yes, I am that good") by piloting one escape pod while remote piloting the other. In the moments leading up to the attack, Rotorstorm sat alone in an escape pod, chiding himself for being even "more of a wannabe than Ironfist" for agreeing to this. Regardless, Rotorstorm succeeded in getting both escape pods through the forcefield, though when they met heavy artillery from the Decepticons, both escape pods crash-landed. Last Stand of the Wreckers #2

Rotorstorm is a leaf on the wind. Watch how he soars.

Rotorstorm's group found themselves face-to-face with none other than Overlord himself and his inner circle. Overlord didn't care when Rotorstorm announced that they were not any ordinary Autobots, but Wreckers, but Rotorstorm was still determined to make an impression. He made a joke, which did extract a quiet laugh from their frightening opponent, to Rotorstorm's genuine surprise, but these words would be Rotorstorm's last. Overlord put his gun between Rotorstorm's optics and splattered his cranial fluids all over his horrified fellow Wreckers.

After the others managed to escape Overlord and his minions, Ironfist had severe trouble with having seen Rotorstorm's gruesome end. Later, after Verity shared her similar horror in her own way, Topspin admitted he'd never really cared for Rotorstorm. However, he was a Wrecker, and thus deserving of Topspin's respect. Last Stand of the Wreckers #3

After G-9 was liberated, Rotorstorm's remains, along with that of the other fallen Wreckers, were placed into caskets and transported to Earth. Last Stand of the Wreckers #5 They were later interred in the "Zone of Remembrance" on Debris, the Wreckers' base. Zero Point

Wings Universe

Rotorstorm was present at Pyro's base on Earth when he received Obsidian's signal from Cybertron. He didn't seem to be doing anything useful. A Common Foe

Ask Vector Prime

In Primax 092.0 Beta, Rotorstorm worked with Autobot leader Hyperdrive to defeat Predator leader Skyquake. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/07/16

Generations Selects Special Comic

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

Games

Transformers: Tactical Arena

Rotorstorm fired rockets at both air and ground units, dealing area damage to enemy units caught in his explosion. His vantage point from the air kept him out of range of ground-focused units. Transformers: Tactical Arena

Transformers: Earth Wars

Rotorstorm arrived on Earth at the same time as Spinster. Transformers: Earth Wars

Toys

The Transformers

I have elbows! They allow me to bend my arms to shoot the joker that bolted my knees together!

• Rotorstorm (Medium Turbomaster, 1992)

• Accessories: 2 engines/missile launchers, 6 missiles
• Known designers: Andy Couzens (Hasbro), Takio Ejima (TakaraTomy), Masakatsu Saito (concept artist)

Rotorstorm transforms into a blue Cybertronian helicopter with bright translucent pink rotor blades and canopy. His turbine engines can launch his six included yellow missiles a very long distance. A button on the back of the rotor housing drops down both engines/launchers for an 'attack mode' feature where both missile launch triggers are now accessible. In robot mode, Rotorstorm has limited articulation at the shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees almost entirely due to his transformation. He holds a turbine launcher in either hand and his rotor blades can also be detached for use as an (undocumented and very likely unintended) odd-looking sword by virtue of all having 5 mm posts.

The Rotorstorm mold was redecoed to make Machine Wars Sandstorm, with missiles, launcher triggers, and launcher springs removed for safety reasons. It was redecoed again as 2003's Universe Whirl with retooled launchers that handled longer modern missiles.

This figure also doubles as the Aligned incarnation of Rotorstorm.

• More information on Rotorstorm at TFU.info

Generations Selects

Needs more cockpits. (Pre-release headsculpt shown.)

• Rotorstorm (Deluxe Class, 2020)

• Series: War for Cybertron: Earthrise
• ID number: WFC-GS19
• Accessories: 2 double-barreled cannons

A Generations Selects add-on to Earthrise, Rotorstorm is a retool of Siege Spinister, converting from a robot to Cybertronian helicopter and back. He comes with two double-barreled weapons; in an undocumented but extremely obvious feature, his guns can be combined to form a single four-barreled gun. His spinning rotor sits in place in robot mode, thanks to a small fin-tab on his helicopter tail ending up sitting against the rotor-base in robot mode, nestled in a small divot in the base.

He has two 5 mm posts on his robot mode back rather than the one typical of Deluxe Class figures of the War for Cybertron Trilogy subline, but they're covered by his helicopter blades by default and if the blades are rotated out of the way, they're still hard to use anything (like a Weaponizer that's being used as a backpack) due to the proximity to his blades and his helicopter tail.

Due to the nature of Rotorstorm's transformation, a great deal of stress is placed on the hinges holding the panels making up the back of his legs, which are made of brittle translucent plastic and prone to developing stress fractures. Due to this, care is advised when transforming his legs in either mode.

He was first made available for pre-order on Hasbro Pulse on June 26, 2020. Initial stock photography showed him with the same head-mold as Spinister (as seen in the inset), but the final toy features a new head based on his IDW appearance.^[3]

Notes

• Rotorstorm's function of "Guide and Strategician" is rather interesting, since "Strategician" is a word that's very rarely used. Maybe Rotorstorm got to write his own job description? Maybe it should be read as his portmanteau of "strategist" and "magician" (or likely "tactician"), 'cause he's that good.
• In Transformers: The Ultimate Guide, writer Simon Furman mistakenly referred to Rotorstorm as Rotorforce.
• The IDW incarnation of Rotorstorm joked that the Wreckers could combine. Two years later, a combining Wrecker figure was announced. Sadly, Rotorstorm does not get to be a part of it, as the Vortex mold went to another helicopter-based Wrecker. Four years after that, another Wrecker Combiner was released with a different helicopter again.
• The stickers on Rotorstorm's folding landing skids are odd, since while they're shown in the stock photos, box art, and instructions (and everything else) as going on top, the stickers are cut to match the shape of the underside of the skid... which is extra weird, since that area is almost unseen in either mode. Huh.
• Rotorstorm's Wings Universe design (at right) by Josh Burcham is a "virtual" redeco and retool of Generations: Fall of Cybertron Deluxe Class Vortex/Whirl.^[4]

Foreign names

• Japanese: Rotorstorm (ローターストーム Rōtāsutōmu)
• Dutch: Storm
• French: Tempête (Canada, "Storm"), Storm (Europe)
• Italian: Rotor

References