Thundercracker - Unicron Trilogy

Unicron Trilogy

Thundercracker, only mentioned off-screen in Transformers: Armada, finally made his appearance on screen in Transformers: Cybertron. Originally released alone, Thundercracker was later packaged with a Mini-Con partner as a Wal-Mart-exclusive but is unable to powerlinx with the Mini-Con. Although Armada Thundercracker did appear in the Dreamwave comics, he was portrayed very differently from the Cybertron character.

As a character, Thundercracker is a Deception highly distinguished for his love of battle. He speaks with a distinctive southern "drawl" accent. This excessive blood-lust affects the entire Decepticon group. What he lacks in skills, Megatron recognizes Thundercracker's talent for encouraging the troop's fighting spirit. He always has his sights on target in either robot or jet mode. Unfortunately, he cannot concentrate on a target, and accuracy is not his style. He also comes up with special attacks that prove ineffective against his foes, most particularly Jetfire in a battle for sky supremacy, but when reinforcements arrive, he is usually the first to be defeated.

Thundercracker's tech specs by both Hasbro and Takara revealed more about him. The Takara bio noted that he was excessively eager to go into battle, in turn inspiring the Decepticons who fought with him—which is why Megatron keeps him around. His Hasbro bio is indicates that, like the original G1 Thundercracker, his main power is his ability to create deafening sonic booms in combat. Rather oddly, the unlockable content on Hasbro's website indicates he is also somewhat of a practical joker. The non-flying Decepticons often ride on him.

The Wal-Mart-exclusive Mini-Con pack would explain how Thundercracker got his Mini-Con partner Downshift, snatching him from under the Autobot's noses in one of his trademark fear causing missions. What he did not realize was that Downshift was as dedicated to creating chaos as him, and the two formed an alliance to terrorize the Autobots on Earth.

In 2006, a Target store exclusive 2-pack called the "Ground to Air Blast Pack" included Cybertron Crosswise and Thundercracker. The toys were identical to their original ones, and the front included a brief mention of how the Autobot Bounty Hunter was hunting the Decepticon criminal Thundercracker. His tech spec indicates that his desire to blast Autobots is not out of any sort of sadism—it simply keeps him out of Megatron's way when the Decepticon leader is looking for someone to take his frustration out on.