Rapido didn't even exist until 1993, seven years after season 3 aired. That character is just a generic who participated in the Galactic Olympics in "Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1", competing with Jazz, which is where that footage from the season 3 end credits comes from. (It's possible he might be that mysterious Munka Spanka named later by the announcer.)
I always thought it was Lightspeed. Actually the car mode looks more like the European exclusive Motorvator Lightspeed.
Hmm, yes, you're right; he was a 1987 toy, and his first appearance was in "Grimlock's New Brain", which aired on November 14, 1986. FFOD Part 1 aired on September 15, 1986, two months earlier. However considering Grimlock literally creates the Technobots in "Grimlock's New Brain", the generic in FFOD cannot be Lightspeed. EDIT: The final storyboards for "Grimlock's New Brain" are dated September 16, 1986, literally the day after FFOD part 1 first aired. https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/transformers-tv-series-complete-1844270224 Meanwhile, the European Motorvator Lightspeed was released in 1991, and was a redeco of the previousy Japanese-only Brainmaster Braver, which was released in 1989.
I was thinking turbo myself. Like maybe one of the animators for the credits scene maybe didn't know his converting robots back then and it got past final cuts somehow... I'm just snowballing...lolz
Well obviously I knew it wasn't the Motorvator Lightspeed, I just said the car mode reminded me of it. My 12 year old self wouldn't have known about cartoon production or release dates. Plus it wasn't the way of the show to use non toy generics in the credits. I didn't see Five Faces of Darkness until my mid twenties where it was obvious said red robot wasn't Lightspeed. It's only a few seconds of footage in the season 3 credits so I think my younger self can be forgiven for mis-identifying him. On a related note, it's only in recent years, that I realised it was a miscoloured Springer running with Rodimus and Magnus at the end of the opening credits. It moves very quickly so at a glance the colour scheme makes you think it's Kup. Still, always interesting to hear about or notice these things.
That colour scheme doesn't look good on any bot. The horror of faceless Ultra Magnus doesn't help things. They should have completed the trio with the usual Rodimus missing his spoiler...
That's Ensign Rickybot. He was in the long lost episode where he, Rodimus Prime, Computon, and First Aid were exploring an unknown planet. He went the opposite direction from the other three because he heard a noise. The others heard the scream and found that he was killed by a plant that contain toxins deadly enough to kill red colored Autobots. First Aid checked out the now colorless Autobot before saying, "He's dead, Rodimus." Computron then decided to scan both the plan and later scan to see if there are anymore on the planet. He would eventually say that it appears to be the very last one on the planet. Rodimus Prime, with he need to overtly dramatize things did a speech about how Optimus Prime would not have allowed this to happen, along with how he does not deserve the Matrix of Leadership. They didn't make the episode because they were not convinced that parents would want to buy a red Autobot that was not Optimus Prime.
I really half expected Hasbro to crank this out as a Selects Springer redeco. I've never understood why eHobby at least didn't jump on that as a vintage toy reissue. They did an army builder for the multiple Blitzwings and never gave us Sprup?
Animators can seize on any of the designs to use as generic transformers, and were generally unconcerned with - or even aware of- continuity in the storyline. Not saying it WAS lightspeed, just that his presence in a cartoon before his creation cannot be ruled out.
