...

 

You know, the Battlechargers aren't really prominent characters in fiction, like, ever.

As @Autoboticon posted above me, they were only briefly in the original Sunbow cartoon, and they didn't seem to be that important in the Marvel comics if I recall correctly. They had their introduction issue, and then they faded into the background for the rest of the run. Though I do remember Runabout being devoured by some mystical entity after the whole Unicron arc, and yeah, that was gruesome.

Hell, they weren't even that relevant in IDW. They had rather prominent roles in some of Furman's earlier stories, though were offlined under his pen. And no other subsequent writers really did anything else with the characters.

To be fair, they aren't exactly the most compelling pair of Decepticons. Their personalities and roles essentially boil down to just "dumb thugs" and little else.

I wouldn't be opposed to seeing the Battlechargers in a new Transformers animated series. It would be nice to focus on some lesser known characters for a change instead of the usual Decepticon roster we've gotten. Plus, they could probably work really well as dumb comic relief if need be, though hopefully they wouldn't be too intolerable.

Oh, and can we get some Battlechargers in the War for Cybertron Trilogy? That would be nice, wouldn't it? Their only classics figures are repaints of Generations Wheeljack, and even so they were a convention exclusive or something.

 

I just remember them from the Marvel comic issue where they graffiti landmarks following a family on vacation.

If Hasbro made a new mold for them, they could probably get a few Throttlebot repaints out of them. They have hoods for feet and the back of the car up over their heads.

 

I loved them in IDW'S Simon Furman years. What was disappointing was they were killed off. I actually really liked them, and they were comedy relief. Would of loved to see more of them, I think they would of worked wonderfully in All Hail Megatron, 2009, and RiD

I liked the Simon Furman years cause it gave me the impression Simon wasn't sticking to the same 6-10 characters. It is almost like he read their bios, and based their appearances on who he liked the most and not cause they are a legacy character.

IDW aside, I love them.

 

There a scene in the Ultimate Doom (or maybe Divide and Conquer) where there are two Decepticons cars/vehicles on Cybertron. I like to think they were the Battlechargers.

 

Humans are wimps. Greatest trolling ever. I dont give two flying shits about these two, but that one thing was awesome.

 

my first transformer was Runamuck so i always feel quite sentimental about these two . i wish i knew what happened to that toy .

I enjoyed reading IDW where they chased Rachet in the opening story . Wish they had a bigger part in the G1 cartoon ... maybe they will appear in Cyberverse one day .

 

Runabout:
"A pretty car makes an even prettier wreck."

Likes to watch things blow up -- the bigger the explosion the better. Uses parked cars and gas station fuel pumps for target practice. Usually very busy as a Battlecharger, but terrified of boredom. Maximum speed 300 km/h. Range: 900 km. Has high-energy particle beam rifle. Easily distracted by a beautiful car -- because he wants to destroy it, not admire it.

Runamuck:
"The road is my playpen, cars are my toys."

Cackling like a mechanical wildman, this Battlecharger is a twirling, tumbling two-lane terror. Spreading fear is his favorite pastime. Admires junkyards like humans admire art museums. Maximum Speed 180 mph. Range: 600 Miles. Uses friction rifle that increases kinetic energy of its target's molecules for 5 minutes. Even the slightest movement results in tremendous friction, causing flames and melting. Afraid of heights.

Both are considered Shock Troopers but their behavior seems too undisciplined for that.

That said, a 4-issue mini-series following these two around would be comedic gold. It could be almost be a parody of Jackson and Travolta in Pulp Fiction.

 

Man, these two guys are such underused characters. Yeah, they're pretty much dumb thugs, but hey, they are fun. I liked their appearance in Ghost in the Machine, and they're the reason why I love Decepticon Graffitti so much.

I really wish they used these guys again.

 

Love their Triggerhappy jokel characterizations in the toon and the comics.
That scene with Blast Off is one of my all time favorite sunbow scenes.
Two characters like so many others that have great potential but no writers cares to put them to good use because they aren't famous.

 

They're the Beavis and Butthead of the Decepticons.

They were called Watchdogs. I liked to imagine they were Cybertronian mode Battlechargers and that there were hundreds of them like the Seekers.

The Ground Troopers from the Devestation game would fit the bill for an army of Battlechargers/Watchdogs.

 

There was also the pair of repaints of CW Blackjack in Japan. Not exactly easy to get either, but I feel are better representations than the Wheeljack Battlechargers.

 

I had Runabout as a kid. I should make a custom of him...

 

I want 3P MPs of these.  

 

I’d love an MP figure of those guys!

 

When playing with the figures, or building battle scenes (and photographing with a Polaroid), I used to pretend these guys were the direct foes of Camshaft, Downshift and Overdrive (the Omnibots). To me, it just made sense.

TFWiki says Runamuck and Runabout appears in the toon, but I don't remember them.

And since the Omnibots were in on the action, the mail-in guys, I'd often pull in Powerdasher (jet). But I don't recall which 'con faced off with Powerdasher. That's going to bug me until I remember!

I want 3P MPs of all those guys. Powerdasher should be the same size as the 3P Topspin/Twintwist, and the rest are carbots. It's be awesome to have Powerdasher as quad-changer (all 3x alt + bot).

Threads like this make me want to sit on the floor and go "VROOM! VROOM!"  

 

It would be cool if they were actually used for something.

 

"NO BODY FOR UNICRON!!!"

 

I remember the episode they appeared in, I forget which it was, but they sounded like they were both ADHD to the core.

Always liked them for that because they seemed hyper as hell.